Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White benched star forward Alyssa Thomas during the critical fourth quarter of Tuesday’s 82-74 loss to the New York Liberty. Despite Thomas’s impressive performance with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists in just 23 minutes, she was notably absent from the most pivotal part of the game.
White addressed the decision postgame, explaining that it was part of a broader strategy to manage Thomas’s playing time as she prepares for her first Olympic Games with Team USA.
“AT’s competitive and she wants to play, so if you ask her she’s going to want to be out there all the time,” White said, as reported by Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. “Sometimes we as a coaching staff just have to make decisions that are in the best benefit of our players. I’m sure she wanted to be out there, but it’s the last game heading into the Olympic break, and I felt like it was a good opportunity for everybody else to come in and get some minutes and see what we can do to build our depth too.”
Thomas, often referred to as “The Engine,” is a cornerstone for the Sun, a team still in pursuit of its first WNBA championship. Her benching in such a crucial game raised eyebrows, especially as the Sun entered the fourth quarter tied at 63. Thomas led the team in rebounds and assists and was the second-highest scorer behind Brionna Jones, who posted 17 points.
The decision to rest Thomas wasn’t unprecedented. She had played limited minutes in recent games, including 25 minutes in an 80-67 win over the Atlanta Dream and 23 minutes in a 96-69 victory over the Phoenix Mercury. However, she logged 37 minutes in the previous week’s 71-68 loss to the Liberty.
Sun face tough schedule after Olympics break
While resting key players before the Olympics is common, it was unusual for the Sun to do so in a tied game against a strong conference rival. Similar strategies have been employed by other teams, like the Liberty resting Breanna Stewart after a minor hamstring injury, and the Mercury giving Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner time off. However, White's decision to bench Thomas in such a critical moment drew scrutiny.
“We clawed our way back into it. We had our moments, but we can’t make a lot of mistakes against this team,” White said. “They make you pay for it, and when we did make mistakes, they did make us pay. It’s always going to be tough for us, but being outscored 33-6 at the three-point line makes it really, really tough. It puts a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect, and that’s what good teams do to you.”
The latest loss to the Liberty ensures New York holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Connecticut, an important factor for playoff seeding. The Sun have struggled against the Liberty under White, with a 1-10 record over the past two years and a 0-3 mark this season. Their next opportunity to face the Liberty comes on Aug. 24 at Barclays Center.
The Sun's performance heading into the Olympic break raises concerns, as they face a challenging schedule upon their return. Six of their first eight games are on the road, including tough matchups against the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces, both of whom have already beaten the Sun this season.
Despite these challenges, White remains optimistic about the break's benefits.
“I think more than anything, just the (Olympic) break is going to do us some good, to rest, recover, get some practice time,” she said. “As a staff, we’ve got to continue to find creative ways to address slippage, because we know it doesn’t get any better when we get back on the road. We’re not going to be able to practice and we’re playing a lot of games … so we’ve got to be able to address slippage in whatever ways we can come up with that help our team be successful.”
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