With Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty Have a Much-Needed Chance to ‘Reset’

The way they intend to play, as Hopkins made clear at his introductory news conference in January, more closely resembles the modern offenses of the most successful teams today. The Mystics and the Seattle Storm, the past two champions, have been among the league leaders in 3-pointers attempted and made, and Hopkins believes in scoring primarily at the rim or beyond the arc.

That’s where Ionescu could come in. Last year’s point guards, Brittany Boyd and Tanisha Wright, finished first and second in the league in turnover percentage, and by a wide margin. Ionescu, meanwhile, averaged just 2.8 turnovers per game in her four seasons at Oregon and led N.C.A.A. Division I with 9.1 assists per game. That’ll mean more open 3s when Ionescu finds her teammates, and fewer live-ball turnovers leading to easy baskets for the other team.

But there’s an element well beyond Ionescu’s on-court fit that makes her the no-brainer pick for the team as well, and that is her star power. The Liberty have drifted in and out of the spotlight over the past decade, and this was never clearer than in the past two years. They were playing in Westchester County, outside New York City, amid a pair of losing seasons after three straight Eastern Conference regular-season titles and playoff appearances from 2015 to 2017.

But Ionescu, with a forceful off-court presence to match her relentless on-court game, commands attention in a way few W.N.B.A. prospects have. Combine that profile with a cultural moment of increased focus on women’s sports, and the Liberty have an opportunity to hitch the franchise’s wagon to an authentic change agent.

“I think, to me, she’s a perfect fit for New York,” said Rebecca Lobo, an ESPN analyst and former Liberty star. “The New York fan base is just a little bit different. Even 20-plus years ago when I was there, you could be walking through Central Park and people would start talking to you about basketball.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/sports/basketball/liberty-wnba-draft-sabrina-ionescu.html