WNBA Season Preview 2019: Every team's biggest question

WNBA Season Preview 2019: Every team’s biggest question

By Miles Wray | May 21, 2019

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 19: Kayla McBride #21 of Las Vegas Aces handles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx on May 19, 2019 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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UNCASVILLE, CT – MAY 14: Tina Charles #31 of the New York Liberty looks to shoots the ball against the Atlanta Dream on May 14, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

New York Liberty: Can you win the championship with Tina Charles as your best player?

Tina Charles is undeniably one of the best interior scorers in WNBA history: not only is she in the top-10 all-time in points per minute, but she is now inching her way up the cumulative points chart as well. Charles heads into this season with the 16th-most points in league history and should crack the top 10 in that category, too, with a healthy 2019.

So, given these credentials, why does Charles have a career 6-9 mark in the playoffs, with her last victory coming in 2015? With Charles now on the wrong side of 30, the Liberty need to evaluate if Charles can truly be the centerpiece of a championship-winning squad going forward, or if her pure scoring is most effective in a secondary role — like Brittney Griner playing as Diana Taurasi’s intimidating sidekick in Phoenix.