The New York Liberty went in all guns blazing this offseason. They fired Sandy Brondello, the coach that got them their only title and brought in an unproven Chris DeMarco. Liberty further added Satou Sabally while largely retaining its loaded roster. Yet, the start of the 2026 season has been more than underwhelming. They are 3-3 despite having the easiest schedule through the first 11 games. However, WNBA legend and now broadcaster Sue Bird refused to raise alarm bells but with one stipulation ahead of their Portland game. 

The issues go beyond just wins and losses for the Liberty. They haven’t been able to close out games despite being the fourth-best scoring team in the league. The Liberty have conceded 87.7 points a game, ranking 10th in the WNBA. They are in the middle of the pack when it comes to rebounding and turnovers, which is not the standard they want to set. However, according to Sue Bird, they will eventually piece things together. 

“The New York Liberty — I don’t think it’s time to panic,” Bird said on the NBC broadcast. “They are clearly a team that is still trying to figure things out. They’ve had pieces coming and going, and they finally have their full team. We haven’t actually seen them at full strength.”

Satou Sabally just played for the first time Sunday after being injured, and Leonie Fiebich has still not made her 2026 debut. Sabrina Ionescu also returned in their last matchup against the Dallas Wings. Even Betnijah Laney Hamilton was listed as out for the Portland game for personal reasons. So, there has been little chance for that chemistry building and the returnees are yet to fully absorb Chris DeMarco’s principles. 

And, against teams like Portland, that could make things difficult. “What’s troublesome is they’re going to be playing against a Portland Fire team that has already beaten them once and seen them twice, so they have an understanding,” Bird further said.  “Portland is feisty. They don’t go away. With expansion teams, you never know how many games they’re going to win, but this Portland team is not one you can mess around with.”

Everyone likely remembers the first head-to-head clash between these two when the Fire won via a Sarah Ashlee Barker put-back buzzer-beater. The Liberty fired back with a 100-82 win immediately in the next game, yet the recent back-to-back losses have put Liberty under the scanner. 

The Fire are 3-3 as well, but they are comfortably exceeding expectations. Their expansion was largely considered so-so, while the coach, Alex Sarama, remains unproven. The Fire are also third in the league in steals per game with 8.1 and induce 15.3 turnovers from their opponents per game (also third). 

They thrive on dismantling momentum and the Liberty are trying to build exactly that. And the Fire are not the only team on Liberty’s immediate schedule that plays like this. They will face the Phoenix Mercury in back-to-back games and are led by Alyssa Thomas. Then they go up against Toronto and Indiana, who can incite chaos as well.

These two teams are above Portland in turnovers induced per game. And Caitlin Clark and Fever can distort practically any defense while the Tempo are led by their former coach. However, the mood inside the locker room is similar to Sue Bird as coach Chris DeMarco is trusting his defensive system to work. 

Chris DeMarco Sticks To His System Despite New York Liberty’s Defense Struggles

This team struggled defensively last year under coach Brondello. They were sixth in the league when it came to defensive rating with 100. 6. The offense had the capability to beat anyone but at the important moments it’s the defense that becomes the central point. Under DeMarco, they are 9th in the league with a defensive rating of 106.9. However, coach DeMarco is not panicking, like Sue Bird said. 

“New system, just have to have clarity,” DeMarco said before the Portland game (via Myles Erlich). “It’s gonna take time, but we have the talent to do so, and we have the players that fit into what we’re trying to do defensively… a lot of the times the offense connects to your defense.”

This team is arguably among the most well-rounded in the league. They have outside shooting in Ionescu and Marine Johannes and size in Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, with Fiebich and Han Xu coming off the bench. With an average age of 28.4 they have the perfect mix of experience and youth. 

And if this system has to work, the team needs to buy in and stick with it to eventually work. Now, the first thing on their to-do list is getting everyone back to full fitness and available.