Your 2025 New York Liberty Season Preview

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WNBA season is upon us! A lot has happened this offseason, so I’ve put together some quick and handy guides for every team to help you start the season off right! Planning to go to a game? My sponsor, Turn The Paige Travel, has got all of your travel needs covered! Let’s talk hoops!

What’s New

Well, they’re defending champions for the first time in franchise history. That’s new. As far as the roster is concerned, they lost Kayla Thornton in the expansion draft and Courtney Vandersloot in free agency. The big additions are Natasha Cloud, Isabelle Harrison, and the return of the always-exciting Marine Johannes.

What’s Good

Obviously, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu are one hell of a big 3. Stewie has been one of the best in the game for so long that you find yourself waiting for her to lose a step until you remember, “Oh, she’s only 30.” The Liberty did not start living up to their superteam potential until Jonquel got comfortable in the system. This speaks to how important she is to what they do. She was their most consistent performer in the Finals and has the Finals MVP trophy to prove it. As easy as it can be to focus on Sabrina’s weaknesses, she’s great at what she can do and did a hell of a job expanding her game. She carried the team during Stewie’s slow start.

Last season, Ionescu also took on more PG responsibilities to ease the burden on an aging Sloot. While she’s certainly capable as a playmaker on the offensive end, defense was a much different story. Enter the dynamic Cloud. She will slide right in and take on the assignment of guarding the opposing team’s point guard, which was the Liberty’s biggest concern last season. She is also more than capable of running the point herself or playing off the ball, as Ionescu handles those duties. With the Big 3 handling the bulk of the scoring duties, I would expect Cloud’s scoring to go down, but efficiency to rise.

What Could Go Wrong

As important as their Big 3 is, what took the Liberty over the top were their role players. They were dealt a huge blow by losing Thornton to the expansion Valkyries, and things only got worse when it was announced that Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will be missing the entire season due to a knee injury. Laney-Hamilton fills in all of the gaps that make a good team a championship one, and I’m not sure who on this roster can replace that.

What To Expect

Sandy Brondello’s squad is talented and battle-tested after two adversity-filled postseason runs. Stewie and Sab will be eager to return to the finals and make us forget how they looked in that deciding game. However, there are going to be plenty of obstacles in the way. They certainly have the top-end talent to win 30+ games for the 3rd straight year and repeat as champions. Without a move to add depth, they will only pull off the former.

Thank you for checking this guide out! Don’t forget to read up on all the other teams as well. Also, do you need to know which sporting events to watch each week? Subscribe to get my weekly sports watch guide! I hit you with what you need to watch, why you need to watch it, and some interesting stories from the sports world that you may have missed!