Cameron Brink’s return provides reminder of bright future ahead

The Sparks were disappointing against the Aces, but Cameron Brink played well and that matters far more important.

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles’ winning streak ended in a whimper, losing to Las Vegas 89-74, but the result wasn’t the biggest deal. Big picture-wise, Tuesday’s home game was all about the return of Cameron Brink.

It’s been over a year since Brink has played a game of organized basketball. She tore her ACL on June 18, 2024, ending her rookie year after just 15 games.

She made her triumphant return, picking up where she left off. Well, kind of.

As part of easing Brink into this game, she didn’t start in this contest like she did for each matchup last season. Instead, she came off the bench, marking the first time she’s been a reserve since November 27, 2021, when she was a sophomore at Stanford.

“I want her to just be in the moment, be present, and grateful that she’s back out there,” head coach Lynne Roberts said pregame. “We’ll work her back in as she gets her sea legs back.”

During her first game in over 13 months, there were some rough spots.

In moments, Brink appeared to look like a deer walking on ice, not to be unexpected considering her prolonged absence. However, more often than not, she reminded everyone why she was taken No. 2 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

In her first play of 2025, Brink immediately made an impact, grabbing a rebound on a Kelsey Plum miss and kicking it out to Rickea Jackson. The pass resulted in two easy points for the Sparks, a rarity in this blowout loss.

Brink followed this up moments later with a 3-point make on her first shot attempt of the year. The L.A. faithful erupted, finally having something to cheer about on the night.

Brink’s first shift ended quickly, playing just a little over four minutes, but she made her presence known.

There were a few more highlights for Brink against Las Vegas. In an attempt to slow A’ja Wilson down, she was given the defensive assignment on the 2024 WNBA MVP.

Brink didn’t fare much better than anyone else, as Wilson ended the night with 34 points, but she did make her work for everything she got.

Later in the third quarter, we saw a glimpse of Brink’s elite defensive rim protection. She defended NaLyssa Smith one-on-one and despite Smith blowing past her driving to the basket, it wasn’t enough to escape Brink’s reach.

In her 14 minutes of play, Brink ended with five points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.

“I was really proud of her,” Kelsey Plum said. “I just told her after the game I was like ‘Cam, that was very impressive to come in, make the impact that you did.’”

“To be honest, she was more comfortable out there than I anticipated her to be, just because of how long she’s been out and coming in midseason’s hard,” Roberts added. “I thought she did a good job.”

The loss certainly dampened the mood and was a reminder that, despite the recent win streak, there is a lot of work left for the Sparks to find consistency still this season.

Brink’s return will certainly give Los Angeles a boost moving forward.

Los Angeles has a defensive rating of 107.5 and allows the second-most points in the paint with 37.2 per game. Brink, even in her current limited capacity, is still one of the best defenders on this roster.

Good things take time and while Brink has returned, patience will be needed from all involved before there is any expectation that she’ll play at the level she did pre-ACL injury.

However, Tuesday’s performance was a reminder of just how special Brink is and still can be for the Sparks this season and into the future.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.