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LOS ANGELES – It’s been two games now that Monique Akoa Makani has played with the Los Angeles Sparks since the Kelsey Plum trade, and the early results have been promising. After a loss to the Chicago Sky during which Akoa Makani was clearly adjusting to her team, the second-year guard played a huge role in the Sparks’ upset win against the Minnesota Lynx.
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In just her second game with the team, Monique Akoa Makani closed out the fourth quarter against the Lynx, gaining the trust of Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts and making plays on both ends of the court. Speaking to reporters for the first time since the trade, Akoa Makani acknowledged that it meant a lot to her to fit in quickly in pressure situations with her new teammates.
“I don’t like to get too hyped or anything, but I would say I take pride in it because that means I have enough of an impact on the team to be able to be on the court,” Akoa Makani said following Sparks’ practice on Saturday afternoon. “As a player, as a point guard, as a person, I always look to be able to have as much impact as possible on the floor. That’s a good trust move from her [Coach Roberts] and I really appreciate that.”
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In her first outing with the Sparks, Akoa Makani played 16 minutes and finished with three points, one rebound and two assists. Prior to the game, Roberts acknowledged that the team didn’t want to throw too much at her all at once while coming in cold.
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But in the big win against the Lynx, a win that kept the Sparks’ playoff hopes alive, Makani was out there in the fourth quarter, running the team in place of veteran point guard Erica Wheeler. She dropped seven points to go along with one rebound, one assist and one steal in 19 minutes. She was 3-of-7 from the field, a couple her shots coming in the clutch.
But perhaps her biggest area of impact was on the defensive end. She’s a point of attack guard who can keep players in front of her, and a perfect perimeter defensive compliment to Cameron Brink as the inside anchor.
“It’s really fun to play with her,” Akoa Makani said. “I know if I get beat, which doesn’t happen a lot, but whenever I get beat I know that she definitely got my back. Even Nneka [Ogwumike], we have amazing defensive players. So yeah, that’s good.”
The Sparks have 14 games remaining in the regular season in which to evaluate Akoa Makani, and they also have her under contract for at least the next season. But based on the early returns, Roberts has been very pleased with what she’s seen.
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“It was a wild four days for her, for us. But just her defense, whether it’s off ball or on ball, and I said it after last game but every team has their own verbiage and vernacular and it’s different from the other team, she’s come in and picked it up quick,” Roberts said after practice on Saturday. “Which speaks to her intelligence. She’s a great human being, she’s full of gratitude and humility, but confident in what she’s able to do and that’s a great combo.”
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