Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts has a specific way of how she wants to run her offense. Going back to her days at the University of Utah, she’s stressed shots at the rim and 3-pointers. But when the Sparks acquired Ariel Atkins this offseason, it made Roberts consider radically altering her offensive game plan.
“I said, ‘you’re making me rethink my whole philosophy of no midrange,’” Roberts joked following Sparks practice back on May 26.
Atkins has a propensity for getting to the elbow, or right outside the paint, and being able to knock down the pull-up jumper. Last season with the Chicago Sky, she shot 55.6 percent from 10-16 feet. The year before that with the Washington Mystics, she shot 55.4 percent from the same range.
That shot hasn’t quite caught up with her just yet as she’s still feeling her way out in the Sparks’ offense. But it’s a good shot for her and one that she plans to continue shooting when she has it. With the shifting emphasis on paint touches and 3-pointers in today’s game, overall, Atkins believes most players aren’t even able to make midrange shots anymore.
“It’s my favorite shot in the game. It’s not a shot that many people love anymore, but I think it’s because a lot of people can’t make it. So that’s on them, that ain’t on me,” Atkins told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “But for me, it’s a high percentage shot. It’s something that I continue to do, continue to work on, finding different ways to get to my spots. Obviously threes are more than twos, but if I can hit the pull-up, I’m gonna hit the pull-up.”
And for Roberts, it’s not that she frowns on players shooting midrange shots. Her whole philosophy is for players to take great shots for them and their skill set. When it comes to Atkins, she can shoot midrange jumpers with high efficiency.
Shots at the basket are obviously higher percentage with a better chance of drawing a foul, and 3-point shots are worth more, but Roberts encourages Atkins to shoot more pull-up jumpers.
“It’s driven by if it’s a great shot, and Ariel is a great pull-up shooter, so take it … it’s personnel driven in that way,” Roberts continued. “She’s used to running sets every possession, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just different … they’ve got to be okay with just pushing through it, not being told what to do.”
Ariel Atkins’ role with Sparks
Ariel Atkins’ role in the Sparks offense this season is a stark contrast to last year with the Sky. In Chicago, she was asked to be more of an on-ball creator due to the team’s roster makeup, especially after losing starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot to a season-ending ACL injury.
This year, the former first round pick has been able to play more off-ball alongside the Sparks’ ball-handlers in Kelsey Plum and Erica Wheeler. The result is Atkins receiving more catch-and-shoot opportunities than she’s had in quite some time.
The nine-year veteran has always been a capable 3-point shooter with a career efficiency of 35.7 percent. Through the first eight years of her career, Atkins has had only one season where she’s shot under 35 percent from 3-point range.
The Sparks are still trying to figure things out offensively with Atkins still searching for a bit of a consistent rhythm. Through the first 12 games of the season, she’s shooting a career-low 24.5 percent from distance. But she’s going to continue to take full advantage of the increased offensive space she’s been afforded alongside the Sparks’ other offensive threats.
“The highest shot percentage in the game of basketball is catch-and-shoot. Anytime somebody can get their feet set and just be sitting there ready … they’re supposed to be able to hit shots,” Atkins said. “We’re getting to know each other better and better each and every game in my opinion. Each and every practice we’re figuring it out. It is a different role for me from what I’ve been in the last few years which is nice.
“That’s the beauty of basketball, being able to be adaptable. If you ask me how I like it, I love it. I’m getting more catch-and-shoot threes than I’ve got in, honestly, a couple of years.”
The offensive end of the court was only half of why the Sparks wanted Ariel Atkins this season. The biggest offseason priority for the team was to get better defensively. The chance to add a veteran like Atkins, albeit having to give up a promising young player in Rickea Jackson, was a trade-off the Sparks felt was necessary.
A starter on the Mystics’ 2019 championship team, Atkins was named to an All-Defensive team for her first five seasons in the league, including a First Team selection in 2022. She’s the Sparks’ best on-ball perimeter defensive player. And a lot of what she does defensively isn’t always reflected via stats.
Take for example the Sparks win against the Phoenix Mercury back on May 21. That was Atkins’ first game back following a two-game absence after a stint in the league’s concussion protocol. She set the tone early on the defensive end with multiple deflections, a statistic that isn’t officially recognized as a category.
She followed that up being the team’s primary defender on Jackie Young in a win against the Las Vegas Aces, holding the four-time All-Star scoreless with only two shot attempts. For Atkins, she has a similar approach to defense as she does to shooting midrange jumpers.
“Defense has always been my way of being on the floor. Yeah I can shoot the ball, yeah I can do all these things, but I think defense is something that I can control. A lot of it is effort and wanting to do something. That’s just my mindset behind it,” Atkins said. “I really just enjoy playing it for the simple fact that everybody’s not willing to do it, to be honest.”
While Atkins is still searching for a consistent offensive rhythm with the Sparks, she’s still valuable to the team in that she provides another veteran voice in the locker room, especially as the team has gotten off to an inconsistent start to the season.
She’s picked and chosen her spots in terms of when to speak up and say things, and she balances that out with leading by example. She keeps an even temperament that the rest of the team can get behind.
“You just got to find your voice. I think we got a ton of vets around here, a lot of experience, a lot of people that not only have wisdom in the game but are sure of who they are as people,” Atkins said. “I think that’s the biggest part of leadership. Me finding my spots is honestly just being my complete self. Being steady, making sure the young ones are good and then making sure I’m doing my job on a day-to-day basis.
“Just being the calm person that I am. I never really get too high, never get too low, I just try to stay locked into that.”
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