The New York Liberty may have had a somewhat shaky start to the WNBA season — dropping their first game — but they have recovered nicely as we approach the halfway point of the season. With a record of 13-4 on the season, the Liberty sit in the second overall spot in the WNBA standings. Though they are in a constant fight with the Connecticut Sun for those two and three spots, they have cemented their place in the top tier with the Sun and the Las Vegas Aces.
There was a lot of talk about the Aces and the Liberty at the beginning of the season, and these two teams continue to prove they are two different brands of excellence. While the Liberty certainly aren’t on the Aces’ level yet overall, they have proved over the course of the season so far that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Yet, they are in this spot particularly because of one player — Breanna Stewart.
Now, I don’t want to discredit the efforts of the rest of the team. All three of Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu made the 2023 WNBA All-Star roster. Betnijah Laney, Marine Johannès and Jonquel Jones are essential pieces. Kayla Thornton has been an incredible bench player.
But, time and time again, Stewart is this team’s IT factor.
She’s undeniably putting together a…
