The Liberty’s general manager, Jonathan Kolb, has carefully crafted a team designed to handle challenges, especially following a tough season in 2025 marked by injuries.
Right out of the gate, the team’s depth will certainly be put to the test.
Missing from the lineup for their season opener against the Connecticut Sun are at least four players.
Sabrina Ionescu (who has a left foot injury), Sato Sabally (dealing with a cyst), and Rebecca Allen (also with a left foot injury) have been confirmed as absent. Additionally, Leoni Fievic and Raquel Carrera won’t join the Liberty until later this month as they finish up their commitments with Valencia Basket in Spain.
As reported, Liberty intends to sign at least one player to a standard contract before the season officially begins.
This early season struggle isn’t ideal, particularly given the previous season’s challenges.
Brianna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Ionescu only managed to play together in 15 games last year.
Still, Stewart prefers to focus on the positives. After a practice session on Thursday, she remarked, “I’m hoping to get off to a strong start. We’re working on some aspects, but we always have enough strength on the court. Our main goal is to get healthy, and while the start might be a bit rocky, we plan to navigate the ups and downs throughout the season.”
Ionescu’s left foot injury occurred during the final preseason match, sidelining her for at least two weeks, which means she’ll miss about four games.
Meanwhile, the return dates for Allen and Sabally remain unclear.
The team is also being cautious with Bethnia Laney Hamilton’s playtime, especially since she missed the entire last season recovering from knee surgery.
Coach Chris DeMarco mentioned they’re still assessing whether certain players will face playing time restrictions.
“We’ll discuss as a staff how our rotation will look, aiming to minimize any downtime,” he stated. “We have several players we trust, and they are ready to perform.”
Luckily for the Liberty, the start of their schedule isn’t too daunting.
They will kick off against the Sun on Friday.
It’s actually the second matchup against Connecticut in just five days, having recently faced them in their preseason.
“It helps to already know the team,” DeMarco acknowledged. “Of course, it was preseason, so our rotations were likely different than they’ll be now.”
Following the Sun game, New York travels to D.C. to meet the Mystics on Sunday before heading west to challenge the Portland Fire twice in three days.
The Liberty has a week of practice scheduled between their Game 2 in Portland and a game on May 21 against the Golden State Valkyries.
Learning from last season, the Liberty has set out to create a roster that is more resilient against injuries.
“We approached building the roster with the thought that some players might arrive later,” DeMarco explained. “The players currently on the team are primed and ready.”
Rebecca Gardner expressed her confidence in the team’s depth, stating, “One of the best things about being part of the New York Liberty is that players ranked one through twelve could easily be starters on any other team. Even with a couple of players out, we still have a great group ready to step in.”
