Azurá Stevens getting snubbed for All-Star, on Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby and Cameron Brink [EXCLUSIVE]

After admiring her from afar and then coaching her up close, Los Angeles Sparks coach Lynne Roberts reached a definitive conclusion about Azurá Stevens’ play and her trajectory.

“If she is not the top vote-getter for ‘Most Improved,’ something’s wrong,” Roberts said.

The reason: the Sparks (15-17) enter Friday’s game against the Dallas Wings (9-24) with Stevens averaging career-highs in points (14.6 points), field-goal percentage (51.4%), 3-point shooting (42.3%), rebounds (8.1) and assists (2.0). That marks a significant increase from last season when Stevens averaged 9.6 points while shooting 39.9% from the field and 35% from deep along with 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

“She’s put the work in and she had a great season at ‘Unrivaled’ and she came in here ready to roll and she’s completely bought into what we’re doing,” said Roberts, who took over as Sparks head coach this season after Curt Miller’s departure. “I think the system has helped her improve in terms of what the numbers have shown. But I really, truly and there are a lot of great players improving across the league. There is nobody in the league that is more improved than Azurá Stevens.”

Granted, Stevens’ play coincides with improved durability and more minutes per game (28.8) after logging 24.7 minutes per contest in the 2024 season. But Stevens inherited a bigger role on the same team, a contrast to other players that produce more after switching teams for an increased role.

“A lot of times players will change rosters. So it’s a different opportunity,” Roberts said. “If you go from coming off the bench and you’re going to a different team and now you’re starting, it doesn’t necessarily show improvement. That just shows bigger opportunity. Azura has been here, and her numbers from last year to this year have drastically improved. There is no comparison.”

Stevens spoke with Sportskeeda about her Most Improved Player candidacy, her chemistry with Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink’s return and missing the cut for this year’s WNBA All-Star game.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

With the things you can control, what has been key for your consistent availability this season?

Stevens: “I’m lifting. I had a good offseason where I could get kind of stronger and really focusing on that side. I think that really helped. It’s nice just to be healthy. I was following the program that was focused on different muscle groups. I kept up with that routine. The trainers here did a good job with setting me up with the program. So I followed it while I was at ‘Unrivaled.’ We had all the tools there to be successful.”

In what ways has that work made a difference on the court and dealing with the physicality?

Stevens: “Gaining strength is a huge thing in reducing injuries. You can’t always control that. But the stronger you are, it helps your body with being able to withstand the pounding and even just the amount of games that we’re playing this year and just the quick turnaround during any given week.”

Besides your health, what explains your career-highs across the board this season?

Stevens: “I think it’s a little bit of a mixture of things. Obviously, I’m healthy. But I think the system is really good to accentuate the skills that I have in my game. It’s a lot of shooting 3s. That’s obviously a huge part of my game. But there’s a lot more space. That allows us to get more downhill and sort of attack down low.”

You and Dearica rank among the league’s best duos in scoring (8th in points per game) and rebounds (2nd). What has led to that strong chemistry?

Stevens: “It’s our third year playing together. So we know each other now. I know the spots where she likes to get open. Even with the pick-and-roll, we’ve had some more opportunities with that. It’s been successful. After playing for someone for a few years, you get to know them and their tendencies.

I think the more times that we’ve been on the court, we’ve gotten to know each other better. We play really well together. We complement each other really well in the two-man game and in general. We’re both really big, mobile and agile bigs. So, that helps. Defensively, we’re able to switch onto each other’s man. We complement each other really well.”

You and Kelsey also rank fourth in the league as most productive duos. What has unlocked your chemistry with her?

Stevens: “It’s been great having KP here. It’s obviously our first year playing together, but it’s been a great year. We’ve worked on the two-man game really well. Sometimes she sets a screen for me. Sometimes I set a screen for her. That has been really cool playing off of that. I think as time goes on, the chemistry just builds.

She’s such a great scorer. So the defense has to respect that. It kind of makes it easier for whoever else is playing alongside her. They have to decide if they are going to both go with her, or if they’ll come up with me. It just opens up opportunities for all of us with her being such a lethal scorer. She can pass it too, and that also helps in the pick-and-roll game.”

How have you seen Cam getting adjusted with her return?

Stevens: “Defensively, she’s done really, really well. Obviously, she’s getting her rhythm back. But I think she affects the game in so many different ways with her scoring. She’s so active and she’s so long. Even if she doesn’t always block shots, she’s able to impact shots very well. When you have someone like that, it really helps you defensively with being able to get stops.”

Dearica told me earlier this season she admired the resiliency that Cam showed with both her injury and the lengthy rehab. What did you see?

Stevens: “It’s been a long journey for her, but she’s been locked in every step of the way. It’s great to see that, especially in a younger player. You never know how they’re going to respond to injuries. But to see her day in and day out has been really cool.”

In what ways have you tried to be a supportive vet to the team?

Stevens: “I think just being consistent in the way that I play. I think sometimes that speaks louder than talking. So I’m just being consistent with the way that I play. I try to bring the same energy every day. I try to encourage them to stay locked into different things. The younger players have questions on how to play different coverages defensively. So I just try to give knowledge off of what I know. I’ve been in the league for eight years. So it’s not necessarily a specific thing. But I’m trying to share anything that I’ve learned along the way to them.”

You have so much perspective from your journey with being on different times, injuries and success. How have those things shaped you?

Stevens: “It’s been a long journey and it’s made me the player that I am today. I’ve faced a lot of different things. I started up by coming off the bench. I’ve been in the running for 6th Man. It helps. It’s helped shape me who I am as a player. The older you get, you’re not as fazed by different situations because you have been through a lot of different ones. I think it helps with experience. When you’ve been in the league this long and have experienced different things, it helps you feel more comfortable when you’re out there playing.”

Given all of that, KP said that you’re very underrated in this league. How do you view that?

Stevens: “Yeah, I think so, too. But I try to let my game do the talking. I’m not going to be a person that’s going to say a bunch of different stuff. Because I think you can say things, but showing it is more impactful. So I try to play my game and let everything fall where it falls.”

Given what you just said, how did you react when you and Dearica didn’t make the All-Star team this season?

Stevens: “Obviously, we felt like we should’ve had the opportunity. But it is what it is. I’m not super worried about that anymore. I’m just focused on the playoffs and us getting there. That’s in the past now. All-Star is over.”

What’s your outlook on Most Improved and All-NBA?

Stevens: “That would be a huge accomplishment. I think I improved my game a lot. Everybody can see that. But I can’t control the voting. All I can control is my part and what I’m doing. That’s the same way I approached All-Star. I’m just going to play my game. If I’m picked, cool. If I’m not, that’s not my problem.”

And to your point, it’s about the playoffs moving forward. What did the group do to make this a possibility given all the injuries at the beginning of the season?

Stevens: “I think we just matured as a group. We were learning Coach’s system offensively. But defensively, I think we’ve grown over the course of the season and are working to trend in that type of direction. Defensively, I’m able to get stops. I think that’s important. The playoffs are the goal, and we’re definitely locked in on that.”

From now to the end of the season, what is your comfort level on if you all have what it takes to make the playoffs and make a run at it?

Stevens: “I think it’s there. It’s there for us to get it. There are a lot of teams neck and neck in the rankings. But we just have to focus on each game at a time. That’s what we’re doing.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.