New York Liberty star PG Sabrina Ionescu lit up the stat sheet this previous Sunday against the Chicago Sky, reported Joseph Zucker for Bleacher Report . Ionescu became the fourth player in WNBA history to record multiple triple-doubles, however, she was the first player to record a triple-double through three quarters. Not to mention, she’s also the youngest WNBA player ever to record several triple-double, tweeted the WNBA .
“ @sabrina_i20 is now the YOUNGEST WNBA player ever to record multiple triple-doubles”
.@sabrina_i20 is now the YOUNGEST WNBA player ever to record multiple triple-doubles 🤩👏 pic.twitter.com/cLCZrjNY9f
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 12, 2022
Ionescu’s Impact on the New York Liberty
Although they lost to the Sky, Ionescu dropped 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Ionescu was arguably one of the most hype rookies since Breanna Stewart in 2016. She was drafted in 2020 and suffered an ankle injury that held her to only three games in her rookie year. Many doubted her due to her ankle injury playing an effect into the following season. The Oregon product didn’t seem as efficient and effective as many believed she would be.
🚨 SECOND CAREER TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR SABRINA IONESCU 🚨
She's also the first player in WNBA history to record a triple-double in just 3 quarters 👏 pic.twitter.com/xQ5irdABBH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 12, 2022
It’s no secret that the New York Liberty hasn’t been great. During a seven-game losing streak that forced the Liberty to become the worst team in the WNBA Ionescu helped bend the corner. On their downfall, their biggest highlight and hope appeared in Ionescu’s style of play. This season, she’s averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Her shooting has become significantly better than it was the previous years. In 2021, she shot 32.5% from three, however, in 2022 she’s shooting 37% from three.
Rebuilding of the New York Liberty
As New York still hasn’t turned the corner fully as of yet, they still are headed in the right direction. This past offseason, they attempted to acquire Stewart the 2018 MVP, instead, she re-signed with the Seattle Storm.
“It’s great when people take you out to dinner,” Stewart said. “It was a great experience to go through the free-agency process. It was something that I think I needed to do as far as being a true free agent.
“Obviously, I knew where my heart was and what I’m comfortable in Seattle, but wanting to have the opportunity to talk to other organizations to see what they’re about and how they run things. I just felt like I would be doing a disservice to myself if I didn’t ask those questions and also to everyone else in the league.”
Ionescu’s high playing IQ and abilities on the court only make this more possible going forward. The Liberty is attempting to turn the franchise around and with Ionescu to build around they may be able to people contenders going forward.
