Sparks’ Rickea Jackson is managing the rookie grind

LOS ANGELES — Rickea Jackson was reluctant to acknowledge the question Dearica Hamby had posed – a veteran trying to coax an admission out of a rookie. So, Hamby repeated herself, phrasing the statement as a command.

“Tell them what you ate for breakfast,” she said to Jackson, during the Sparks’ press conference following a loss to the Connecticut Sun.

Sheepishly, Jackson confessed that she had eaten chicken and waffles that morning, while head coach Curt Miller shook his head in chagrin.

“Don’t ask me about her diet,” Miller quipped.

“It’s getting better,” Jackson said. “Sometimes, I have a little salad.”

Breakfast is Jackson’s sanctuary, her escape from the grueling WNBA schedule that, in her first season, has taught her improvement rarely comes without sacrifice. Jackson has embraced this idea of balance, but she has yet to give up her daily cheat meal.

Jackson, 23, feels she’s failing the team’s nutritionists, who have helped her throughout the season, teaching her how to properly fuel herself, she said, as to avoid fatiguing during games. She appreciates how hands-on they are.

Really, the entire Sparks’ staff has played a significant part in helping her through the ups and downs that come with being a rookie in the WNBA during a challenging season in which the injury-riddled Sparks have won just seven of 37 games.

“It takes a village,” said Jackson, who was drafted fourth overall out of Tennessee in April, two picks behind teammate Cameron Brink, who has missed most of the season with a torn ACL.

The 6-foot-2 forward still possesses her share of rookie tendencies, but she’s grown comfortable in this league across her inaugural campaign. She’s averaging 13.1 points (third among rookies) on 46.5% shooting (fourth among rookies). Her efficiency has only increased as the Sparks have entrusted her with more responsibility and run more of their offense through her.

That wouldn’t have been possible, though, if not for her growth on the defensive side of the ball, which also came with help from the Sparks’ staff. Early on, she said, Miller drilled it into her that defense would keep her on the floor. It was her ticket to increased playing time, to showcasing her offensive ability.

During her first game, Miller pulled her aside and told her: “I’m going to make you a good defensive player. As long as you give effort on the defensive end, I can keep you out there longer. You can’t be a liability on defense.”

“I took that to heart,” Jackson said, reflecting. “I didn’t want to be the weak link. I didn’t want to be the rookie that every team just goes at because they can.”

Jackson turned to her coaches for help. Assistants Nola Henry and Camille Smith took the lead. She and Henry began one-on-one film sessions. Smith shared lessons from her 11-year WNBA career, showing Jackson examples on the court at practice.

They saw she was struggling to adapt to the pace, the natural physicality that comes with playing in the WNBA and having to play man-to-man defense, while simultaneously worrying about help-side positioning. Other times, Jackson would be so honed in on her singular matchup that she was slow to identify opposing teams’ offensive actions.

For example, Henry said, she’d have certain games where she’d “flow” better, which means to move with the offense as they swing the ball. But then, the Sparks would play games where “flow” wasn’t as important to their game plan, and she’d forget how to replicate it the next time it was a priority.

“She had to figure out how to adjust, game-to-game,” Henry said.

All the information was in her head, it was just a matter of applying it on a consistent basis. Additional time in the film room, or at practice, can expedite that process. Both are rare instances during the heat of a WNBA season.

The Olympic break offered time for that. Henry and Smith used the monthlong break to teach Jackson different defensive techniques, philosophies and fundamentals. Their main points of emphasis, Henry said, included defending pin-down actions, switching physically, locking-and-trailing her assignment as they navigated screens, and off-ball positioning.

“Post-Olympic break, you saw the biggest improvement with her game to game,” Henry said.

Jackson also grew confident guarding taller players who played her position. Smith, who was an undersized forward like Jackson, taught her about which angles to take and how to combine that with her speed to close gaps.

“The sooner you can figure out how to beat people to spots, it’ll help you defensively,” Smith said.

Once Jackson understood the nuances, she began trusting her instincts to jump passing lanes and anticipate shot attempts. Since the Olympic break, she’s averaging 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. In correlation, she’s earned playing time and shot attempts.

Altogether, Jackson’s a different player from the raw rookie who would revert to poor defensive habits.

“If we go back and watch the film in May,” Miller said, “it’s remarkable how much she’s improved within the season. She is competing so hard at the defensive end.”

Miller still wishes she’d change her eating habits, but he’ll trade that for her defensive leaps, any day. At this point in Jackson’s career, Miller still expects immature moments to pop up.

In fact, another one occurred, in coincidental unison to her admission about her breakfast. As Jackson defended her food choice, her phone began to ring.

“That’s a fine,” Miller joked.

“Wait, for real?” Jackson said. “I already got like five.”

Sparks at Seattle

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle

How to watch: Spectrum SportsNet