The New York Liberty have lost four of their last five games. The skid that has followed what was an eight-game winning streak has exposed real structural issue. The 76-67 defeat to the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday brought them into sharp focus and Breanna Stewart didn’t hold back in her assessment.
“You can’t play with heart and play with effort just when things are going good,” Stewart said, as per ESPN. “It’s really the moments when you’re at your lowest. And this team − we’re obviously not a finished product, but this wasn’t a great showing, especially coming off of a loss.”
“When you think it’s going to go good, sometimes it goes back, and vice versa,”… “I think the biggest thing that I continue to preach to the team is [don’t get] too high or too low. Of course, these games, when we take these Ls, are going to matter later.”
“There are some we will look back on and be upset about later. But the focus is on now. That’s all we can do,” she added.
The loss itself had a telling shape. Liberty never led at any point in the game and were getting outscored by the Valkyries’ bench 39-11. Gabby Williams scored 13 straight points in the fourth quarter to close out the win. This was yet another defeat against the Golden State this season and the injury picture makes it worse. Satou Sabally, confirmed with a concussion ahead of tipoff, was unavailable. This left the already stretched Liberty team lot thinner than usual across the frontcourt.
Stewart’s frustration carries weight precisely because of what she brings to this team. She is averaging 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. This places her eighth in the league in terms of scoring and seventh in rebounds. She is also shooting 44.7% from the field and holds an offensive rating of 109.8, contributing approximately one-sixth of the team’s assists. For a player carrying that kind of load, calling out the team’s contradiction doesn’t seem unfounded.
Right now, the broader concern remains how much more will this Liberty team’s depth is going to be tested, especially without Sabrina Ionescu.
Liberty Needs Sabrina Ionescu To Feature Consistently
It was widely anticipated that the big three of Stewart, Ionescu, and Sabally would make this Liberty team frontrunners for the championship. For a while, it appeared so as well, but things are far from perfect.
Sabrina Ionescu has only featured in seven games this season due to injuries. When she has played, she has often been used off the bench by Coach DeMarco. She is averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this season. This is a far cry from the 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds she averaged the whole of the regular season last year. The Liberty are less likely to actually score while she is on the court, posting a net rating of -11.9.
New York’s 12-8 record is partly due to the stepping up of other players like Jonquel Jones, Satou Sabally, and rookie Pauline Astier. Jones and Sabally have taken the offensive output required in Ionescu’s absence. While Jones is averaging 14.8 points per game, Sabally averages 10.4. She is closely followed by Astier, who is 10.3 points per game. Astier leads the team in assists at 3.8 per game.
Liberty needs Ionescu to be back at her best and remain fit for the rest of the season. While they have been largely fine without her, teams like Valkyries can quickly expose the tactical gaps they have on court.