Even with the absences of several star players, the New York Liberty has had a scintillating start to their 2026 WNBA campaign. While Breanna Stewart has continued to sprinkle her stardust on every fixture she features in, it is the performances of Marine Johannès and Pauline Astier that have truly excited the fan base. However, when Sabrina Ionescu returns from her injury layoff, how will the roles of these two players change?
After appearing to roll her ankle during the Liberty's final preseason game against the Connecticut Sun, Sabrina Ionescu has yet to return to action. No matter how New York performs without her on the floor, it is hard to believe that the newly appointed head coach, Chris DeMarco, has any intentions of decreasing her minutes in the rotation.
In 2025, Sabrina Ionescu averaged 18.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while leading New York to the postseason, before the team fell to a 2–1 defeat to the Phoenix Mercury in their playoff series. Even though the season ended in bitter disappointment, Ionescu will undoubtedly remain a mainstay of the rotation when she returns from injury. With this being the case, how will this affect the minutes of her ever-improving teammates?
Johannès and Astier are starring in New York
While Marine Johannès and Pauline Astier may be in opposite moments of their career, both players are playing the best basketball of their careers to date. Fortunately for the New York Liberty, this rich vein of form has come at exactly the right moment, as the team looks to create momentum without several stars available -- including Ionescu.
Despite this being Johannès' fifth season in the WNBA and with the Liberty, the 31-year-old has yet to nail down a consistent starting role for the team. However, due to the injury woes the franchise is currently facing, Johannès has been presented with an opportunity she is taking full advantage of. Over two games this season, the French guard has averaged 21 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 steals, with a career-high 25 points coming in the Liberty's 98-93 victory over the Washington Mystics.
Unlike her current partner in crime, Pauline Astier is just starting her professional career, but is playing like a seasoned veteran. Astier has started both games for the Liberty this year, recording 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. The 24-year-old’s exceptional playmaking ability has created a seamless partnership alongside Johannès, with opponents still struggling to find an effective way to slow their production.
The New York Liberty have stumbled across a formidable partnership that is growing with each passing week. Nevertheless, when Sabrina Ionescu returns, she will inevitably force her way into the starting lineup, leaving question marks surrounding both Marine Johannès' and Pauline Astier's roles in the rotation. How will Chris DeMarco split the minutes of a pairing that has led New York to an unbeaten start to their 2026 campaign?
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