RebKell's Junkie Boards

[Shades]

Brooklyn, NY - 7:00 PM ET
TV: MYLVTV

Video stream:
https://mylvtv.com/live
https://watchyesnetwork.com/

League Pass:
https://leaguepass.wnba.com/live/213708/las-vegas-aces--new-york-liberty

Game page:
https://www.wnba.com/game/20220712/LVANYL/

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Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned

[NYSports56]

I think the Aces are going to pay the Liberty back in spades for last week's shootout.

[myrtle]

NY having trouble buying a basket.

[myrtle]

A'ja really playing like an MVP this year. She's expanded her game nicely. Much less predictable offensively.

[myrtle]

I love Plum's bounce when she's dribbling. It's a bit like Sue Bird used to do.

[myrtle]

i think NY just needs to pretend it's the end of the game way earlier, and just turn Sabrina loose.

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

That was one of the strangest games I’ve ever seen.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.

[NYL_WNBA_FAN]

One thing the Liberty need to fix in 2023 is the free throw disparity they’re up against. I’m going to save any diatribes against whatever I think about the officiating and just strictly focus on what they can do personnel-wise to fix it. The Liberty lead the league in percentage of points scored from 3, so clearly there’s the element in which they simply shoot a ton of 3s…which they are very inconsistent at making this season. There’s also a reward from officiating that comes from getting a step or two on the defense. Which is something that an A’ja Wilson excels at and something the Liberty really struggle with from a defensive standpoint at times. While being -6.1 per game in free throws is frustrating, and while a handful of calls are just guesses or reputation or whatever, there’s also a largely self-inflicted element too.

Sabrina gets beaten off the dribble at times. So does Sami. Johannes gets outmuscled at times. Sab and JoJo are pretty high IQ most of the time, though Sami does head-scratching things at times on defense. DiDi is ok but she’s inconsistent and her offense hurts the team at times. Plus she, Sabrina and Johannes are relatively inexperienced and all 3 are prone to being up and down from an execution standpoint. Then there’s Dolson and Han. Dolson has grown on me. She’s professional, plays with energy and is a very smart defensive player. But, she’s slow and fouls often. Han is also often a step or two late to help, which sometimes results in fouls. Howard is undersized and aggressive and often has to guard the other team’s best offensive player one-on-one. Which is a tall task. But the Liberty are generally a slow defensive team so what do you do? Do you double Wilson aggressively or do you do it in spurts? Doubling means the Liberty have to help and rotate and recover. Something they’re not really built to do without Laney and Willoughby.

Looking at all this I think a primary focus for NY in 2023 has to be cutting this free throw disparity. As of now the Liberty are a lottery team. In my view, Boston, Haley Jones and Owusu are going to be lottery picks. As will Bueckers if she declares. All 4 would likely be instrumental in helping the Liberty improve their offensive FTA. Jones and Boston would also be instrumental in helping to prevent them on defense. I know Jones is going to have some questions coming out but she’s one of those slashing all-around players who shoots at a high free throw percentage. Players who do that typically learn to shoot the three-ball well enough to be competitive from outside. And she has all the other requisite skills. If you factor in the potential of improved 3-point shooting, you might be getting a Tamika Catchings type of player. And I think the wider-spaced pro game is built for Jones, who is too big, versatile and athletic to handle 1-on-1.

If Stewie is available as a UFA, that would be a huge help as she is a very solid defender without fouling and Seattle allows fewer FTA per game than any team. Also, that would help the Liberty be a winning team and probably get some reputation calls.

Also teams shoot .835 from the line vs. NY, the highest % vs. any team.

Finally for 2022, another portion of it is who’s available. The Liberty just returned Bec and were without all their true SFs except Onyenwere who plays more 4 than 3. And DiDi, who shoots 30% from the field. So another question is if the Libs have Laney and Willoughby can they cut into the free throw disparity? I’m really not sure but I do know that matching up to Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young with what we’re putting out there right now is pretty difficult defensively. They’re just too big and skilled. And that’s not even including Wilson and Plum, who are each playing at an MVP level. How do you defend that with what NY is putting out there now? And does bringing Laney back in itself help that disparity in a way that truly matters? I honestly don’t know. But she also hasn’t been healthy in over a year so maybe we haven’t had an ideal gauge of what NY might be if she is healthy.

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The poster formerly known as LibWNBAFan.