Sparks Coach Pinpoints What ‘Seperates’ Kelsey Plum From WNBA’s Elite Scorers
Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper put on a show in an overtime matchup between the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury. They became the first opponents to both score 40 points in the same game, with 43 and 41, respectively. While it was a great individual showing for Copper, the Mercury’s struggles continue with a three-game losing streak. Plum, meanwhile, led the Sparks to their seventh win of the season and added to an already MVP-worthy offensive year.
Plum has now put together two of the five highest-scoring games in the W this season and is just one of three players to crack the 40-point mark. If she continues to lead the Sparks to wins, she will make some serious noise in an MVP race that’s once again A’ja Wilson’s to lose. It’s not just the scoring that makes Plum so special, though. What sets her apart from the other great scorers in the league, according to Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, is her playmaking.
“She just has a way,” Roberts said about Plum in the postgame media availability, per the Sparks’ YouTube channel. “She doesn’t get talked about enough in terms of what she’s doing this season and also the efficiency…But seven assists, and I think that’s what separates her. It’s an unselfish 43.”
Not many players can match Plum’s scoring and assist numbers
Two other players have cracked the 40-point mark so far this season: A’ja Wilson and Kahleah Copper. Neither came even close to Plum’s seven assists. Copper recorded one assist, and Wilson dished out three.
This isn’t the first time Plum has gone on a scoring tear while still getting her teammates involved, either. In May, she scored 38 points against the Las Vegas Aces and also recorded nine assists. Only two other players have matched or exceeded that number while scoring at least 30 points. Wilson recorded 34 points and nine assists in a record-breaking performance against the Seattle Storm earlier this month, and Caitlin Clark scored 32 points and dished out 10 assists against the Chicago Sky and the Washington Mystics.
That’s excellent company to be in. Usually, if you find yourself on an exclusive list with A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, you’re doing something right.
Plum is also one of only four players to rank in the top ten in total points and total assists (third in points and tenth in assists) across the WNBA. The others are Clark (seventh in points and second in assists), Olivia Miles (eighth in points and sixth in assists), and Paige Bueckers (tenth in points and tied for tenth in assists with Plum).
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.