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New York Liberty takeaways: Han Xu shines in WNBA Barclays debut

By Erica Ayala

BROOKLYN, NY - MAY 9: Han Xu #21 of the New York Liberty warms up prior to the game against the China National Team on May 9, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Matteo Marchi/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - MAY 9: Han Xu #21 of the New York Liberty warms up prior to the game against the China National Team on May 9, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Matteo Marchi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Han Xu shines as LIberty open the 2019 season under new leadership

BROOKLYN — Thursday night, the New York Liberty returned to New York City. It wasn’t Madison Square Garden and it’s not permanent (yet?), but Liberty fans showed up to welcome Han Xu and the China National Team to New York.

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There were a few things that looked and felt different than the House that T-Spoon built. The brightness of orange and teal was traded for a Brooklyn Nets black and white. The beloved mascot Maddie didn’t jump on each letter at center court to spell “Liberty”. However, there was some of that old New York Liberty magic in Brooklyn. Here are three takeaways from the 89-71 Liberty preseason win.

Han Xu takes center stage as Team China visits Brooklyn

Despite being in the borough that Tina Charles so eloquently represented in her debut film Charlie’s Records, despite Bronx-native Bianca Cuevas-Moore having about 60 members of Gamecock Nation in the crowd, the night belonged to Han Xu.

Xu got the scoring started 23 seconds into the game and the crowd immediately erupted. She ended the game with a team-tying-high 19 points. “I thought Han was solid,” said head coach Katie Smith to open up the postgame press conference. Her versatility to score in multiple ways is something Smith noted as an important asset to the team.

There are still some things to iron out by way of comfortability with plays and communication, but Smith also wants to challenge to 19-year-old to get more physical.

For now, both the Liberty and Han Xu herself are taking away the positives. “I am very [satisfied] with my teammates, they [did] a great job,” said Han before turning things over to her translator. Han continued praise for her Liberty teammates, saying it’s been a fun and cool experience so far. She described her teammates as supportive and helpful with any questions she’s had so far.

The Liberty are FAST … again!

Kia Nurse kept pace with Xu, dropping 19 points of her own. She started at the small forward/three position with Brittany Boyd and Asia Durr holding it down in the backcourt. That is a lot of speed. With the rebounding capabilities of Charles and Xu, that could make for some exciting basketball and is very on-brand for the franchise.

BROOKLYN, NY – MAY 9: Kia Nurse #5 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the China National Team on May 9, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Matteo Marchi/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY – MAY 9: Kia Nurse #5 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the China National Team on May 9, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Matteo Marchi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

There are still questions the team will have to answer regarding its second unit. Once the team slims down to the final roster, we will know better. It will be interesting to see how players like Bria Hartley, Tanishia Wright, and Kiah Stokes are utilized in their respective positions.

Katie Smith saw a few hiccups early against their opponent, “China was physical with us, they were the aggressors, they got the 50-50 balls … we didn’t handle that well,” said the second year coach postgame. At the half, she challenged her team to adjust and was pleased with how her team withstood the early aggressive play of Team China to come away with the victory.

New owner Joe Tsai working on (re)building Liberty fanbase

It was the worst of times for Liberty fans last season. With the announcement former owner James Dolan wanted to sell, the team was shipped up to White Plains where they averaged 2,823 fans. Last night, 4,115 fans cheered on the WNBA founding franchise.

“Where they’re playing now in Westchester County is not ideal, because the size of the venue is limited by about 3,000 seats,” said Tsai in a press conference before tip-off on Thursday night. Tsai is aware the location also poses a problem to fans. Tsai said he is looking into all opportunities, including the Liberty playing more games at Barclays.

The main focus for Tsai is growing the fanbase. The Liberty averaged over 7,700 fans in 2017. With a new owner committed to the team and a viable option for fans and the future of the franchise, can the Liberty return to New York City by 2020?

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