WNBA: How Emma Meesseman takes the New York Liberty to another level

The New York Liberty’s goal of repeating as champions just received a massive boost on Monday with the addition of Emma Meesseman. The versatile Belgian forward is one of the most gifted offensive players the league has ever seen and her arrival transforms New York from a title favorite to possibly be the best team we’ve ever seen.

Meesseman is a pick-and-pop maestro

Meesseman’s most immediate impact comes through her devastating pick-and-pop game, a weapon that forces defenses into impossible decisions. According to Synergy Sports’ play data from her time overseas, Meesseman operates as a pick-and-roll partner with remarkable efficiency, posting a 1.17 points per possession (PPP) on these plays while shooting an impressive 59 percent effective field goal percentage. Of those registered possessions, over 50 percent of them are pick-and-pops.

The beauty of Meesseman’s pick-and-pop lies in her range and height. Unlike traditional bigs who struggle beyond the arc, the 6-foot-4 forward possesses the shooting mechanics and confidence to step well beyond the 3-point line, stretching defenses to their breaking point. When she sets a screen for Sabrina Ionescu or Breanna Stewart, opposing defenses face a nightmare scenario: go under the screen and allow an open midrange shot to one of the league’s best midrange shooters ever.

This dynamic transforms the Liberty’s already potent pick-and-roll attack into something nearly unstoppable. Last season, New York’s offense occasionally stagnated when defenses successfully neutralized their primary ball-handlers; we saw this in the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx, which is why Jonquel Jones was so valuable in that series. Meesseman’s presence ensures that even when the initial action is defended, the Liberty maintain a credible scoring threat that demands defensive attention and creates second and third options within the same possession.

Emma is the answer for switch defenses

In the Finals, Minnesota’s defensive strategy was simple yet effective: switch as much as possible and force New York’s stars to beat them in isolation situations. That was a problem for New York because Jones was the Liberty’s only reliable isolation scorer throughout the playoffs, creating predictable offensive patterns that Minnesota effectively exploited despite losing the series.

Meesseman’s post game changes this equation entirely. According to Synergy Sports, she ranked among the league’s most efficient post players with an astronomical 1.03 PPP. To put this in perspective, any post-up play generating over 0.9 PPP is considered elite, making Meesseman’s production truly exceptional.

This efficiency stems not only from her scoring touch, but also from her incredible footwork, body control and passing ability. When smaller defenders inevitably switch onto her in the post, Meesseman possesses the size and strength to score over them. More importantly, when help defenders rotate to prevent easy baskets, she consistently finds open teammates with jump passes and skip passes. This dual threat ability turns every post-up into a potential advantage for the Liberty, who have the outside shooters to make both options equally deadly.

The implications of Meesseman’s abilities are enormous. In crunch time situations where possessions are precious and defenses lock down, having another player who can reliably generate high-percentage looks in the post provides invaluable security. Rather than relying solely on Jones to create offense in isolation, the Liberty can now attack switching defenses from multiple angles, keeping opponents constantly off balance.

Meesseman makes NY overwhelming title favorites

Beyond individual skills, Meesseman brings the tactical flexibility that separates championship teams from talented also-rans. Her ability to play multiple positions—from center to power forward to small forward—will allow head coach Sandy Brondello to deploy various lineup combinations without sacrificing offensive firepower.

Need to go small against uptempo teams? Meesseman can slide to center and maintain post presence while adding perimeter shooting. Facing bigger, more physical opponents? She can play alongside Jones and Stewart, creating a frontcourt pairing that punishes any seismic defensive approach.

This versatility proved invaluable during her championship run with the Washington Mystics in 2019, where she served as the team’s offensive catalyst in crucial moments. Her Finals MVP performance demonstrated her ability to elevate her game when stakes are highest—exactly the type of player championship teams require.

The Liberty’s window for a title is now, especially with a potential work stoppage and more expansion drafts on the horizon. With Stewart, Ionescu and Jones playing elite basketball and a supporting cast that includes proven veterans like Natasha Cloud and the reliable young wing Leonie Fiebich, adding a player of Meesseman’s caliber and experience could be the final piece of their championship puzzle that makes them a guaranteed title favorite.

Her pick-and-pop shooting stretches defenses horizontally while her post presence creates vertical advantages—a combination that makes New York’s offense nearly fool-proof.

Despite winning last year’s Finals, the Liberty needed more than just the talent they had to guarantee a repeat; they needed the right type of talent to overcome any tactical adjustments from opponents. In Emma Meesseman, they’ve found exactly that—a player whose unique skill set transforms their only offensive weaknesses into an overwhelming strength.