Several teams are currently playing without their biggest stars. Napheesa Collier is out for the Lynx, Fever star Caitlin Clark is still sidelined with a groin injury, the Sky are struggling to stay afloat without Angel Reese, Golden State lost Kayla Thornton to a knee injury, and Breanna Stewart hasn’t been able to suit up for the Liberty since late July as she is dealing with a bone bruise in her knee.
Losing Stewart wasn’t the only adversity the Liberty had to deal with. Kennedy Burke missed significant time, Nyara Sabally is still out, and they had to incorporate Emma Meesseman into the system with little practice time. The Liberty lost a string of games and their previously secure number-two seed.
Stewart’s return is imminent, though. On No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, Ben Pickman proposed a potential return date in the near future—August 25, when the Liberty host the league-worst Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center. Playing at home against a weak team would be a convenient opportunity to ease Stewart back into the rotation. It would also spoil two thrilling playoff previews, though. Before the matchup against the Sun, the Liberty will face the Lynx and Dream—the two top teams in the league at the moment. A playoff series between the Liberty and Dream or Lynx would undoubtedly be one of the most thrilling postseason matchups.
The Liberty haven’t played the Dream and Lynx at full force yet
The Liberty have faced the Dream and Lynx three times each, winning two games against Atlanta and losing all three against Minnesota. Atlanta hasn’t seen a Liberty team featuring Emma Meesseman yet. In the second meeting between the two teams, which Atlanta won, New York also played without Leonie Fiebich. The third game was played without Jonquel Jones and Rhyne Howard.
Likewise, the Liberty and Lynx haven’t faced each other with complete rosters yet. DiJonai Carrington wasn’t with the Lynx yet when the two teams met for the first time. The same goes for Emma Meesseman, and Stewart, Burke, and Sabally also had to miss that game. The second time around, Carrington and Meesseman were established parts of their teams’ rotations, but Collier, Stewart, Burke, and Sabally all missed the game. Burke returned for the third matchup, but the others were still out.
If Stewart returns in the Connecticut game, she will miss the final chance of playing the Lynx and Dream in the regular season, meaning that New York will not have faced either team at full strength this season before potentially meeting at least one of them in the playoffs.