The New York Liberty have fully recovered

New York Liberty’s Remarkable Turnaround

At one point, it seemed like the New York Liberty might be the team to beat in the WNBA. They certainly had an impressive roster on paper, but that didn’t instantly translate to wins. Starting the season with a record of 3-4, they struggled early on, even losing two of their first three games to the new expansion team, the Portland Fire.

Key players like Sabrina Ionescu, Sato Sabally, and Leoni Fievic missed significant time due to injuries, and it felt like, maybe, the offseason improvements that were supposed to position the Liberty as title contenders were falling flat.

But, things have shifted dramatically. Since May 25, New York has gone on a winning streak of seven games. Sure, some of those victories came against teams lower in the rankings—like the two wins against the Phoenix Mercury and a single game against the Connecticut Sun. However, last Thursday, they secured what might be their most impressive win of the season, taking down the Atlanta Dream, who were sporting an 8-3 record, by 14 points.

Brianna Stewart was a standout in that game, contributing 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Other key players included Sato Sabally (also with 19 points), Marin Johannes (17 points), Pauline Austier (16 points), and Jonquel Jones (16 points).

Just three days later, the Liberty achieved another significant win, defeating the Washington Mystics by 22 points, with Stewart notching a career-high seven blocks.

With Fievic in the mix, the Liberty have gone 7-0. Fievic, who missed the beginning of the season after playing with Valencia Basket in Spain, is averaging 7 points and 2.9 rebounds. Yet, interestingly, her +8 ± rating ranks fifth in the league. The Liberty currently hold the second-best plus-minus in the WNBA at +7, trailing only the Lynx, who outscore opponents by an average of 11.7 points.

Although they haven’t faced the league’s top teams yet—Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces—they seem to be inching closer to the elite ranks.

Stewart, aged 31, is on track for another MVP-worthy season. She averages 19.9 points (sixth in the league), along with nine rebounds (seventh), and also contributes 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. Jonquel Jones, contributing 13.8 points and 9.2 rebounds, helps solidify the frontcourt, while Marin Johannes (11.6 points, 3.2 assists) and Pauline Astier (11.3 points, 3.9 assists) bring their own strengths.

Sato Sabally, the major offseason acquisition, is averaging 10.1 points in just 16 minutes off the bench, showing real promise. Both Johannes (43.4%), Austier (45.8%), and Sabally (41.9%) have been on fire in their games.

Interestingly, much of this success has occurred while franchise cornerstone Sabrina Ionescu has only appeared in two games. Battling ankle and foot injuries, she then missed seven games due to back pain.