The last time the Connecticut Sun faced the defending champions, they suffered a crushing 100-52 loss. The rematch looked quite different. Connecticut got an impressive 78-62 win over the struggling Liberty. New York had to play the game without Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke, and Nyara Sabally. Those injuries have hurt the Liberty, leading to four consecutive losses.
Marina Mabrey credited one of her rookie teammates with changing the way the Sun play. Leila Lacan didn’t play in the first game. She only joined the Sun after playing with the French national team in EuroBasket.
“Leila [Lacan] brings toughness and energy,” Mabrey said in the postgame press conference. “She brings a lot of things, but I’m going to start with the toughness and energy that we really needed. She’s locking up on defense, she’s making people frustrated, getting steals, putting pressure on the rim consistently…And then just her willingness to share the ball and get other people involved.”
It is rare for a 21-year-old rookie, who comes off the bench and wasn’t a lottery pick, to be the kind of difference-maker that helps the worst team in the league beat the defending champions, but Lacan has been great for the Sun.
Leila Lacan played well against the Liberty
Several Sun players had big games against the Liberty. Marina Mabrey came close to a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block. Olivia Nelson-Ododa was a big presence in the paint, finishing the game with 16 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three huge blocks. Jack Sheldon played stifling defense on Sabrina Ionescu.
Leila Lacan, who just played her eighth game with the Sun, recorded 16 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 23 minutes off the bench. She was a big presence on both ends of the floor and worked incredibly efficiently. She drained both of her 3-point attempts and only missed two shots all game long.
Leila Lacan doesn’t look like a typical rookie
Even though she has spent little time with the Sun compared to the rest of the roster, Leila Lacan has been a revelation. Her impact on the team has been immense.
When Lacan is on the court, the Sun’s offensive rating improves by 4.8. The defensive rating goes from 114.3 with Lacan on the bench to 95.2 when she is on the court. The Sun are still losing a lot, but they are a lot more competitive when Lacan is on the court. Lacan doesn’t look like a typical rookie and the reason for that is simple. She played professionally in France and competed in three international competitions before coming to the WNBA.
Lacan’s positive impact so early in her career bodes well for the Sun’s future. Between her, Saniya Rivers, Aneesha Morrow, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Jacy Sheldon, the Sun have an interesting young core.