The New York Liberty is undoubtedly going through a rough patch at the moment.
What started as a strong season for the reigning champs has unfolded into numerous nonsensical losses. A lot of it has to do with injuries, but the more important factor is the consistency. Is that something the Liberty can fix before it’s too late?
Liberty Leg Injuries
Jonquel Jones was the first injury that affected New York’s record, followed by Breanna Stewart. Jonquel was cleared from a right ankle sprain a little over a week ago. In her absence, New York went 5-4 compared to the 9-0 streak they had before Jones got hurt.
In Jonquel’s return against the Indiana Fever, she scored a team-high 18 points, which put the Liberty on top 98-84.
As one powerhouse was returning, another one was sustaining an injury of her own.
The Liberty are currently sitting forward, Breanna Stewart, who sustained a lower leg injury. Between these injuries, when Stewie and Jones both made court appearances, the Liberty took the win. In the following game, Stewart got injured, and New York has been struggling again ever since.
The Deal In Dallas
In one of the more recent games with New York, the 2nd ranked Liberty fell to the 11th-ranked Dallas Wings. By the end of the first half, New York was trailing 63-36, marking the Liberty’s largest deficit since 2022. All hope wasn’t lost, though, because they cut the drought to single digits in the fourth.
A lot of this has to do with New York guard Sabrina Ionescu. In the first half, Ionescu had an extremely poor performance, scoring only one point. She also had a plus-minus of -30. By the end of the game, Sabrina locked in and put up a total of 17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal.
It’s obvious the Liberty still stands a chance to win against opponents without Breanna Stewart, but it’s crucial that Sabrina Ionescu plays her role one hundred percent of the time. She can’t put up one point in one half and then 16 in the next, especially when New York doesn’t have another guard with the same court vision.
The Big Picture
The game against the Wings should be a wake-up call for the Liberty. The effort put into the second half just shows that the team can make do without crucial players like Stewart.
If they are short a playmaker, such as Stewie, though, everyone has to be on their A-game. There is light at the end of the tunnel for New York, and at times, they show great promise in their play.
After the loss to Dallas, head coach Sandy Brondello told the press, “We’re not competing at a high level and we’ve got to get back to playing what we know we’re capable of, like in the second half.”
The team is noticing the lack of consistency, and time will tell if each player can perform at a higher level in all four quarters.
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