2019 WNBA Team Preview: New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are coming off their worst record in franchise history (7–27). It was an unexpected fall after three consecutive 20-win seasons. Plagued by injuries and the sale of the franchise looming, New York’s record mirrored the turbulence around them, on and off the court. With the pending sale, the team was also relegated to the Westchester County Center (capacity 2,300), over 30 miles and 7,000 fans removed from their home at Madison Square Garden.
This off-season, the Liberty’s outlook has improved. In January, the team was purchased by Joe Tsai, the billionaire co-founder of Alibaba and 49% owner of the Brooklyn Nets. With the sale comes the hope of returning to New York City and playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
A few months later, the Liberty drafted two-time All-American Asia Durr and 6-foot-9 center Han Xu from China. Both possess lofty star potential that could stir a fever pitch into the Liberty fan base and bring the franchise into their next chapter.
- 2018 Recap [7–27 Record]
The Liberty finished second to last overall and ended the season on a 13-game losing streak. During her time as an assistant coach, Katie Smith was credited for turning the Liberty’s defense into one of the league’s best. However, in her first year as head coach, the team posted the league’s third-worst defensive rating. Their offense fared no better, as they averaged 43% from the field (10th of 12) and 31.7% from behind the arc (11th of 12).
2. Projected 2019 Starting Five
Tina Charles [2018 Stats: 33.0 MPG, 19.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG]: Six-time All-Star Charles is the Liberty’s keystone, a fact that’s both the team’s greatest strength and weakness. Charles accounted for 24.6% of the Liberty’s points last season, more than twice the next player, Kia Nurse at 11.7%. Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, and Liz Cambage carried similar loads for their teams, but had help from teammates like Jewell Lloyd (17.8%), Brittany Griner (23.9%), and Skylar Diggins-Smith (19.5%). This year, Charles may finally get the scoring help she needs.
Kia Nurse [22.8 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 29.4 3P%]: In Nurse’s first seven games as a pro, she averaged 14.5 points per game (PPG), including a 34-point game over the league’s worst team. In the next 14 games, she hit a wall and averaged 4.7 PPG. She rebounded to finish the season averaging 10.9 PPG, as the starting small forward. This year, the Liberty need Nurse to be consistent, especially shooting from distance. She seems to have regained her stroke playing in Australia, where she helped her team win the WNBL Championship and averaged 18.8 PPG and 40% from distance.
Amanda Zahui B [7.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 50 FG%]: Zahui B is an efficient, 6-foot-5 center who logged career highs in points, field goal percentage, and minutes last year. A modern post, she shoots nearly five three-pointers per game. She looked strong in the preseason against the Dream with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Brittany Boyd [20.4 MPG, 5.3 APG, 3.9 RPG]: After suffering a torn Achilles early in the 2017 season, Boyd worked her way back to the starting line up by mid-July 2018 and resumed her role as the cog of the Liberty offense. Her 42.1% assist rate was second in the league and fourth all-time behind only Courtney Vandersloot (2018), Ticha Penicheiro (2002), and Michele Timms (2001). A good defender, Boyd averages 1.2 steals per game. A fifth-year veteran, Boyd could play a key role in helping this team gel quickly on the court.
Asia Durr [2018 Louisville Stats: 21.2 PPG, 3.3 APG, 34 3P%]: Durr’s potential impact on the Liberty is impossible to summarize in a paragraph, though many feature-length articles have tried. She is an elite scorer with a star quality that could help restart a franchise. In college, at her worst, she could be inconsistent and a bit cerebral. At her best, she drew breathless comparisons to greats like Tweety Nolan, Maya Moore, and Diana Taurasi.
Coach Smith (who incidentally played with Nolan on the Shock) needs the latter version, early and often. Despite looking a bit lost in the preseason, Smith will start Durr, who averaged 39% from three over her collegiate career. When the shots don’t fall, Durr must continue to impact the game with her transition speed and her passing, as she did her senior year.
3. Key Additions and Bench
Han Xu [2018 WCBA Stats: 16.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 BPG]: When she was drafted in the second round, the 6-foot-9 Xu became tied with Brittany Griner as the tallest player in the league. A skilled and mobile post, she regularly faced WNBA players as a pro in China, including her new teammate Tina Charles. While she may struggle with the physicality of the WNBA at first, she will be able to make an immediate impact with her rebounding and her face-up game, which extends beyond the arc.
Off the court, 19-year-old Xu’s outgoing personality has the ability to transcend language barriers and draw new fans to the Liberty. Her preseason start against her former Chinese National team drew a staggering 7.5 million viewers across China. She has drawn predictable comparisons to Yao Ming, which might have been apt had Ming been fluent in Instagram stickers.
Tanisha Wright [4.3 PPG, 2.0 APG, 39.6 3P%]: A seven-time All-WNBA Defense selection, Tanisha Wright returns to the Liberty to help them find their defensive identity. She averaged 17.8 minutes per game for the Lynx in 2018 after sitting out 2017 to rest. Her veteran leadership could be crucial for a roster that suddenly looks much younger since September.
Kiah Stokes [3.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 54.5 FG%]: Stokes has been an excellent defender, shot blocker, and rebounder for the Liberty in the past, including an appearance on the Second Team All-Defense in 2015. In just her fifth year, she is already the franchise leader in blocks (163). Last season, she battled injuries and played a career-low 14.2 minutes per game. With Vaughn not on the training camp roster, Stokes may be primed for a bigger role provided she stays healthy.
Bria Hartley [23.7 MPG, 8.5 PPG, 30.8 3P%]: Hartley provides excellent depth at point guard behind Boyd. She started 20 games last season, averaging a career-high 3.6 assists per game and 24.9% assist rate. Hartley is a better three-point shooter than Boyd, which may help her case for more playing time.
Rebecca Allen [10 MPG, 26.3 3P%, 84 FT%]: At 6-foot-2, she has made her craft as a three-point shooter. At her length, she can also block shots and post-up smaller guards well. Last year was a career low in three-point accuracy (26.3%) but she hopes to regain her 2016 form, when she shot 57%. This preseason, she poured in 18 points in 23 minutes against Connecticut on 3-of-6 shooting from distance.
4. Key Losses
Sugar Rodgers [19.6 MPG, 6.3 PPG, 32.3 3P%]: Rodgers was the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2017, and she started the second half of 2018 when several players went down with injuries. However, her overall role was reduced from prior seasons. She was traded to the Las Vegas Aces, where she rejoins Bill Laimbeer, in exchange for a second-round pick in 2020. There she hopes to play a larger role than she would have with the Liberty.
Shavonte Zellous, Kia Vaughn, Epiphanny Prince [Total: 61 starts, 31 years in the WNBA]: All three veterans started games in 2018 and played significant minutes. All three also struggled with injuries, with Prince and Zellous both missing the second half of the season. Despite their defensive contributions and veteran leadership, their offense faltered. None were included on the team’s training camp roster, making them free agents.
Zellous, who can push the pace in transition and finish at the rim, was recently signed by the Storm. Vaughn spent 10 years in the league as a strong, nimble center and Prince, a two time All-Star, shot 42% from distance last season. The Liberty will undoubtedly miss their veteran presence in the near term, but the franchise appears to be looking towards the future.
5. Questions to Address
Who will help Tina Charles? The Liberty need a second and possibly third scoring option. They do not lack for talent, but consistency will be key. Will Kia Nurse realize her full potential this season? Can Zahui B continue to improve her unique skill set? How quickly will Asia Durr adjust to the speed and strength of the WNBA? In the first of two preseason games versus the Connecticut Sun, she tallied zero points. In their rematch six days later, she scored in the double digits.
How quickly will this team gel? Liberty GM Johnathan Kolber has made his mark, now it’s head coach Smith’s turn. All roads to success still go through Charles, who continues to grow her three-point game and sets the gold -standard in consistency. Boyd is an excellent floor general who has the ability to involve her rookie teammates early. Despite past challenges, the team has its collective sights set forward, and hope is a powerful motivator.
How will the rookies adjust? If either Durr or Xu reach a fraction of their ultimate ceilings this season, Liberty fans all over the world will have plenty to cheer about. Both have fascinating potential to usher this “original eight” franchise into the modern game and kick off a new era for the franchise.
6. Outlook for 2019
The Liberty have had a busy off-season revamping the roster towards youth. This is cause for both optimism and patience. Durr’s streaky nature could result in thrilling performances as well as frustrating growing pains.
As Charles continues to play at an All-Star level, it’s more likely that Kia Nurse will step into the role of a consistent second scoring option, at least initially. If and when a third option emerges, and the team finds their defensive identity, the playoffs may be an attainable goal. While this is far from given, the Liberty remain a compelling story and should generate their share of intrigue across the league this season.
