Last year, when we kicked off the 2023 WNBA season, the New York Liberty were a new team trying to find their chemistry. It took them a few weeks into the season to really get on the same level, but after that they were golden.
Now in 2024, it’s a different situation. While the Liberty’s bench is fairly new, the core of the team is the exact group of players that led the team to the 2023 WNBA Finals. And you can tell this is the team that made it to the Finals last season! They look like a well-oiled machine, and the chemistry that was lacking to kick off last season is most definitely present now. They are strong, healthy, and experienced—and it shows. They’ve had to adapt to their new bench, of course, but that is something you can do over time. The core is the important part.
Four fantastic wins
The Liberty kicked off the season last week against the Washington Mystics. It was the team’s closest game of the season so far, which was not surprising considering all teams are trying to shake off the start of season jitters and off-season dust. Still, unlike last season’s opener against the Mystics, the Liberty were able to pull through with the 85-80 win.
After that, the Liberty had a home-and-away series with the Indiana Fever. While the Fever surely have some young stars on their roster, they are still figuring things out. They were no match for the experience and power of a team like the Liberty, with a core made up of several veterans, MVPs, champions and tenured WNBA players. The Liberty beat the Fever 102-66 in Indiana, and then came home to beat them again, 91-80, a few days later. Breanna Stewart scored 31 points in the first match up between the teams, already helping her own MVP campaign.
New York then welcomed the Seattle Storm to Barclays on Sunday, and Stewart got to face her old team for the first time this season. While the Storm certainly have a great roster of Jewell Loyd, Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, they seem to be in the same spot New York was in last year, trying to build chemistry as a new team. While the Storm definitely put up a fight, New York was able to get that win, 74-63.
The Liberty are now 4-0 going into the second week of the season.
What New York is doing right
The Liberty have what a lot of teams in the WNBA don’t: winning experience.
Two of their five starters are champions, two of their five starters are former MVPs, two of their five starters are former No. 1 overall draft picks. And do you know who is all three? Breanna Stewart. Stewart also is a EuroLeague Women champion, FIBA Wold Cup winner, Olympic gold medalist, four-time NCAA national champion and has so many more accolades it would take a while to get through her resume.
Talent is a great thing to have on your team. Experience is even better. And the mix of those two things together is what makes a super team. It’s why the Las Vegas Aces have risen to power over the past five to six years; they had all the talent and just needed the experience to match. Now, they are the league’s powerhouse. It’s the same with the Liberty; all five starters have the experience AND talent necessary to be a championship-caliber team.
On top of that, the Liberty core now has a whole year of playing together under their belts. They communicate better, they know each other’s tendencies better and they have had time to connect off the court.
Now, add in the fact that every core player on the Liberty has started the season playing great individually. They have been shooting well—the core is shooting 31.3 percent from 3 through four games and 47.1 percent from the field—and their defense has been great, too. Stewart already has a 31-point game under her belt, Sabrina Ionescu is draining 3s and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a wall on defense.
Sabrina Ionescu on attacking the rim: “It’s something I took into the offseason and really worked on. I have my three point shots, but [by] continuing to manipulate defenses by getting into the paint… it helps my teammates and helps this team win.” (Q: @GabeZoda)
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) May 21, 2024
What New York can do even better
The Liberty’s bench is still finding it’s footing, which is not exactly a problem, but just a process. After losing their sixth woman in Marine Johannès this season, as she has remained overseas to prepare for the Olympics, as well as Han Xu and Stefanie Dolson, the team has had to recalibrate the bench.
They still have Kayla Thornton, who came up big for them last season as an energy player. Nyara Sabally, finally healthy, seems to be finding her way as she increases her minutes.
Sandy Brondello on defense: “Next man mentality, next woman mentality. KT, it was her best game, because she’s a dog on defense. Guarding the handler, switching some more. But [Stewie and JJ] guarding the RA helps the perimeter players.” (Q: @LucasKaplan_)
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) May 21, 2024
Then there are the newcomers: Ivana Dojkić, Kennedy Burke, Leonie Fiebich and Marquesha Davis. All four are learning a new system after a short training camp, and that is a lot to expect from them. Just as what happened with the core last season, the bench will continue to find their rhythm as the season progresses.
What’s next for the Liberty?
The Liberty have a relatively light schedule heading into week two of the WNBA season. They will play Chicago, another young team, on Thursday. After that, they will head to Minnesota to play Napheesa Collier and the Lynx on Saturday afternoon, quite possibly the toughest challenge they have faced yet this season. The Lynx have looked great to start the season. Collier was just named Western Conference Player of the Week, and the team opened their season by going 2-0 against Seattle.
Since they had a heavy four-game slate in the first week, the Liberty only have those two games in the season’s second week. In week three, they will face Indiana for a third time, as well as Phoenix and Washington.
The Liberty have a decent chance of opening the season undefeated at 9-0 through the first three weeks. And even if they fall to Minnesota, 8-1 is not awful either. They’ll need to keep up their current energy, continue to play through Stewart and Jonquel Jones and not get themselves into any late-game, crunch-time situations.
So far though, things are looking fantastic for the New York Liberty!