The New York Liberty wrap up the preseason in Connecticut vs. the Sun
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
Final preseason game! It didn’t count, but it still lingers.
The New York Liberty opened the preseason in Chicago against the Sky... and let’s just say it wasn’t a fun night. The starters missed a bunch of shots at the rim, the Sky had it going, and that all added up to a long night for Sandy Brondello’s club.
On the other side, this is the Connecticut Sun’s first preseason game! The Sun have been one of the steadiest franchises in the WNBA for years and hoping this is the year they finally scale the mountain and win a championship.
Where to follow the game
Initially, this game wasn’t going to be televised. However, demand for the WNBA is through the roof and the people want to hoop it up!
You asked, we answered Our preseason game against New York Liberty at 7PM this Thursday will now be streamed live on YouTube! Link to livestream: https://t.co/89W3etqV1r pic.twitter.com/WPsMxZ5Olr— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) May 8, 2024
Injuries
Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally are getting more rest following their EuroLeague runs. Breanna Stewart and Ivana Dojkic are both available.
Moriah Jefferson is questionable with a right ankle injury.
The Game
With Stewart likely on a minutes restriction, we’ll get to see more of the bench tonight. The starters left the second unit in a terrible position, as Brondello noted in her postgame discussion on Tuesday night,. As a result, we didn’t get to see the kids in a more competitive game. Even with that, the youngsters will get plenty of time to make final impressions before camp closes out this weekend.
Last year, Brionna Jones tore his Achilles and missed the rest of the season. Since then, she’s worked to get back and return to the hardwood. She’s getting closer, but isn’t back at All Star peak capacity quite yet:
“When I’m out there, I feel pretty normal. I just feel like I’m just not in my basketball rhythm again… It’s like my brain telling my body to do things, but my body’s like, ‘We’re not ready yet.’”
Jones will see two players who successfully recovered from Achilles tears of their own in Alyssa Thomas and Breanna Stewart. Those recoveries speak to improvements in medicine over time and for players, the Achilles tear isn’t the career ender that it used to be.
To make the return a bit easier for Bri, the Sun went and acquired Queen Egbo from the Washington Mystics. Sun coach Stephanie White noted that the team needed more rebounding and defensive presence, and Egbo helps take care of that problem. Finding minutes for her will be tricky as the Sun have Jones, AT, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa on the roster. When these teams face off when the games count, it’ll be fascinating to see how the Liberty counteract the Sun’s size.
Preseason’s all about fine tuning some things, and we got to see the Liberty defense put some things in motion
NY opened w/ JJ high-hedging the PnR, pairs well if Betnijah's is also involved, with Stewie as the low-man. (Angel, I'm gonna need you to set some real screens.)Wondering if teams will be able to get JJ running around the perimeter, though: pic.twitter.com/sgVTSVKKX0— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 8, 2024
Just a little thing from Betnijah Laney, and something the Liberty really nailed last season when their defense took off.Middle PnR from Dana Evans, snakes it to force the switch. Laney scrams Courtney Vandersloot out of the matchup, then contests well against Angel Reese. pic.twitter.com/B5Yt6LYdg4— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 8, 2024
The backcourt defense gets mentioned as a weak point for the team, but with a frontcourt that is as flexible and malleable as Jones, Stewart, and Laney-Hamilton, the Libs have plenty of room to cover for it.
Player to watch: Tyasha Harris
Guard scoring is hard to replace, and for the Sun, they have to replace a player who made life hell on the Liberty last year. Tiffany Hayes retired from the league over the winter, and Harris will have to pick up the scoring mantle in the backcourt. Natisha Hiedeman was traded to the Minnesota Lynx for Tiffany Mitchell. A lot will be on the shoulders of the former South Carolina star this season, and the Sun’s ability to find offense outside of the Thomas/DeWanna Bonner dynamic duo will determine if they make it back to the Finals.
The Liberty backup guard situation is pretty interesting. With Dojkic back, the Liberty have a guard that proved to be successful in the W as Ivana started with the Seattle Storm before she left for Europe last year. Jaylyn Sherrod was the only bright spot on Tuesday night and she has continued to impress the coaching staff in camp. Marquesha Davis is also continuing to find her footing as a rookie and we’ll see how they handle things tonight.
From the Vault
Haven’t listened to Meshell Ndegeocello in a while. Let’s correct that
More reading: Swish Appeal, CT Insider, Hartford Courant, Chicago Sun Times, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
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