LOS ANGELES -- It's so easy to see why the Sparks love having Cameron Brink on their team.
The second pick of the vaunted 2024 WNBA Draft, Brink is a monster on the defensive end. She can erase shots whether it's one-on-one or helpside defense. Her presence inside makes the opposing team think twice about going in the paint. Brink can alter any shot in front of her. And she's so athletic that she can guard the perimeter.
Her offense is getting there, too. The three-ball is there. She can run the break. She can post. And Brink has shown she can score in bunches in so little time.
But the bread and butter is on the defensive end. In the Sparks' win over the Lynx on Thursday night, Brink showed how much of a difference she can make in a game. Napheesa Collier had two of her shots blocked by Brink. A drive by Olivia Miles was stopped. And the Lynx had trouble going inside because of Brink. She was a +22 in that game, leading all of the players in that category.
And a bit overlooked in that game? Brink dished out a career-best five assists, helping the Sparks in their ball movement. The Sparks had 27 assists compared to 17 by the Lynx.
"I think I've told myself, especially with the coaches, too, just keep it simple," Brink said after the game. "Basketball's fun, and I feel like when the ball's moving and you have people around you like Nneka (Ogwumike) and Ariel (Atkins), even like everybody's just it's so easy. So I've just been trying to have that mentality of moving the ball, making the right play."
Availability had been an issue throughout Brink's young career. Against the Lynx, she played 25 minutes, which was a season high for her. Brink has been dinged up this season, too, but her 22 games this season is a career-best for her. And of course, keeping her fouls down has been a recurring problem for her. She only had three against Minnesota.
But the three blocks, especially a jarring swat on Collier with over a minute left to play, were impactful and very much felt in that game.
"I was really nervous about today, to be honest," Brink disclosed. "Our last back-to-back, we had a really early one and I haven't played very many games in the W so back-to-backs are daunting but I think, like Nneka said, I've honestly been leaning on her a lot and I'm very thankful for her presence. We had a really good team meeting today. I think we're just really candid with each other and I think you know we're just getting closer as a team so I've honestly just been leaning on everybody and it's been great."
The Sparks held the Lynx to 11 points in the fourth quarter, sealing the win for Los Angeles. Brink finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
"Cam really is kind of our North Star. Her and (Atkins) are kind of our North Star when it comes to our defense," Ogwumike said. "(Atkins) does her job to take care of things in the perimeter and Cam is almost like the finisher inside. So being able to have her inside, being physical, making plays, bouncing back from tough plays... I think it was really the difference maker for our defense, especially down the stretch."
If this is the Cameron Brink the Sparks get on a consistent basis, a Cameron Brink that's on the floor for 25-30 minutes, it makes the team that much more potent and dangerous. Her play had always been interrupted by injuries, including a torn ACL in June 2024 and a bad ankle sprain in June of this season.
But a healthy Brink can make a huge difference. Her potential to be a possible three-level scorer and a "Defensive Player of the Year waiting to brew," according to her former teammate Kelsey Plum is extremely enticing. And any team would love to build around a player like that.