Kelsey Plum thinks Cameron Brink can win DPOY, Rickea Jackson All-Star, and a level she is yet to go (EXCLUSIVE)

In just one practice, the Los Angeles Sparks saw the various ways that Kelsey Plum, a two-time WNBA champion and three-time All-Star, can elevate the team’s trajectory.

In between the lines, Plum displayed her competitiveness as both a playmaker and scorer. On the sideline, Plum gave feedback to various teammates. Long after practice ended, Plum completed various skill and shooting drills before literally becoming the last person to leave the gym.

After that workout, Plum spoke to Sportskeeda about her acclimation with the Sparks, her competiveness and leadership as well as expectations for Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and the team overall entering the 2025 campaign.

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

How have you settled in so far with everything?

Plum: “It’s going well. It’s been nice to play a little bit. We had a preseason game, and a lot to learn from. I just think that we’re young and it’s a new system, so everyone is trying to get acclimated. So I have to be patient.”

You were doing everything in practice with pointing things out to teammates, showing intensity and completing skill and shooting work after practice. What do you think that kind of presence and work will do for you and the group?

Plum: “I’ve here to lead. I’m here to bring my experience from past experiences and situations here. That’s what they need me to do. That’s what I want to do. That’s why I came here. Offensively and defensively, I continue to communicate and just try to empower people. We have a lot of talent. All we have to do is figure out how to put it together.”

What is the key with figuring that out?

Plum: “Empowering people. Talent wise, a lot of times young players especially just need confidence and opportunity and also just trying to be pretty disciplined in practice offensively with how we’re maintaining our shape and defensively our intensity and the level that you have to consistently be at every possession.”

What leadership approach do you take to empower people?

Plum: “I just have fun. I’m also super competitive, but in a way that is very much like I want to win. I want to affect winning. So it’s about whatever I can to help my team do that. That’s evolved over the years. This team, I might be a little bit more point and not as much scoring. In the past, sometimes it was more defensively. So it just always depends on the situation and I have to adapt.”

You’ve been doing this for a while. But Coach [Lynne Roberts] was marveling how you never run out of energy. What’s the key to doing what you do without getting tired?

Plum: “Coach hasn’t seen nothing yet.” (laughs).

Okay (laughs)

Plum: “No, no no, I mean it in the best way. That’s why I train so hard in the offseason. So when I play, if you’re going to sub me out, it’s because I’m messing up. It’s not because I’m going to be tired.”

What does that regimen look like?

Plum: “It’s a lot of time. There’s a lot of strength work. There’s a lot of extra conditioning. There is a lot of load. You can’t play a heavy load if you can’t train for it in the offseason. So I’m just preparing my body. I’m as strong as I’ve ever been. I’m proud of the work that I’ve put in. So it’s going to pay off.”

I presume your extra skill and shooting work after practice helps with that. In what ways does that prepare you for that workload?

Plum: “You have to train for it. Practice wise, I always try to make sure I go at game speed and have game reps. Pre and post, I’m always making sure that I get game reps. In practice, I go really hard on both ends. Then I do a ton of stuff in the weight room and, conditioning-wise, I double down on top of that.”

What has it meant to you to reunite with Dearica [Hamby]?

Plum: “It’s been awesome. Dearica is a phenomenal talent, and she is somebody that is one of the best two-way post players in this league. So to give her a point guard and somebody that can give her the ball when she needs it, that’s my job here.”

How do you see the role you two having together in Vegas compare to what you’ll do with the Sparks?

Plum: “My role is going to be a lot bigger. That’s why I left. Dearica was the leader of the team last year and is still a leader for us. I think we do a really good job with having a give-and-take off of each other. Last year was great. But last year was also last place. So there is a big difference between last year and this year. There is a significant step that has to be taken.”

You mentioned how much you like this young talent and you’re trying to empower them. But what will take to make that significant step so you all can get to the playoffs?

Plum: “Can’t even think about the playoffs right now. It’s about stacking days in camp and continuing to get better. You have to build, especially with a young group. We have to lay a foundation. That’s what we’re doing right now.”

I talked with Cam earlier after your press conference. She marveled that when you all worked out together that you were always doing stuff well before her workouts began. What do you recall about those workouts?

Plum: “I’ve always been who I am. That is how I’ve been able to make it in this league. For me, I love to play. So the passion comes out in a lot of different ways. But I really enjoy what I do. Cam is awesome. I think she is obviously one of the talents that is going to be great for the organization.”

You said you see her as someone that can be Defensive Player of the Year…

Plum: “Absolutely.”

How does she get to that once she returns?

Plum: “I think for her, she has to give herself some grace. You’re stacking days. You have to stack days. A lot of times, I’ve been hurt before. It’s about stacking days in the weight room, in rehab and all of those things. She’ll be ready when the time is right. I have all the faith in that.”

Rickea talked about wanting to become a dominant player her second season on both sides of the floor. How do you see her getting to that?

Plum: “She’s amazing. She’s one of the most talented players in this league. I told her, ‘If she’s not an All-Star this year, then I haven’t done my job.’ I think for her, it’s about empowering her. I know how good she is. She has so much of a high ceiling. I’m just going to continue to make sure that I put her in great positions and give her great opportunities and get her the ball when she needs it. She makes shots. So I don’t really have to do much. I just have to get her the ball in the right spots.”

Overall, how has it been settling here so far given your family connections and familiarity with the area?

Plum: “Southern California has been good to me, for sure. I’m just grateful to be here. The organization has been tremendous and has really followed through on everything they’ve said. As a free agent, you come here and it’s definitely a leap of faith. They’ve delivered. I think they’re staking a claim. Obviously, we know the new CBA is coming. So LA is a place that people want to be. So they’ve definitely turned it around. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

In what ways have they followed through on what they’ve said?

Plum: “What they’ve said they’ve done. We have a facility. They have a good staff. There’s the investment with getting Coach Roberts. We have three trainers. We have a strength and conditioning coach. They really have gone above and beyond. We’re fed. They’ve done all of the things that a high-level organization does to take to win. That is extremely important. They’ve put really talented people, not just in basketball. But we have really talented people in ops places. Everyone does make the difference. I’ve learned that in my experience with Vegas. They’ve done a great job with that, and we’ll continue to build.”

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