Liberty see added benefit to being last WNBA team to open preseason

Natasha Cloud has watched almost every WNBA preseason game, though she missed the Dream’s 80-70 win against the Mystics on Wednesday afternoon because of practice. 

The more she watches, the more excited she gets to suit up for the Liberty for the first time. 

“I’m itching,” Cloud said. 

But Cloud and the rest of her Liberty teammates will have to wait a few more days for that to happen. 

The Liberty are scheduled to open their two-game preseason slate Friday at Barclays Center against the Connecticut Sun.

Breanna Stewart isn’t expected to play in the preseason opener as she continues to build up her workload, but should make her preseason debut Monday night when the Liberty play the Toyota Antelopes of the Women’s Japan Basketball League in Eugene, Oregon. 

The Liberty, though, are the only WNBA team that has yet to play a preseason game. 

Coach Sandy Brondello said the Liberty’s late preseason opener was not strategically planned, but rather the result of the Barclays Center schedule. 

“Sometimes it’s just out of our hands,” Brondello said. “This is the first home game that we’ve had because we’ve never been able to get the arena availability so that’s it. Ideally we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is.” 

The Liberty have been doing their best to simulate five-on-five play with their all-men practice squad. But it’s nothing compared to playing an actual game against an outside opponent. 

Jonquel Jones, though, welcomes the additional practice. She said it’s especially beneficial for the newcomers and those who are competing for some of the final roster spots. 

“It also gives the people that are trying to make a spot on the team a chance to kind of show themselves,” Jones said, “and have more practices under their wing, to get comfortable and really get into who they are individually and what they bring to the team that’s unique.” 

Cloud believes more teams should push back preseason games, citing player health concerns. 

“I can’t believe that we would ever schedule a preseason game a week [into] the training camp,” Cloud said. “It’s reckless for our bodies. Shoutout to those teams that did it, but I think we need at least a week and a half to prep for preseason. So I don’t know if that means we start earlier. I don’t know if that means they add time. We keep adding games, but we’re not extending the schedule.” 

The Liberty are set to embark on their 2024 title defense when they host the Las Vegas Aces on May 17 at Barclays Center.