With a number of acquainted faces lacking in motion, the New York Liberty have struggled to maintain the momentum of a powerful begin alive. Is it time to panic?
BROOKLYN—Like its copper namesake on Ellis Island, the New York Liberty are a bit tarnished at this very early level of the 2026 WNBA season.
New York’s metropolitan atonement for its disappointing championship protection is off to a meandering begin: New York received three of its first 4 in emphatic vogue however has since dropped the primary two legs of a seven-stage homestand at Barclays Middle. The latter entry within the dire duo was a 91-76 defeat to the Dallas Wings on Sunday, one which fell sufferer to an early career-best outing from newly-minted prime decide Azzi Fudd (24 factors, a brand new career-best, in aid).
It has thus been a bittersweet starting to the Chris DeMarco period after the longtime Golden State Warriors assistant took over for title-winning head coach Sandy Brondello.
With the loss, that is the newest level of a season the place the Liberty (3-3) hasn’t had a successful file because the finish of 2022, its second full marketing campaign in Brooklyn. New York does have an instantaneous alternative to interrupt out of such notoriety when it faces the Portland Fireplace for the third time this season on Monday evening (8 p.m. ET, WNYW/Peacock).
Absences Past Absences
Like final season, the Liberty have the dependable weapon of the harm card along with the training curve required from working with a brand new teaching system.
New York has but to play a sport at full energy this season. Sabrina Ionescu misplaced her first 5 video games attributable to an ankle harm she endured within the preseason finale, whereas hyped newcomer Satou Sabally solely donned her new Liberty jersey final week after coping with a cyst. Leonie Fiebich has but to play a sport this season attributable to worldwide commitments (her Monday standing is but to be decided), whereas Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has missed the final two for private causes.
DeMarco on why these points transcend lacking gamers:#WNBA pic.twitter.com/uk0E16Ianj
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) Could 24, 2026
However the Seafoam savants readily admitted that their points go far past the harm report, citing defensive shortcomings and a wrestle to reply when adversity and physicality floor.
„There isn’t any excuses with this staff,“ ahead Breanna Stewart mentioned. „Whereas we’ve got new gamers, we even have loads of the identical. We’re not taking part in to our greatest and [we’re] positively not like Liberty basketball.“
„I feel the lacking gamers, I do not assume that issues as a lot,“ DeMarco mentioned. „We have now our group, we like our group, we simply have to have a way of urgency. We begin out the sport sturdy on the defensive finish, after which it is about variety. After they hit a pair in a row, are we going to have the combat, are we going to have the right changes, are we going to play collectively? I do know we’ll. Tonight, they hit some pictures, we obtained to be higher in transition, we obtained to be higher offensively with the fitting shot, in order that they are not leaking out.”
Third’s the Phrase
Lamenting an obvious lack of urgency was a typical theme in Sunday’s somber aftermath: the commonest symptom of such a dearth might maybe be the Liberty’s struggles popping out of the halftime locker room.
New York has received only one third quarter this season, and the dire development surfaced on Sunday, which noticed them outscored 28-17 within the first 10 minutes after intermission. Fudd alone matched the Liberty’s 17-point complete within the interval, and the Wings shot just below 53 p.c to take what turned an impenetrable lead.
The Liberty received the third by 15 of their final win on Could 14 in Portland (which got here after Stewart publicly challenged herself to swap post-locker room momentum), however have dropped back-to-back intervals by a mixed 20. Sunday’s 11-point defeat in that division got here after Dallas adjusted its beginning lineup for the third, beginning Fudd and Awak Kuier, the latter of whom earned 10 factors and 6 rebounds.
AZZI FUDD TODAY 🔥
• 24 POINTS • 3 ASSISTS • 3 STEALS• 2 BLOCKS• 6/12 3PM• 9/15 FG pic.twitter.com/mi19aADZUT
— Girls’s Hoops Community (@WomensHoops_USA) Could 24, 2026
Turnover Troubles
Sunday at the very least allowed the Liberty an opportunity to interrupt out of a turnover funk, shedding a season-low 11 after giving up at the very least 15 in 4 of their first 5 showings. Seafoam steals, nonetheless, proved troublesome to register, because the Liberty have been credited with however 4 live-ball turnovers, making it powerful to interrupt out in transition. It led to a different sport the place New York surrendered greater than 90 factors, its third such posting this season after permitting at the very least 80 in two others.
„I do not assume we’re like significantly being just like the aggressors,“ Stewart mentioned, noting the influence the dearth is having on the Liberty’s fastbreak and transitional video games. „We’re not getting steals, we’re not getting live-ball turnovers. As a staff, you do not need to have live-ball turnovers, however that is the way you get out of transition and actually form of make a run. I feel we might a lot reasonably play in transition and never arrange each time.“
The prevention of such video games stands as essentially the most fixable difficulty the present group might obtain with out counting on the return of absent gamers. Stewart supplied herself an additional problem on Sunday, hoping {that a} newfound sense of defensive aggressiveness on her finish might produce a „domino impact“ that would assist New York get again on observe.
Ahead Jonquel Jones concurred with Stewart’s sentiments a few defensive antidote, stating {that a} defensive resurgence could be the proper technique to take care of the rising pains of working with a brand new teaching system.
„I feel we’ve got to be within the gaps a bit of bit extra. I feel our pick-and-roll protection needs to be a bit of extra aggressive,“ Jones added. „Proper now, I feel it is just a bit bit too open, and I do not know precisely how we repair that, however I simply know that being one of many gamers that is usually in these actions, it simply would not really feel prefer it’s as aggressive as we’d like it to be.
„I do assume that, as a core group, that we’ve got to be a bit of bit extra related, a bit of bit extra, a bit of extra aggressive in our sport plan,“ Jones continued. „I really feel like groups really feel snug, they appear snug to me. Offensively, they simply seem like, okay, it is open season now, like we form of get what we wish, and we by no means need that to be our id, or the texture for different groups coming into Barclays.“
Offensive Obstacles
On offense, New York was in a position to masks a few of its early errors with sterling capturing, notably turning into the primary staff in WNBA historical past to common 100 factors over its opening quartet.
Struggling to maintain that momentum has uncovered among the shortcomings: capturing simply 28 p.c from their 3-point hub within the final two video games (an opposing crackdown has led to solely eight makes an attempt within the final two for Marine Johannés), the Liberty discovered some penetration however shot 20-of-43 within the paint throughout Sunday’s loss.
„We’re attempting to get to the paint and understanding that the paint will open up loads of different pictures,“ Stewart mentioned. „I feel 20-of-43 will not be an incredible share if you’re so near the basket, so we have to do a greater job of executing and ending the performs. After they began the totally different lineup within the second half, we all know who these gamers are. It is simply there is a sense of urgency that is form of missing.“
Satou Sabally immediately 🔥
• 20 factors • 2 rebounds • 2 assists • 3/6 3PM• 6/14 FG pic.twitter.com/gSvIjIYzEM
— Girls’s Hoops Community (@WomensHoops_USA) Could 24, 2026
Satou, the Proper Factor
Lingering Liberty positives did emerge within the type of Sabally, who discovered a little bit of a metropolitan groove on Sunday.
In what could possibly be one of many closest issues the world will get to a 2020 NCAA nationwide title sport, contemplating the presence of Fudd and Paige Bueckers, Sabally, and fellow Oregon Duck Ionescu, united to attain the primary 9 Liberty factors. Whereas not resistant to the struggles inside, Sabally led the hosts with 20 factors on 3-of-6 from three-point vary.
„I feel she performed an incredible sport immediately, and I feel you possibly can see her getting extra snug,“ Jones famous. „Clearly, she was aggressive, she was taking part in the best way that Satou performs, and that is what we wish her to do. We have now a tradition, and we’ve got all of this stuff, however she’s an incredible participant, as a result of she’s Satou, and so we wish her to be that. I feel tonight she simply did a extremely good job of getting within the paint, scoring, capturing her threes when she was open, hitting them at a excessive price, and I feel she’s simply going to get higher because the season goes on.“
With Ionescu and Sabally launched initially of the sport, the Liberty additionally obtained a greater take a look at its revamped second unit: it obtained stable work out of Pauline Astier, the newest rookie-in-name-only that earned a beginning nod in Ionescu’s place, whereas Han Xu hit a pair of crowd-pleasing threes in the course of the first half.
Extra excellent news for the Liberty, at the very least of their eyes, stems from the truth that the league is ensuring it stays busy: along with one other fracas with the Fireplace, New York has a Wednesday/Friday doubleheader with the Phoenix Mercury, the staff that ended its desires of a championship repeat in final fall’s opening spherical. Commissioner’s Cup play opens on June 3 in opposition to Brondello’s new employers, the Toronto Tempo.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
