Liberty Call Lineup Instability an Unlikely 'Luxury' as Playoffs Near
New York's No. 5 seed has used a franchise-high 18 starting lineups and limited games with its star trio to create flexibility ahead of the Sept. 14 postseason opener.
With less than a week until the WNBA playoffs begin, the New York Liberty are framing a season marked by injuries and rotation shifts as an advantage rather than a liability.
Coach Sandy Brondello said Monday at practice that the Liberty’s lineup inconsistencies and gaps have become "a luxury." The comment came as the No. 5 seed prepares for the postseason opener on Sept. 14 after a title-defense season disrupted by frequent changes to the starting five.
New York deployed a franchise-high 18 different starting lineups this year as it searched for combinations to compensate for injuries and to plug holes in the rotation. The club has had its three leading stars — Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones — on the court together in only 13 games, according to team accounts. That scarcity of full-strength appearances contributed to mixed results throughout the regular season.
Brondello framed the revolving-door starters and the need to incorporate both new and veteran contributors as a toolkit rather than a shortcoming. She said the variety of looks and matchup options gives the coaching staff choices as it evaluates opponents and prepares series plans for the postseason.
Players and staff have repeatedly adjusted personnel and minutes to respond to injuries and performance swings. Those adjustments produced intermittent stretches of cohesion as well as stretches of inconsistency; the Liberty’s regular season results reflected that unevenness but also demonstrated the roster’s depth and adaptability at times when multiple personnel lines were required.
The Liberty enter the playoffs carrying the experience of navigating the regular season’s disruptions. As the postseason approaches, the franchise will attempt to leverage the combinations and situational lineups that emerged when the team could not rely on its full trio of stars. How the adjustments translate to the higher-stakes, opponent-focused environment of a playoff series will be determined in the coming days.
The team’s immediate focus remains on fine-tuning rotations and preparing for the matchup that will open New York’s postseason. Brondello and her staff have emphasized preparation and options, saying they will deploy the lineups they believe give the Liberty the best chance to advance once the series begin Sept. 14.