The WNBA semifinals are here, and the New York Liberty have unfinished business. In order for them to make it back to the Finals, they have to go through the reigning, back-to-back champions. And most importantly, the team that broke their hearts last October in Brooklyn. The Las Vegas Aces have started to figure things out in recent weeks and are looking as dangerous as ever. In this Finals rematch, what are some keys to keep a close eye on? Let’s get to it!
Can the Liberty score in transition?
On the season, the Liberty led the WNBA in fastbreak points at 12.5 points per game. When New York is able to get out in transition, they find easier baskets, don’t have to create offense against a set defense, and especially at home, give the Barclays Center crowd more reasons to turn up.
“We couldn’t get out and get some easy baskets as we usually do,” Sandy Brondello said after the win against the Aces on September 8th. In that contest, the Liberty tied a season low of four fastbreak points. The Liberty were rarely able to get out and run as Vegas made it a point to ignore the offensive glass and get back on defense after every possession.
For New York, they’ll need to push the tempo whenever they can so they can find easy buckets. The Aces take excellent care of the ball and won’t make that many mistakes. Sandy Brondello’s team will have to try and find
Can Jackie Young regain her rhythm?
It’s been a bit under discussed when talking about the Aces, but Jackie Young has been in an extended slump. Since the All Star x Olympics break, JO has only shot .386/.324/.933 in 31 minutes a game. For years, Young has been a midrange assassin as she’s been able to punish defenders with a myriad of pull up jumpers. Since the break, Young has only shot 31.8 percent from the midrange area. Scoring has been harder for the Gold Medalist and multi time All Star since the break as her shot hasn’t been where it normally is
Two things stand out. In the first clip, we see Kennedy Burke helping off of Kiah Stokes as Young drives to the basket and rises to shoot. For her career, Stokes is a 22.1 percent shooter from three point range. This season, she is at 22.5 percent from deep. Relatively speaking, she’s a bit better shooting threes from the corners. However, when she’s above the break, that number drops to just 16.7 percent. The Liberty have made it a point to ignore Stokes on offense, and we’ll see if they push that to its absolute maximum.
In both clips, we see Sabrina Ionescu guarding Young. Throughout her career, Sab has gotten knocked for not being the best defender. She’s worked hard to improve on that end and will be tested throughout this series. Struggles or not, Young is still a dynamic player who can carry an offense for an extended period. If Ionescu is able to credibly hang with Young, it will allow the Liberty to shore up the weakest spot in their defense. It gives them room to put their better defenders like Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich on Aces stars like Kelsey Plum, Tiffany Hayes, and Chelsea Gray. And perhaps most importantly, Breanna Stewart will be able to wreak havoc all over the court. That will come in handy next.
Will Jonquel Jones be able to own the paint?
A’ja Wilson is authoring one of the greatest seasons in basketball history. She led the league in scoring and blocks and was top five in
- rebounds
- steals
- double-doubles
In addition to being automatic at the rim and at the elbows, Wilson has continued to stretch her game out to the three point line. Even against the best defenders, A’ja has been able to control the game and dominate every time she’s on the court.
Put that all together and you have the second unanimous MVP vote in WNBA history. Wilson has been sensational and her singular greatness will push the game of basketball to higher heights. To make it back to the Finals, Wilson will have to go through the best frontcourt duo in the league.
When Jonquel Jones gets a double-double, the Liberty are undefeated. JJ’s ability to stretch the floor, score in the post, move the ball around, etc. takes the Liberty from a great team to one that is truly special. In this matchup, Jonquel’s defense will be absolutely essential.
On the season, the Liberty held teams to just 59.3 percent inside the restricted area, second best in the league. They also were the league’s best rebounding team. Jones is instrumental to both as she finished 2024 top ten in both blocks and rebounds. Against the Aces, she’ll draw the primary assignment against the M’VP. Jones will need to avoid foul trouble and will be trusted to defend Wilson individually
The Aces have been able to get Wilson buckets on the move to counter a set defense. If Jones needs help, the Liberty have more than enough great defenders to chip in and bother Wilson.
We mentioned Kiah Stokes and Breanna Stewart in the last section, and here is where Stewie’s impact will be most felt. Stewart is one of the great help defenders in basketball history and her ability to disrupt an opponent’s offense is second to none.
“I think we’ve been much more aggressive,” Betnijah Laney-Hamilton told The Local W about the team’s recent defensive play. “We’re not on our backfoot. We’re trying to dictate more than we’re being responsive to whatever [the opponent] is doing. So I think us staying aggressive, us being able to dictate what we want them to do and making them react to us as opposed to the other way around has really helped us.”
If Jones, Stewart, and the Liberty are able to control the tempo of the game,
Can the Aces dial it up one more time?
Every champion knows how to get that one last push of energy to make it to the top. We saw it in Game 4 last year in Brooklyn. In their quest to stay on top this year, the Aces have had to expend a LOT of energy. A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum played career high minutes per game and were key cogs of Team USA’s Gold Medal team in Paris. Alysha Clark played the most minutes of her career and crossed the 900 minutes plateau for the first time since 2016 and 2017 when she was a member of the Seattle Storm.
Off the court, the team is back in court and back under the eye of the league office. It’s been a stressful 2024 for the team as they have to defend their title and their reputations. The Aces are a determined squad, and as A’ja Wilson noted, their eyes are still on the prize:
“So when it comes to just fighting through little things, making sure we’re all on the same page, and keeping the main thing the main thing, I think that’s something that has really stuck out to me throughout this start of the playoffs for us.”
Champions have to be respected when they’re this close to the title. The Las Vegas Aces have met every challenge in front of them during this championship run. With the best player in the league leading the way, they feel confident every time they step on the floor. With this being the first time they’ve started a playoff series on the road since 2019, they’re going to need every bit of magic left to make it to the Finals.
The New York Liberty have been building to this moment. They’ve been the best team in 2024 and have the best fans in the game. With a better roster, homecourt advantage, and a desire to complete unfinished business, the time is now. If they want to make it back to the Finals, they’ll have to go through a title team that’s on all time run. They have more than enough to win. Now it’s time to make it happen.