It’s like this season’s injuries have held up a mirror for the New York Liberty. First, it was Jonquel Jones who missed around a month, then it was Breanna Stewart. Both of the team’s premier board crashers. Stewart hasn’t been on the floor since she left the July 26 game, dealing with a bone bruise on her right knee. According to PBP Stats, the team’s defensive rating with both Stewart and Jonquel Jones on the floor has been as low as 91.3, while it shoots up to 106.8 without them.

“We’re on the struggle bus,” head coach Sandy Brondello said after Saturday’s loss to the Dream. “We know that. But we’re getting some really good players back.” The impending return of Breanna Stewart kept some hopes alive for the Liberty fandom, as they had revealed her birthday, August 27, as the target comeback date. However, Stewart is set to return before her 31st birthday.

Stewart is set to step on the hardwood for their upcoming matchup against the Connecticut Sun. “I’m feeling good…I just want to be back with my team and try and help make things a little bit easier on all fronts, and know that this is important for our playoff push. I took the time I needed, and was on the training staff for the entire four weeks, but happy to be back.” She said via Geoff Magliocchetti.

The New York Liberty are 5-9 since Stewart went down and have dropped to fifth place, a full two games behind the second-place AtlantaDream. Before her injury, Stewart averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks over 31.5 minutes per game. While her 3-point percentage dropped significantly, it was mostly attributed to the stylistic change in Liberty.

A positionless 5-out system meant Stewart has moved away from her creation-heavy role. She has focused on outrunning the opponents, leading to more presence in the paint. As a result, she has scored a career and team high of 10.8 points in the paint. Along with that, she is also the best in New York when it comes to second-chance points with 2.6 per game.

“She’s got the ball in her hands, and we’re running some sort of off-ball action,” Liberty assistant Sonia Raman said about Stewart. “She just keeps the ball moving really well, just a “point 5” way of playing that just really starts to move us offensively and just kind of keeps the ball popping.”

While Stewart is returning, the team could learn a lesson or two about this absence and build some depth beyond her and Jones. Stewart cannot be on the court at all times, especially after coming back from a lengthy absence, as she is set to have a minute restriction “in the 20s”. After Breanna Stewart beat the schedule, the Liberty fans had another positive update regarding one of their other injured players.

Sabrina Ionescu’s Early Return a Matter of Relief

After losing their paint presence, they also lost their outside shooter in Sabrina Ionescu. She got tangled up with Sky center Kamilla Cardoso while going for a loose ball in their loss against Sky. She missed their matchup against the Dream and was listed as questionable for their upcoming match against the Connecticut Sun. However, Ionescu has now received the fitness clearance for her early return.

“Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison are game-time decisions, according to Sandy Brondello. Sabina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are good to go.” wrote Madeline Kenney. It was feared that Ionescu would have another lengthy layoff, and the Liberty would have another leak to fix. Sandy Brondello’s side is among the best outside shooters in the league, with 9.83 pointers made each game, and Ionescu makes 2.3 of them.

In the one game without her, Jonquel Jones had to take over the duties, shooting 8 from downtown and making 3 of them in the matchup against the Dream, which is almost twice her season average. While Ionescu is not the only one providing the outside threat, she is definitely the most dangerous one. When it comes to clutch shots or last-minute winners, the team looks at Ionescu most of the time. Her long-term absence could have meant another possible collapse. With the season in its business end, they also need Cloud, Nyara Sabally, and Harrison back as soon as possible to make that final push.