The New York Liberty entered the 2025 season with a target on their back and some injury trouble. Breanna Stewart underwent knee surgery before the start of the season, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ruled out for the entire season with a knee injury of her own. Nevertheless, the Liberty got off to a great start.
They won nine straight games to start the season, making it clear that they wouldn’t let anyone dethrone them without a fight. Since then, the Liberty have lost two games, one to the Fever and one to the Mercury. They still sit in second place in the regular-season standings.
No challenge has truly fazed the Liberty yet, but that may change soon. Jonquel Jones will miss at least four weeks with an ankle sprain. Without the former MVP and little center depth behind her, the Liberty will have to face their toughest challenge yet.
Jonquel Jones is a big part of the Liberty’s success
Jonquel Jones is the Liberty’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder. Her size and skill in the paint allow the Liberty to outplay smaller teams or opponents whose bigs aren’t quite as talented as Jones. It is no coincidence that the Liberty lost their first game of the season when Jones had to sit out against the Indiana Fever. She also only played nine minutes in New York’s second loss to Phoenix.
Jones plays a big role for the Liberty and no one else on the roster can replicate her impact. Nyara Sabally will have to step up in Jones’s absence. The 25-year-old fortunately (for the Liberty, not the German national team) chose not to represent Germany in EuroBasket. Sabally stepped up for the Liberty in last year’s finals, scoring 13 points in 17 minutes in Game 5. She will have to step up again to help the Liberty survive the absence of one of their best players.
The Liberty have a tough schedule coming up
Jonquel Jones’s injury comes just in time for the Liberty to enter a tough stretch of the season. Jones is anticipated to return in four to six weeks. So, her earliest possible return to the court will likely be the Liberty’s game against the Fever on July 22.
Until then, the Liberty will have to play seven playoff teams—eight if you count the Golden State Valkyries. The Liberty’s next game will be against the Seattle Storm, who feature a strong frontcourt of Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. Playing Seattle without Jones won’t be easy for the Liberty. The same goes for the Atlanta Dream and the duo of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones.
Besides those teams, the Liberty will also have to face A’ja Wilson and the Aces, the Mercury, and the Fever. The latter two teams have already beaten the Liberty without Jones and will be eager to repeat that feat.
Even without Jones, the Liberty still have a strong roster, though. Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart can change the flow of any game and carry New York over the finish line.