The 6-0 L.A. Sparks, who are off to their best start since opening the 2003 season 9-0, own the league’s third-ranked offense (104.5 points per 100 possessions) and top-ranked defense (allowing just 85.1 points per 100 possessions).

As impressive as the Sparks’ defense has been this season, today we’ll take a closer look at their execution on offense and specifically how well they have shared the ball to create excellent shots all over the floor.

The Sparks rank second in both assists per game (20.2) and assist percentage with nearly two-third (65.2%) of their field goals made being assisted. In fact, the only team that assists on a higher percentage of its field goals is the Stars at nearly 70%.

Team Leaders in Assist Percentage

What makes the Sparks so dangerous is that they have talented passers all over the floor, so you never know where the assisting pass will come from. In Thursday’s win over San Antonio, the Sparks’ leaders in assists were forwards Candace Parker (7) and Nneka Ogwumike (5) as the frontcourt duo accounted for 12 of L.A.’s 17 assists.

Sparks Assists Leaders

Parker and Toliver rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in the WNBA in assists per game. The Liberty are the only other team to have two players ranked in the top 10 and both trail the Sparks duo. Meanwhile, Toliver is also the league leader in assist-to-turnover ratio with an outstanding mark of 6.50.

Here are a variety of assists from the Sparks this season that showcase the great ball and player movement both in their set offense and in transition.

Pick and Roll

Toliver and Ogwumike run this pick and roll perfectly, with Toliver delivering a sweet pocket pass as Nneka rolls down the lane for the layup. It’s textbook execution of a play we all learned as kids.

Big to Big

Having frontcourt players that are skilled at passing is such an asset to have at your disposal when devising offensive strategy. The Sparks can run their offense through Parker or Ogwumike from the high post, or even have Parker essentially play guard and create plays from the perimeter while pulling her defender away from the basket.

Fast Break

This is where Parker gets to showcase her full array of talents. Check out this play, where she grabs the defensive rebound, initiates the fast break herself without having to outlet to a guard, draws the defense toward her as she approaches the lane and gets to show off with a beautiful behind-the-back pass for a layup.

And if behind-the-back passes aren’t your thing, how about a couple of behind-the-back dribbles on the break and finishing with a left-handed shovel pass in the lane to Ogwumike for the layup.

Cuts

When you have so many players that can pass the ball, cutting toward the basket is an easy way to get shots. Here’s an example of the Sparks finding the cutter for an easy bucket and another assist.

Drive and Kick

The Sparks have both guards and forwards that can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, which leads to plenty of drive and kick opportunities. Watch as Essence Carson drives the lane, draws the help defense toward her and then finds Alana Beard open for a corner three.

Here we have a great two-woman game between Toliver and Ogwumike. Nneka sets the screen, then receives a pass from Toliver at the top of the key, drives toward the basket, draws Toliver’s defender in to help on the drive and then kicks it out to the open guard for the perimeter jumper.

Skip Pass

Parker gets the ball in the post, nothing is there so she brings it out to the perimeter, scans the defense and finds a teammate in the opposite corner for an open three with a skip pass.

Hot Potato

We’ve seen plenty of examples of plays involving two and three players, but here is a play at the end of the quarter that has the ball bouncing around from player to player until it ends with an open jumper at the buzzer that finds the bottom of the net. Even with the clock running down there was no panic to get up a shot, they continued to execute until a great shot opened up at the right time.

Great ball and player movement is not only fun to watch, it can lead to great results, as it has with the Sparks. While it is not the only way to win (Atlanta is 6-1 with a league-low 47.9 assist percentage), it does spark great team chemistry as everyone is constantly involved in the offense. A team has to have unselfish players and players with the ability to make plays for others in order for it to work. The Sparks definitely have both.