The New York Liberty are 9-0 when this player is on the court and they are 2-5 without her. And no, we're not talking about Breanna Stewart or Sabrina Ionescu. This team has stars for sure, but it seems that Leonie Fiebich may be one of the keys for the Liberty to return to their early-season form.
The German forward missed seven games in the middle of the WNBA season to play in the women's EuroBasket competition for her home country. She helped lead Germany to a third-place finish. Now, she will be welcomed back to the Big Apple with open arms.
Despite continued steady play from All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, the defending champions seem to be lacking depth, and having a player like Fiebich could be important to have them return for the top spot in the league.
Leonie Fiebich's return could be just what ailing Liberty need
While in the Liberty lineup, she is shooting 48% from 3-point range. But her value to the Liberty goes beyond her floor-spacing ability. She is stellar on defense, and with the likes of Caitlin Clark still to come against the Liberty, they will need to step up on the defensive end if they wish to snap out of their summer slump.
On June 14, with Fiebich out of the lineup, the Liberty lost their first game of the season against the Fever behind 32 points from Clark and 14 from Lexie Hull. It was evident from the start that the loss of Fiebich was hurting the Liberty.
"I was here and watched practice yesterday, and I thought it was a really good practice. We had lots of energy, even though we were down players and it just carried over to today. I thought we had really good energy. We had pace. Everybody put their bodies on the line, so it was just good to be back," the 25-year-old told reporters this week.
Now it will be important for Fiebich to step up and join the likes of Ioenscu to repair some of the loss in the standings the Liberty have suffered. They are still missing WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, who is out due to injury.
One benefit for the Liberty is they're now set to begin an eight-game stretch at Barclays Center beginning with two games over July 4 weekend. Playing in front of their loyal and loud fan base for such a long period of time should benefit the defending champions.
The fan base should welcome and cheer on Fiebich as she returns. Last season, she had 13 points and seven rebounds in the deciding Game 5 of the Finals. She is already a fan favorite, and if they can stay hot while she is on the court, she may wind up getting a key to the city.