Liberty Hope for Smooth Sailing After July 26th Injury Scare with Breanna Stewart
Alright, folks, if you’re up-to-date with WNBA action, you know Breanna Stewart gave Liberty fans a serious heart-stopping moment this past weekend. For about 3 minutes and 27 seconds into their game against the Sparks, everything seemed chill. And then bam! Stewart’s right leg decided it needed some, uh, extra attention. Needless to say, the Liberty’s star All-Star forward had to exit stage left early, leaving fans biting their nails (or grabbing stress balls, whichever floats their boat).
First things first, here’s the big phew of the hour. The imaging results are in, and the verdict? No catastrophic tears, breaks, or anything else that could make you scream into your coffee. That’s right, she avoided a significant injury. Queue the sigh of relief not just from Liberty fans, but likely from the team’s medical staff who really don’t need more work this season. Don’t blame ‘em.
Breanna Stewart’s Stats? Steady MVP Material
Here’s why this injury scare practically had Liberty diehards ready to flip every table in a 20-mile radius. Stewart isn’t just good. She’s MVP good. The kind of good where she’s putting up 19 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4 assists on average this season. (No biggie, right?) She’s played hard for the No. 2 team in the league and hasn’t sat out a single game this season. No fatigue. No slacking. Just pure, unfiltered dominance.
Fast forward to Saturday’s matchup against the Sparks and…cue the “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” energy as the presumed juggernaut had to leave early. It wasn’t good vibes, folks. Watching her hobble off to the locker room was like watching your favorite phone hit the pavement screen-first. Just that gut punch of dread. Even coach Sandy Brondello, typically the picture of calm, didn’t have much to say besides, “No update, hopefully she’ll be OK.” Translation? Yeah, they were sweating buckets too.
Liberty’s Roadmap Without Their Anchor
Now, Stewart’s gearing up for some recovery time, which means the Liberty will have to fend for themselves for a bit. Cue Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud, who brought all the spice in the fourth quarter of that Sparks game but still ended up losing 101-99. Sabrina dropped 30, by the way. Not too shabby, but replacing Stewart’s weight? That’s an Everest-level task.
Depth-wise, the team’s juggling backup options like Stephanie Talbot and potentially Emma Meesseman, who’s conveniently got trophies for days (because hey, 2019 WNBA Finals MVP doesn’t just appear on résumés by accident). Still, while the reinforcements are nice and shiny, how do you replicate Stewart’s mix of offensive gravitational pull and All-Defensive First Team vibes? Spoiler: You don’t, really.
Defensive Complications…Oh Boy
If you’re wondering how things went south on the defensive end? Blame the extraordinary amount of open looks the Sparks had. Listen, L.A. sank ten triples in the first half! Like, who was guarding the three-point line? A ghost? To make matters worse, when the Liberty adjusted, the Sparks said, “Cool, we’ll just live in the paint instead.” Thirty-two of their second-half points came inside. Painful, right? Jonquel Jones put it bluntly post-game, remarking how they needed to “set the tone early” and not just snap into action once the other team’s got momentum like it’s NBA Jam.
Broader Implications Ahead
The next weeks will say a lot about the Liberty. They’re about to face some well-outside-the-playoff-pic Dallas Wings on the road, which could (and should) give them some breathing room. That said, the highlight of their upcoming schedule is the WNBA Finals rematch against the Lynx. With Stewart potentially out, consider this matchup both a challenge and a litmus test.
Leonie Fiebich, interestingly, called out a key point: Stewart isn’t just defensive royalty because she can swat shots. She holds the floor layer-by-layer, defending guards or bigs like a Swiss Army knife. Going up against marquee-punch teams could spotlight just how much of a lift the Liberty’s to pull off here will be minus that tool.
Closing Thoughts
At this stage, what Liberty fans should be hoping for isn’t just wins (duh), but for the team to prove they’re more than Stewart-dependent. Injuries are part of the game, sure, but championship squads thrive regardless of absences. Still, there’s no sugarcoating it. For now, Breanna Stewart’s absence is a colossal boulder dropped into the Liberty’s boat. Here’s hoping it doesn’t sink before she’s ready to climb back aboard.
