After a severe ankle damage in her rookie season and a considerably tentative second yr, Sabrina Ionescu has in her third yr hit the form of heights everybody anticipated of her, and her Liberty are again within the W.N.B.A. playoffs.
The No. 7 Liberty will face the No. 2 Chicago Sky — the defending champions — on Wednesday for Sport 1 of a best-of-three sequence within the opening spherical.
When the Liberty drafted Ionescu No. 1 general in 2020, hopes had been excessive. The crew had been horrible for 2 seasons, however Ionescu had been a transcendent star at Oregon, the place she had an N.C.A.A. report 26 triple-doubles. She appeared just like the form of participant who might flip a crew round nearly by herself.
In simply her second sport within the W.N.B.A., she fired in 33 factors, together with six 3-pointers, added 7 rebounds and seven assists and had followers thrilled in regards to the future.
That future turned bitter rapidly when, in her third sport, she went down with a extreme ankle damage that will preserve her out for the remainder of the season.
With out her, and with out their veteran star Tina Charles, who had been traded away, the crew was abysmal, ending 2-20.
The crew bounced again in 2021 and sneaked into the playoffs, but it surely was a bunch effort led by Betnijah Laney, Natasha Howard (after a return from damage), Sami Whitcomb and Michaela Onyenwere, who was named the rookie of the yr, that pushed them there. Though Ionescu performed a full season, her scoring sport fell a bit wanting what may need been anticipated.
Not that she didn’t assist the crew, but it surely was in a extra supporting function: Although she was among the many league’s help leaders, she averaged simply 11.7 factors a sport and handled lingering ankle ache. She was usually the third or fourth scoring choice.
However in her third season, Ionescu has stepped ahead, and he or she was named to her first All-Star crew. She has improved in nearly each class, enjoying extra minutes, taking pictures at the next share and growing her rebounding, assists and steals numbers whereas decreasing her turnovers.
Notably, she has taken a extra distinguished function within the offense, taking pictures about 14 instances a sport to steer the crew, up from just below 10 instances a sport final season, main her to attain a team-high 17.4 factors a sport. Taking part in in all 36 video games helped her make the league’s high 10 in complete factors, assists and rebounds, the one participant to take action. And her rebounding numbers are particularly spectacular since she is the Liberty’s most important ballhandler.
Ionescu additionally made historical past in her third season, changing into the primary participant ever to report a triple-double in three quarters and, individually, the primary participant ever to attain at the least 30 factors as a part of a triple-double. These two triple-doubles introduced her right into a tie with Chicago’s Candace Parker for probably the most profession triple-doubles, with three.
Ionescu’s step ahead, in addition to having Howard obtainable the entire season, helped the Liberty return to the playoffs and climate the lack of Laney for a lot of the season with a knee damage.
Final season, the Liberty misplaced their single-elimination playoff sport, 83-82, to the Phoenix Mercury. Ionescu had 14 factors and 11 assists, however she missed a 30-foot desperation 3-pointer on the buzzer that will have received the sport.
The crew has an opportunity to rectify that within the opening spherical of the playoffs this yr, which will probably be better of three as an alternative of single elimination. However even with Laney’s return, the percentages are lengthy. Eight of the 12 W.N.B.A. groups make the playoffs, leaving room for groups that completed underneath .500, together with the Liberty (16-20).
A matchup in opposition to the sturdy Sky (26-10) with All-Stars resembling Parker, Kahleah Copper, Courtney Vandersloot and Emma Meesseman, and with the primary two video games in Chicago, will probably be robust for the Liberty.
The Liberty are one of many eight founding W.N.B.A. franchises and the one one nonetheless in its unique metropolis that has by no means received the W.N.B.A. title. Its final decade has been particularly fallow, with only one journey to the semifinals or convention finals.
Like several crew, the Liberty might want to purchase expertise, draft shrewdly and catch some breaks to step as much as championship high quality. However greater than the rest, they must depend on Ionescu to proceed enjoying on the stellar stage she did this yr. Or ideally, on condition that she remains to be solely 24, to get even higher.