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Exclusive: Rae Burrell reveals blueprint for setting Sparks career year in motion
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- Exclusive: Rae Burrell reveals blueprint for setting Sparks career year in motion
Exclusive: Rae Burrell reveals blueprint for setting Sparks career year in motion appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Long before making it to the WNBA and suiting up for the Los Angeles Sparks , Rae Burrell used to get in trouble as a child for jumping off cabinets. That's not entirely surprising considering the way she plays basketball. A bundle of energy and explosiveness, Burrell only knows one speed on the court.
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The number of times she has taken a hit after soaring through the air and landing in a heap under the basket is akin to her flying off the cabinets as a kid. That mindset is something she believes was innate in her and then fleshed out and developed by family. And she certainly sees the parallels between her game now and her misadventures in her childhood, especially when Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts jokingly wishes she would slow down every now and then.
"I think it's just in me. I think that's just something I was born with. And then I think having older siblings, I had an older brother, older cousins, they were all boys so I think they were always pushing me and I always was trying to keep up with them," Burrell told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. "I think just naturally, when that's instilled in you at such a young age, it just stays with you for the rest of your life."
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Rae Burrell is in the midst of a career year with the Sparks, the only franchise she's ever known in her five years in the WNBA. She was selected by the organization with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by Derek Fisher who held a dual role of head coach and general manager.
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And it's been a long road to this point filled with plenty of setbacks that some might find discouraging. After appearing in only three games as a rookie, Burrell suffered a season-ending knee injury. She returned for training camp the following season, but was cut amid a new coaching hire in Curt Miller.
She would return that same year she was waived via hardship contract, was released from said hardship contract, then ultimately re-signed for the remainder of the season. Her third season in the league in 2024 was defined by inconsistent playing time before moving into a firm rotation spot. And then, the injury hit.
On opening night of the 2025 season, the Sparks ventured up north to face off against the brand new expansion Golden State Valkyries. After just 41 seconds of playing time, Burrell went up to contest a shot in the corner and landed awkwardly on the foot of Carla Leite. She was carried off to the locker room and eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game.
One game turned into six to eight weeks, which was a certainly demoralizing, but a wave of relief at the same time knowing that she was going to be able to make an in-season return. That Burrell was able to make a smooth comeback and essentially pick up where she left off is something she feels gets lost at times. The injury only postponed her ascent rather than halt it.
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"I think it's made a huge difference. I was non-weight bearing for seven weeks last season. People forget that, it's not easy to do. And I still came back and I didn't really miss a beat so I honestly do feel like I don't get enough credit for that," Burrell said. "Being able to come in and have a full season is just the perfect scenario for me. I put in a lot of work before the season. Last season I put in a lot of work too, but then you're off your feet for seven weeks, it's hard to keep that consistency.
"So being able to actually put in the work and then actually come in and be able to put it into motion, it makes the world of a difference."
During the offseason, there were plenty of signs of things to come. It started back in January when Burrell suited up at Unrivaled. She took part in the league's inaugural season in 2025, but this past season was when she really started to put people on notice .
She upped her points per game from 8.5 points her first year to 12.8, which also coincided with her playing 12.1 minutes amid the 3×3 format. She capped off the year by dropping an Unrivaled career-best 30 points, including the game-winner to send her team, Vinyl, to the league's playoffs. She looked every bit a primary scoring threat.
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And it didn't end there. The former Tennessee star was selected for Team USA during the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament last March. It was her first national team appearance although she had participated in mini-camps prior to that. She didn't break double figures in scoring in any of Team USA's games, but she provided solid minutes shooting 63.6 percent from the field as the team went 5-0.
But while her Unrivaled and Team USA experiences started to put her name on the map, it was the behind the scenes work that really put this season in motion. The early morning workouts, sometimes multiple in one day. The grueling training sessions with no eyes or cameras watching, that's where the groundwork for Burrell's banner year was forged.
"I'm working out three different times a day, eating habits, it just starts with discipline. I have discipline. I think that shows when it's time to actually put that into motion and put that into the game. It's just the stuff that I've practiced," Burrell said. "All that stuff I was able to practice … you just build your confidence from it. You see exactly what works here, what works there, what doesn't work. And then obviously you're playing against the best of the best, the best players in the world. Iron sharpens iron. I had no choice but to get better or get left."
Rae Burrell's role for Sparks
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Burrell has emerged this season as the Sparks' No. 1 offensive option on the perimeter. She's improved her consistency with her jumper and she's tightened up her handles to be able to attack off the dribble while finishing more consistently at the basket.
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But with added responsibility comes increased defensive pressure. As opposing teams adapt to Burrell's improved offensive game and put their top perimeter defenders on her, the task that befalls Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts is getting her easier scoring opportunities and getting ahead of the defense.
"I think it's got to come in second-side, third-side actions. The first actions can't be to her. It can, but it's going to be harder for her. So get the ball moving second-side, third-side and look to get her going," Roberts said during her Aug. 28 pregame press conference. "There's some stuff we can do off ball to get her moving where she can catch it on the move. Those are the things we're continuing to work on with her in our player development stuff.
"She's definitely someone that we're figuring out the best ways to use her. I think with Rae too, the temptation is, and this is just her progression as a player, is to try to do too much every time she catches it. And there's a learning curve with that of picking and choosing your moments as to when you're going to try and create something, when you're going to be patient and then the next catch, do it."
The way Burrell has begun to attack opposing defenses loading up on her is with an improving playmaking game. During her first four seasons of her career, she was never really used much as a facilitator. Now, when the defense collapses on her drives, she's beginning to recognize open shooters on kick-outs and cutters around the dunker spot.
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Take for example, the Sparks win against the Mystics on Aug. 28. Burrell opened the game with back-to-back assists before taking a single shot. On the Sparks' first possession, she found Dearica Hamby in transition for an easy two. On their second possession, she found Nneka Ogwumike open under the basket.
The way Burrell sees it, opposing defenses are faced with a difficult conundrum when trying to decide what to take away from her.
"I think they're defending the drive, but if you're defending the drive, you got to defend the three. So I think that's the good part about my play is I'm so versatile that you kind of got to pick your poison when it comes to that," Burrell said. "I think they've been more attentive on guarding me. Sometimes I'm getting denied on the wing, but it happens. They're gonna try and stop what you're doing, so I just have to adjust in those ways that I'm able to."
Someone that's had a front row seat to Burrell's development from the beginning is Nneka Ogwumike. The Sparks' star forward played with Burrell during her first two seasons with the team in 2022 and 2023. Following a two-year stint with the Seattle Storm, Ogwumike is back, finishing out her career with the Sparks.
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And during that timespan, the biggest area of growth that she has seen is Burrell's maturity in learning how to attack defenses while becoming a focal point of opposing scouting reports.
"One thing about Rae is that I think she always had this high level of play, this level of athleticism that is just very difficult to stop. But what I'm seeing in her growth is her maturity and her understanding that with a lot of responsibility comes a lot of different type of attention," Ogwumike said during her postgame press conference after the Sparks defeated the Storm on Aug. 30.
"Whether it's being able to be kind of like a go-to player or also getting a lot of congestion. I think that's only going to be something that's going to continue to level her game up."
That part of growth requires discipline. It requires a smart approach to the game. And so far, Burrell is excelling in that regard. Through 40 games this season, she is averaging career-highs in shooting efficiency. She's at 46.2 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from 3-point range.
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That efficiency also coincides with career highs in shot attempts at 10.9 overall and 4.2 from the 3-point line. And for Burrell, that's what she's been most proud of this season. It was a goal she set out to do at the start of the year, and for it come to fruition is the icing on the cake.
"Just consistency and efficiency. I wanted to be efficient this year. I'm not only putting up the numbers I'm putting up, but I'm doing it efficiently and I'm very proud of myself with that," Burrell said. "It means I'm making the right decisions, I'm making the right plays, I'm taking the right shots. I think just being able to do that consistently is where I've shown my growth."
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