WNBA regular season is at the midpoint. The Seattle Storm, three-time WNBA Champions, sit atop the standings with the emerging Las Vegas Aces in second. At the bottom sits the New York Liberty, which is playing with energy and purpose, but still losing, including a 94–64 thrashing by the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday, Aug. 15.
The team’s rookies are actually playing well. In the game against the Lynx, Jazmine Jones led the offense with 13 points. Leaonna Odom had eight points, Kylee Shook nine, Jocelyn Willoughby and Megan Walker six each and Joyner Holmes two.
“We just need to calm down and find each other on open looks,” said Shook. “It’s all coming around, but we are a young group, so some days it’s easier and some days it’s harder. Today was definitely a harder day for us.”
Despite a brief injury-related pause, Shook’s minutes have been on the rise. She said the coaching staff is looking for her to be aggressive and get stops on the defensive end and contribute on the offensive end with rebounding.
“I know I have to be strong and make a presence on both ends,” said Shook. “I am a rookie and I do have a lot of good vets in my position in front of me, so the minutes I get, I know I have to match them on their energy and what they’re doing on and off the court.”
The only veteran post players on the team are Kiah Stokes and Amanda Zahui B. All the other post players are also rookies. This is a team built around top draft pick Sabrina Ionescu, who is currently out with a sprained ankle. Even when she is better, she will need to spend time quarantined when she returns to the wubble.
This team is without a deep veteran presence—even head coach Walt Hopkins is a rookie—and the players are trying to build cohesion and chemistry without the designated epicenter. Jones said the team simply has to get better in practice and translate that to games. Unfortunately, practice time in the wubble is limited, so for now practice includes games.
“We lost four quarters tonight,” said Hopkins. “We need to be tougher. We need to start games with some heart. I’d say that would be a really good start for us.”