WNBA Power Rankings: New York knows it's not time to panic

WNBA Power Rankings: New York knows it’s not time to panic

July 8, 2025

in WNBA

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The New York Liberty were 9-0 and appeared to be soaring as the WNBA’s defending champions. But back on June 10, issues were bubbling.

Forward Leonie Fiebich had just played her last Liberty game for a couple of weeks as she headed to the EuroBasket tournament with Germany. Five days earlier, center Jonquel Jones had suffered an ankle injury that later would be further aggravated,costing her nine games so far this season.

Now, nearly a month later, the Liberty are 12-6 and have struggled to play consistently, for obvious reasons. With Jones — the 2024 WNBA Finals MVP — out and Fiebich just getting back into the swing of things with New York, this team is not the same one that started the season so hot.

As the Liberty prepare to host the Las Vegas Aces — a team that has been more up and down this season than New York — on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), Jones is out again and forward Isabelle Harrison (knee) is questionable. After Sunday’s 79-70 home loss to the Seattle Storm, New York coach Sandy Brondello saidthe Liberty are struggling without Jones’ inside presence to combat opponents switching so effectively against them.

“We’ve been switched on a lot this year,” Brondello said. “As long as we have good spacing and then confidence, [we’re OK]. I think our confidence went away.”

But New York is keeping things in perspective. Counting Tuesday’s contest, the Liberty have three games left before the All-Star Game, for which forward Breanna Stewart and guard Sabrina Ionescu were voted as starters. The Liberty aren’t even halfway through their schedule and hope Jones can return after the All-Star break.

“I think the team morale is great,” Ionescu said. “I wouldn’t say that a win or a loss has really divided the locker room or even really put any type of bump in the road between us. We understand the pieces we’ve had missing. We understand the games we’ve lost and how we’ve lost them.

“It’s not about pointing fingers, people [being] out or in, lineups we haven’t seen, defenses we haven’t seen. It’s just about understanding we’ve got to find a way to get a win.”