LOS ANGELES — Minutes are not simply given on a Curt Miller-led basketball team. They are earned.
When the 2024 season started, Miller threw down the gauntlet, “Fight for the role you want, and be a champion in the role you have earned.”
Amid a turbulent Los Angeles Sparks season—with injuries and losses mounting—guard Aari McDonald’s play has become a bright spot for Los Angeles.
“I’m starting to find myself. I’m on rhythm, but there’s still an opportunity to grow,” McDonald said pregame on July 2.
McDonald, a fourth-year guard, exploded onto the scene in June, emerging as a Sparks fan-favorite when she stepped in for the injured veteran guard Layshia Clarendon. She averaged 10.5 points and five assists in 11 games during June and saw her minutes almost exponentially stretch to 25 minutes a night. To begin the season, McDonald averaged 15 minutes a night, with her playing time fluctuating from game to game in May.
“I can’t have a pity party. I am here for a reason,” McDonald said at Sparks practice on June 6. “Never get too high or too low; when my number is called, be ready and deliver.”
McDonald’s productivity in June earned her starting spot for the Sparks amid their grueling nine-game, 18-day road trip, during which the team went winless. However, McDonald’s breakout spurred optimism around the team’s future for the point guard position.
McDonald’s success is rooted in her ability to push the pace and play with tempo. She drives downhill with creativity around the rim and has a reliable short mid-range shot, shooting 48% on two-point attempts. McDonald also displays quick instincts, forcing the opposing defense to pick their poison by either defending the midrange shot or playing the passing lanes.
“Every time she’s got the ball, I’m confident she’s always going to make the right play, whether it’s going to get a bucket or it’s kicking it out,” Sparks rookie guard Rickea Jackson stated.
However, McDonald’s quick pace can sometimes hinder her flow and the Sparks’ rhythm. She ranks fifth on the team with 1.9 turnovers a game, but this issue will likely be mitigated as she builds stronger chemistry with her teammates, resulting in a more free-flowing offense for the Sparks.
Injuries in June to veteran starting guards Clarendon and Lexie Brown paved the way for McDonald’s increased usage, and her vision as a facilitator and north-to-south scoring ability has cemented her in the starting rotation.
McDonald’s 29.3% assist rate ranks ninth in the WNBA among players who have played at least 10 games.
“I love the fact that Aari has taken advantage of her opportunity,” Miller said. “She’s more comfortable; you can tell she’s learning the system more.”
Since her promotion to the starting lineup in June, McDonald has only improved her numbers, averaging 11.4 points, 5.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting an efficient 38% from the field. As McDonald has become more comfortable offensively, Miller has given her the green light to hunt down more scoring opportunities.
“When [McDonald] is the head of the snake, it’s just fun to play with,” Jackson said.
McDonald’s next step is to improve her catch-and-shoot and overall 3-point shooting ability. Since entering the starting role, she has shot below-average 28% from the 3-point range. Standing at 5-foot-6, McDonald can struggle to find a good look from beyond the arc when she is one-on-one against larger defenders. However, in the pick-and-roll, McDonald pairs her explosiveness and ball handling effectively to create more open opportunities from 3-point range.
When one is the Sparks’ point guard, she is the offense’s quarterback. They put their teammates in the best spots to thrive and are unafraid to be vocal as a leader. Growing into the role requires patience but a willingness to learn and devote time to the film room.
And with a film guru head coach like Miller, studying tape is essential to getting on the court.
McDonald embraced the responsibilities of the lead guard position when she joined the Sparks this offseason. Describing herself as a “homebody,” McDonald constantly studies the game, figuring out her teammates’ tendencies and styles by analyzing hours of film.
“When I come home from practice, I give myself maybe an hour or two to decompress, and then I’m back to it,” McDonald said. “I am watching film or talking to our player development and my position coach.”
Initially an afterthought in the rotation, McDonald earned reps by coming off the bench. The backup position was familiar for McDonald after she predominantly sat behind veteran guards Tiffany Hayes and Allisha Gray with the Atlanta Dream during her first three years in the WNBA.
Ahead of the 2024 season, the Sparks traded two-time Defensive Player of the Year, guard Jordin Canada and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft in return for McDonald and the No. 8 pick.
“When I got traded, [Miller] wanted to talk about playing fast and my tempo,” McDonald said. “Every time I get into the game, he looks for me to push and involve my teammates.”
Joining a new team presented new challenges and a learning curve for McDonald, as transitioning to a new playbook didn’t come easy.
“Coming into this new system was very hard for me,” McDonald said. “I was so accustomed to a different system from my other team.”
With the Dream, McDonald never had the opportunity to let her college skill set shine, which she displayed in four seasons with the Washington Huskies and Arizona Wildcats. The Fresno, California, native dominated the Pac-12, leading the conference in scoring from her sophomore to senior seasons. As an ultra-competitive player, McDonald won multiple Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and one Pac-12 Player of the Year award.
As a result, McDonald was a top prospect in the 2021 WNBA draft, and the Atlanta Dream selected her No. 3 overall.
“That’s what everybody loved about Aari [in college], she was a point guard with a scoring mentality,” Miller said.
The Sparks seem destined to help resurface McDonald’s glory-filled college days.
“I don’t think she’s scratched where she can go with this group,” Miller said.
“I can’t have a pity party. I am here for a reason,” McDonald said. “Never get too high or too low; when my number is called, be ready and deliver.”
As the Sparks approach the league-wide Olympics break, which runs from July 21 to August 14, they currently sit at 11th in the standings with a 5-17 record. While wins have come at a premium this season, the growth of young players, like McDonald, creates hope for what is to come for LA.
All it took was players and coaches believing in her talent.
“Playing with a coach and teammates that believe in you and trust that you will make the right play, that’s all I needed, somebody to believe in me,” McDonald said. “When that happened, my confidence was boosted.”