If Breanna Stewart doesn’t take the court tomorrow, New York might be in trouble. Not for the first round, maybe not even for the second, but they’re not gonna win a championship without Stewie on the court. But what’s happening with the six-foot-four center? Well, we’re not sure exactly. The Liberty staff isn’t being forthcoming about the specifics, but we know it’s never a good sign when the head coach, while talking about her star’s injury, says, “Your guess is just as good as mine.”
In a post-practice media availability, NY head coach Sandy Brondello was rather cryptic about the status of her All-Star talent. “[Breanna Stewart] didn’t participate today [in practice], and it’s gonna be a game-time decision.” She said, assuring reporters that the team will “see how she feels tomorrow,” and will give the star “as much time as we need.” But coach Sandy also said something rather peculiar. Stewart had gone in for an MRI scan after the game, and no one’s letting loose on the results.
After all, saying that the scans were “relatively clean” doesn’t help any of us get the bigger picture! In fact, analysts are also starting to point this out. On the CBS’ We Need To Talk podcast, Erica Ayala had a few important questions for the New York Liberty. “What does ‘relatively’ mean? And if it’s only relatively clean, does that mean she’s also relatively healthy? And if she’s only relatively healthy, is it worth it?” she asked, and honestly? That’s a fair question.
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New York is in a precarious position right now, coming into the playoffs as the defending champions, but also as the fifth seed. However, as per the recent update, Breanna Stewart’s status was updated to game-time decision for Wednesday’s Game 2 of the Liberty’s best-of-three first-round playoff series against the Mercury. At first glance, there’s room for optimism, as it doesn’t immediately appear to be a serious setback. But as with any injury, things can evolve.
Fan concerns only deepened on Tuesday when Breanna Stewart appeared with a gray sleeve on her left leg, skipped practice, and was unavailable to reporters. The concern comes with context. Earlier this season, Stewart missed 13 games because of a bone bruise in her other knee. She also underwent a cleanup procedure on her right knee back in March, just before the WNBA season tipped off. So, is it worth putting Stewart at risk? According to Ayala, it isn’t.
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“And from my perspective, and we talked about this with Caitlin Clark throughout the season, the health, overall health of a player like Breanna Stewart for New York, for the WNBA, for women’s basketball is not worth it to push it,” she said.
At its core, this is a cost-benefit analysis for the Liberty. Do you risk it and play Breanna Stewart even if she’s not 100%? Will there be immediate repercussions if Stewie doesn’t take the court tomorrow?
What will New York look like without Breanna Stewart?
Let’s get one thing clear: Even though having Breanna Stewart is always a blessing, the Liberty is still STACKED without her! I mean, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Natasha Cloud? That’s basically an All-Star lineup right there. And to be fair, running your entire offense through one person just doesn’t work in the playoffs because of the intensive preparation and scouting. So even though the status of Stewart is currently uncertain, it’s not panic stations for the New York Liberty just yet.
What Breanna Stewart’s potential absence will expose, however, is the Liberty’s frontcourt depth. Sandy Brondello plays a shorter bench–that’s a fact–and slotting in someone else will disrupt her flow. Outside of the playing rotation, Brondello has Nyara Sabally, Isabelle Harrison, and Stephanie Talbot to work with.
From what we can see, she’ll likely bring Kennedy Burke up to the starting lineup. Isabelle Harrison, on the other hand, might get a lucky break off the bench! Obviously, none of these players is a one-to-one replacement for Stewart; no one is. However, bringing in Burke and Harrison will definitely help solidify New York’s paint presence in a frontcourt-dominated game.
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It’s not gonna be easy for New York any which way. Just take a look at Mercury’s frontcourt: Satou Sabally, Natasha Mack, and Alyssa Thomas. Having Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones evened the tides for the Liberty, but there’s going to be a certain confidence boost to Phoenix if she does happen to miss Game 2. All in all, this injury might not be significant as of now, but it will fundamentally change the way New York approaches this matchup.