The post How Julie Allemand has fit in with Sparks amid WNBA return [Exclusive] appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Back during the 2024 WNBA offseason, the Los Angeles Sparks acquired Julie Allemand in a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Sky. Allemand, who had a solid rookie season with the Indiana Fever in 2020, as well as extensive experience playing professionally overseas, was supposed to give the Sparks a quality option at point guard, a position that they hadn’t been able to fill since Chelsea Gray departed in free agency.
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Allemand was making her return to the league after sitting out the 2023 season due to her commitments with the Belgium national team. But her Sparks debut ended up having to be postponed. Allemand suffered an ankle injury before the 2024 season began and ended up missing the entire season. The Sparks suspended her contract in the meantime, so she did not count towards the salary cap.
But after injury rehab that went well, the Sparks made the decision to have her join the roster for the 2025 season. After a bit of a transition period where Allemand had to get used to being back in the WNBA and with new teammates, she’s been able to flourish in new head coach Lynne Roberts’ system. After returning from the Belgium national team, where she won the 2025 Eurobasket championship, Allemand has felt more free and comfortable with the Sparks.
“I think it was hard for me before Eurobasket to find my spot, my place on this team. So Eurobasket helped a lot especially because I came back from an injury, a surgery, so it wasn’t easy. I needed some time and I think I was too hard on myself at the beginning with the Sparks,” Allemand told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “I was just like, okay, now I’m going to bring everything that I had over there and just try to be better. . .I’m not thinking too much. I think I was thinking way too much.”
Julie Allemand’s fluid role for the Sparks
The added confidence that Allemand brought back from Eurobasket has come at a crucial time for the Sparks. A team that has been searching for consistency throughout the regular season so far, the Sparks have found themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt as the second half of the season gets underway.
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With the Sparks showing improved play on the court, Julie Allemand has been a big factor in that transformation. She began the season coming off the bench and started a few games amid multiple injuries and absences. But since the Sparks decided to part ways with veteran guard Odyssey Sims, Allemand has been a permanent fixture in the starting lineup alongside Kelsey Plum in the backcourt.
With four other starters who can score the ball, Allemand serves as a connector of sorts. She keeps the ball moving and keeps the offense flowing while not needing shot attempts to be effective. In the past five games, Allemand has racked up double digits in assists in two of them. She’s had no less than four assists in any of them. She’s only scored in double digits in one of those games, and the Sparks have won all five.
Once Allemand returned from the national team, Roberts told her that the team needed the player who was on display at Eurobasket.
“Coach said, ‘we’re really happy and really proud of you what you did over there, and we want you to be back and not think, and just play your game,’ and I think that’s just what I’m trying to do,” Allemand said. “Just being myself, being the point guard that I can be, helping my teammates, involve my teammates when they are on the court, and just be myself.”
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With the first week of the second half of the regular season complete, Allemand has appeared in a total of 15 games, including eight starts, at a little over 23 minutes per game. She’s been averaging 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from the three-point line.
One of her best all-around games of the season came during the Sparks’ win against the Connecticut Sun on July 24. She finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. But one of her biggest qualities she brings to the Sparks is her ability to be the primary ball-handler and take some of the pressure off Kelsey Plum.
Adjusting to play with another strong guard can be challenging, and Allemand and Plum have developed a strong chemistry since the beginning of the season.
“I think we can really create for each other. . .we just needed to find time. It was the first time I was playing with her. I didn’t even have training camp, so it took time,” Allemand said. “But what we already saw is good. And I hope we’re going to keep going like that, getting to know each other. That’s going to be the most important thing. And then just play our game. I like it. I think we can do great things.”
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Julie Allemand’s return to the WNBA
It’s been three years since Julie Allemand was last in the WNBA. She had a strong rookie season in the bubble with the Fever, averaging a career-best 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. She sat out the 2021 season due to personal reasons. In 2022, she had been traded by the Fever to the Sky, but was unable to build upon her rookie year.
Following a two-year hiatus that involved injury rehab, Allemand found herself back in a league that had changed tremendously since she last played. While the upcoming CBA negotiations hang like a cloud over the entire league, Allemand is hopeful that the WNBA will continue to grow.
“Last time I was here, we didn’t have charter flights. So first of all, I was impressed. But I think it’s getting better and better,” Allemand said. “The improvement is good, and also the CBA will be different next season. So I’m really excited and looking forward to it. It’s nice to be back and play games. I want to enjoy it, and I can see the improvements.”
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