In a lot of ways, 2024 was the perfect season for Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty. They cruised to the best record in the WNBA before advancing through the postseason en route to a championship. Sure, there were some issues along the way, but for the most part, almost everything went right for the team. There is one specific area of Stewart's game that could be problematic in 2025, though.
Breanna Stewart's three-point shooting
Stewart and the Liberty recently agreed to a new contract for the 2025 season. The Liberty star finished third in WNBA MVP voting a season ago after she earned the award in 2023. Now a two-time MVP, as well as a championship winner, why is there reason for concern?
For Stewart's career, she has shot 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. Before the 2024 season, Stewart's lowest three-point shooting percentage recorded in a single season was 33.6, a mark she finished 2021 with. That changed in 2024, however.
Breanna Stewart shot just 29.5 percent on her long-range attempts last year. Her 4.1 attempts per outing was her lowest mark since 2017, when she averaged 4.0 three-point attempts per game. It is worth mentioning that Stewart shot 35.5 percent while recording a career-high 5.8 attempts from deep per game in 2023.
What happened last season? Was it a lack of confidence from deep? Did defenses simply make a necessary adjustment? Was there a change of gameplan from the Liberty?
Liberty's 2024 three-point shooting approach
It is difficult to completely find the reason, but Sabrina Ionescu took the most three-point attempts of her career in 2024, finishing the season with a mark of 8.4 per game. The Liberty clearly wanted to place the emphasis on Ionescu taking more shots from deep, and perhaps they felt that Stewart should get more looks inside the three-point line. That is only speculation, however.
There is some evidence to support our speculation, though. Stewart's 11.1 two-point attempts per contest was her second-highest mark in a single season. Her highest mark, though, came in 2023. Stewat was unquestionably the primary focal point of the offense during the '23 campaign. The Liberty might have wanted to add further balance this past year.
Jonquel Jones also recorded her most three-point attempts per game (3.9) since 2021 (4.3). Leonie Fiebich and Kayla Thornton both added 3.2 three-point attempts per outing, while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton contributed 3.6 three-point attempts per game.
Is Stewart's three-point shooting decline a concern?
If the Liberty wanted more three-point shooting balance -- again, that is only speculation -- their possible plan worked as the team won the WNBA Finals. In today's game, though, having a forward such as Stewart who can consistently knock down long-range shots is important. The lack of attempts isn't the concern here, rather it was Stewart's decline in efficiency.
She could certainly bounce back in 2025. After all, Stewart is one of the best players in the game. If her difficult three-point campaign begins a trend of underwhelming shooting, however, then it will become a true concern.
Breanna Stewart's three-point shooting will be worth closely monitoring throughout the '25 campaign.