The New York Liberty have been off to a rocky start this WNBA season. The team went 5-4 in the month of May. New York started off with a bang, winning their home and season opener against the Connecticut Sun 106-75. They then went on to win against the Washington Mystics, though with a closer score this time: 98-93. The Liberty then split their games against the Portland Fire, handing the team their first ever win. They lost three in a row after that, seemingly struggling for no apparent reason. The Liberty did close out the month of May with two home wins against the Phoenix Mercury.
Sabrina Ionescu started the season on the bench with a foot injury that occurred in a preseason game. Rebecca Allen also missed the early part of the season with a leg injury. Newly signed Satou Sabally, who the Liberty signed in April during free agency, was day-to-day with a cyst. All have since returned to the line up, but the beginning of the season looked questionable. The Liberty started the season short-handed and needed to make two hardship signings, Julie Vanloo and Aubrey Griffin.
Breanna Stewart leads the Liberty in points, with 169, followed by Jonquel Jones (114) and Pauline Astier (108). Stewart also leads the team in total made field goals. Marine Johannes leads the team in made three-point shots, with a whopping 29 in nine games. Stewart and Jones also top rebounding for the Liberty, with 77 and 76, respectively.
The Liberty’s defense has been called into question on social media recently. The team is fifth in defensive rebounds, seventh in total rebounds, and tied for fifth worst regarding turnovers. Even more concerning, they are 13th in steals and ninth in blocks. For a team with such potential, this doesn’t bode well for the beginning of what was meant to be a strong season.
New York also ranks in the bottom half of the league in offensive stats, but mainly concerning points. Thankfully, they do have a strong handle on free throws and three-point shots.
The New York Liberty look to start the month of June off strong on June 3 against the Toronto Tempo as part of the Commissioners Cup at 7:30 p.m.
