Sabrina Ionescu has blossomed into an elite star in this WNBA postseason

The New York Liberty are one win away from the WNBA Finals. Through the first two games of the semifinals, they have been nothing short of spectacular and played with hunger against their rival Las Vegas Aces. The biggest X-Factor throughout the postseason has been Sabrina Ionescu. She’s fully emerged from the shadow of Breanna Stewart and made one winning play after another. 

After losing in the WNBA Finals a season ago, it was back to the drawing board for the Liberty. The first step was to keep the core players like Ionescu, Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton together. Another step was playstyle adjustments. How could Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello place her stars in the right position? One of the genius moves she made was allowing Ionescu to play the point guard role, which forced Courtney Vandersloot to come off the bench. 

Ionescu has a tremendous IQ for the game and continues to be one of the leading factors behind the Liberty’s success. Playing the point guard position has become natural for Ionescu this season. She is comfortable taking the task of running the offense for New York, creating plays for herself and opening easy opportunities for her teammates. The regular season was arguably Ionescu’s best as she averaged 18.2 points and 6.2 assists.

Not only has Ionescu’s impact shown on the offensive end but on defense as well. Defense comes from effort and shows how much a player wants to win. Throughout her career, Ionescu has not been known as an elite defender. She normally doesn’t have the mobility to stay in front of defenders and has been a liability on that end of the floor in the past. 

Luckily, this season has been different. Ionescu has shown more effort on the defensive end which has benefited the Liberty. During the season, they ranked third in Defensive Rating and have continued to force teams out of their halfcourt comfort zone. A few ways that Sabrina Ionescu has improved defensively is by playing the passing lanes and using her body to disrupt defenders. Being physical has shown her strength as a player and how she can make the opposing ball handler uncomfortable. Ionescu’s growth on the defensive end has led to easy opportunities on offense all season. 

Ionescu’s terrific play in the regular season was able to translate to the postseason. A championship is on the line for the New York Liberty. After falling short a year ago, they’ve shown that they’re hungry for redemption. The Liberty swept the Atlanta Dream in the first round. In the series-clinching Game 2, Ionescu stole the show with 36 points and nine assists. She took over in the fourth quarter with 12 points and made big-time baskets to seal the deal. 

Ionescu would later follow up her strong performance with another in Game 2 against the Aces. It's not about how a player starts the game but how they finish. Ionescu scored 24 points in the contest as well as 13 in the fourth. However, what made her night impactful was her ability to make hustle plays down the stretch. From diving for loose balls to making her presence known defensively, Ionescu’s energy ignited her team and played a big role in the Liberty securing a 2-0 series lead. 

Ionescu has displayed growth throughout this season. She shows that she’s up for any challenge that’s in front of her and she’s going to shine. Ionescu understands that this season is championship or bust for the Liberty. They have to continue to keep their foot on the gas in order to be the last team standing.