The Liberty have made some big moves in the offseason, including bringing in veteran All-Stars Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot and Jonquel Jones to go along with rising stars Sabrina Ionescu, Marine Johannes and the league’s tallest player, Han Xu.
The Liberty’s biggest question mark is their defense. New York surrendered the fifth most points in the league and they will need to shore that up a bit so they can take advantage of their newly retooled offense.
Here is a more detailed look at the Liberty’s roster and their strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths:
- Sabrina Ionescu: The Liberty’s franchise player, Ionescu is a dynamic playmaker and scorer. She averaged 12.7 points and 6.1 assists per game in her rookie season, and she is only going to get better.
- Courtney Vandersloot: The 4-time all-star was acquired in the offseason and averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 dimes last season for Chicago.
- Betnijah Laney: A two-time All-Star, Laney is a versatile scorer and rebounder. She averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season, and she is a great addition to the Liberty’s frontcourt.
- Breanna Stewart: Stewart was also acquired in the offseason and averaged 9.0 points with seven caroms and five helpers last season for Seattle.
- Jonquel Jones: Jones is a good three-point shooter and defender who will give the Liberty another knock-down shooter and rebounder.
Weaknesses:
- Offensive rebounds: The Liberty finished 2022 near the bottom of the offensive rebound chart but the addition of Jones and Stewart should help change that.
- Field Goal Percentage: The Liberty were a horrible shooting team last season but they brought in some serious shooting talent and should be better than 43%.
- Turnovers: New York averaged a ninth-best 14.6 turnovers per game last season. The addition of Vandersloot should help improve this number in 2023.
Overall Outlook
The Liberty could go all the way this season but that will depend upon how quickly the new faces integrate with the remaining members of one season ago. Ionescu is going to be one of the very best in the league and vets like Stewart, Vandersloot and Jones will support Ionescu in the scoring duties while providing veteran leadership on the defensive end of the hardwood.
New York was 11th in the league at getting to the charity stripe in 2022 but Stewart and Jones will surely fix that. The defense will improve and with the improved offense the Liberty could return to the playoffs in 2023.
WNBA Betting Tips
Like wagering on any sport, the WNBA has its own special nuances but here are a few general sports betting tips to maybe win more bets.
- Line Shopping: The WNBA is a league where an injury or lineup change can affect the odds in sometimes crazy ways. Not every NJ sportsbook is as quick to move the lines as others are and this is where you can sometimes find some real value. You must open as many accounts as you can and by using one of the free or paid odd screens available will help find value where ordinarily you might not.
- Bankroll Management: Having the discipline to manage their bankroll is what separates the pros from most amateurs. Typically, you only want to risk 1-4% of your bankroll on any one bet and never wager more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
- Follow the Beat Writers: Successful sports bettors know how to find information and no one will inform you better about a WNBA team than the beat writers. You can find them on Twitter and most of the beat writers are friendly and willing to answer questions about the team.
