2022 NY Liberty Notebook, Volume 3: “That makes me happy, but there’s still work to do”
New York closes the book on a sensational month
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Does June have to end?
If you’re a fan of the Liberty, you’re probably wishing it didn’t. After a historically bad start to the season, the Seafoam squad roared into gear, picking up win after win. Even their losses were somewhat encouraging!
This month featured the return of the Marine Johannès Experience, Han Xu setting and breaking personal records nightly, and Crystal Dangerfield morphing this team into a powerhouse. Let’s take a look at some other storylines of note as we pivot to July.
All-Star accolades
The Liberty will be well-represented on July 10 in Chicago, as Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Howard were both named All-Stars for their stellar play this season.
Ionescu was voted in as a starter after votes from fans, current WNBA players and media were tallied, and Howard was given the designation by the league’s coaches. Firstly, congratulations to these two! With a new coaching staff and injuries throughout the rotation, it’s been a ton of added pressure on their shoulders. Nevertheless, night in and night out, Sab and Flash have been steady constants on the court, racking up highlights on both ends.
Focusing more on Natasha Howard, it’s been a long journey for the former Seminole. After finding a home in Seattle and winning two of her three championships there along with some individual hardware, she was shipped to the Liberty for the number 1 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft, among other assets. The move finally offered her an opportunity to be the focal point of an offense (save for her 2019 season without Stewie and Sue Bird). However, injuries and overseas commitments limited her to just 13 games last year. Now, she’s put it all together and it’s shown in the win column.
Howard is averaging 1.3 blocks per game, her best numbers since 2019, ranking seventh in the league. One thing I’ve loved about her game this year is her tenacity and will to win. Whether it’s her connection with Han Xu paying dividends or her posting up on the low block, Flash has given nothing but complete effort this season and I’m so happy the coaches rewarded her.
The last time New York had multiple All-Star representatives was the 2019 season, when Kia Nurse and Tina Charles were honored. The Liberty went 10-24 that year; I think it’s safe to say this year’s team finishes with more than 10 victories (man I really hope this doesn’t backfire).
Looking back on June
I don’t want to harp on this point too long, and yesterday’s loss put a bit of a damper on things, but June really was tremendous for the Liberty. They went 7-4 over the course of the month, finishing with the third-best offensive rating (104.2) and defensive rating (98.6). This resulted in them having the second-best net rating in the league (5.6), behind the reigning champion Chicago Sky.
New York led the league in three-point makes per game (10.6) and cut back on mistakes massively, going from 19.3 turnovers per game in May to just 13.7 in June. And for those strength-of-schedule truthers who like to point out New York’s multiple games against Atlanta, Indiana and the Lynx without Sylvia Fowles, the Liberty picked up two wins over the Mystics and a road win over the Sun! Not to mention taking the Sky and Storm down to the wire.
All of this is to say that this is a different team in New York. Sandy Brondello set out to make some changes and implement her own coaching philosophies, and the month of June featured everything on display. Factor in the Liberty having a former All-Star in Betnijah Laney waiting in the wings? These past 30 days could be the start of something special.
DiDi getting reacclimated
DiDi Richards has had an interesting start to her sophomore season. Coming into the year, she was reportedly in line for more playmaking duties as the Liberty looked for a secondary ball-handling option for Sabrina Ionescu. Unfortunately for the Baylor product, a significant hamstring injury forced her out of action for over a month and led to a domino effect with the Liberty signing Crystal Dangerfield and Marine Johannès.
Now, Richards is back in the rotation, playing around 15 minutes per game as she works her way back. Yesterday against Atlanta, she tallied 7 points and a ferocious block, even going 4-4 at the charity stripe (!). It may not sound like much, but DiDi only went 4-4 or better at the line five times in 131 games at Baylor and she attempted just 10 free throws all of last season. She hit a corner three yesterday and I thought Barclays Center was going to come unglued.
Richards getting more comfortable on both ends is a huge key for New York and their ceiling this season. While she fouled out yesterday, her activity on defense was infectious. It’s just an added bonus when she chips in on the offensive end. The Liberty need DiDi to continue to develop as she offers them a ton of versatility and toughness on the wing. I’m excited to watchhow she progresses in July and beyond.
The Liberty return to action on a three-game road trip starting July 3 against the Sparks, another team jostling for position in the crowded standings, followed by a back-to-back against the dominant Aces and a playoff rematch against the Mercury. Their performance in that Las Vegas game on July 6 will be key; let’s find out if New York can parlay their success in June into a great July and beyond.
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They must continue to remain focusing if they want to make the playoffs
They have a lot of work to do in July and see if they can make a run like they did in June and see if they are a playoff contender or not