The New York Liberty Are Coming for the 2024 WNBA Title
The New York Liberty have played hellacious basketball this season. Coming out of the Olympic break with only four losses, the Liberty have continued their control over the league with a gaudy victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, as well as another statement win over the Las Vegas Aces, whom they lost to in the 2023 championship. Currently having a tight hold on the first seed in the WNBA, the Liberty are looking to avenge their embarrassing finals loss and hoist the WNBA trophy for the first time in their organization’s history.
League-Wide Separation
Despite missing their veteran point guard, Courtney Vandersloot, for multiple games earlier in the season, the Liberty still haven’t missed a beat. This team shows similarities to the historic 2023-24 Boston Celtics because of their regular season consistency, roster construction and incredible coaching staff. One of the major strengths that both the Liberty and Celtics possess is multiple players that can shoot, make decisions with the basketball and defend at a respectable level. The 2024 Celtics prided themselves on the versatility that they were able to provide on both sides of the ball, which is true for the Liberty as well. They have beaten their former finals matchup, the Las Vegas Aces, in both of their games by an average margin of 10 points and have a league-wide point differential of 8.7 points.
Photo by Candice Ward, USA Today Sports
Another similarity to the Boston Celtics is the team statistics that the Liberty are producing, specifically their offensive, defensive and overall net ratings. These stats illustrate how well a team performs offensively and defensively per 100 possessions. Like the Celtics, the Liberty have the best offensive rating and a top two defensive rating compared to the rest of the league. Furthermore, Liberty’s overall net rating is about 4.5 points higher than the next best team, eerily similar to the historic Celtics’ differential of 4.4. As the basketball world witnessed the dominance that the Celtics displayed in the 2024 postseason, culminating in their 18th championship, it seems the Liberty are destined to follow in the Celtics’ footsteps.
Breanna Stewart’s Dominance
Having one of the best seasons in league history, many view the Aces’ A'ja Wilson to be the best player in the WNBA. However, Breanna Stewart is still the reigning MVP of the league. Coming out of the Olympics, Stewart continues her high level of play with averages of 19.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game for the Liberty. A dominant force on both ends of the ball, Stewart is able to do nearly anything on the basketball court at a high enough level to lead her team. By the end of the season, Stewart can potentially add to her hall of fame career with a third championship ring, which would firmly cement her place among the greats of the sport.
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Elite Team Play
Even with her MVP-level play, the team doesn’t stop at Stewart. The premier sharpshooter and triple-double threat, Sabrina Ionescu, has also been playing some of her best basketball. Ionescu narrowly leads the team in scoring at 19.9 points per game, also adding in 6 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game while shooting nearly 37% from the three-point line. Ionescu has had multiple high-scoring games and her decision-making, along with her threat to shoot from deep, creates invaluable space for her teammates.
Other key contributors to this team’s success include Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton among others. Jones, a former MVP winner herself, has specifically been instrumental in the Liberty’s success. She provides a tertiary scoring option that can produce both in the paint and on the perimeter. As a center, the ability to shoot creates many more opportunities for the team, as it draws the opposing center away from the basket. Combine this with her ability to pass, rebound and defend, and it isn’t hard to see why she has been such an important piece to the team.
Photo by Domenic Allegra, The Next
In their second full season with this core group of players, the Liberty are poised to make another attempt at reaching the WNBA finals and finally winning it all. Even through adverse situations such as the loss of two starters for multiple games during the season, the Liberty have remained consistent, with role players fulfilling larger roles, as well as star players elevating their games even further. If the Liberty’s regular season dominance can be sustained in the postseason, they can punch their ticket in for the finals as the favorites in the WNBA.