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Coming into the 2025 WNBA season, no team had ever hit more than 18 threes in a regular season game. The 2025 New York Liberty have now hit 19 treys twice in seven games.
Part of it is having great shooters. It’d be foolish to heap credit on the Liberty’s discipline and offensive scheme without acknowledging their top eight rotation players can all connect from distance.
But it’s not that simple. The team is shooting 39 percent from three but has taken an unorthodox path to get there. Breanna Stewart, a career 35 percent three-point shooter, is making just 18 percent for her attempts so far. Sabrina Ionescu is hitting on 36 percent of her threes, but that has come on eight attempts per game and her percentage has gone up with a recent hot streak. Meanwhile subs Kennedy Burke and Marine Johannès are combining to shoot 43 percent and post player Jonquel Jones is shooting 44 percent.
That's all to say everyone will have and has had their opportunities. It was a focus in training camp to improve the team’s ball movement as it implements a five-out offense predicated on clear looks in the paint and on the perimeter.
Basketball analytics nerds around the world should be printing out posters of this Liberty first-half shot plot. pic.twitter.com/TafjLbDFA2
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) June 1, 2025
“It's an emphasis obviously to take great shots,” forward Jonquel Jones said. “I think it's an area of growth for us last season versus this season — understanding when to not take a good shot and pass it to someone for a great shot.”
In seven games, the Liberty have won five blowouts and two nail-bitters. Compared to this point last season, when the Liberty were winnings games but losing big leads in the process, they’re ahead of schedule.
“I think it's the difference between us separating ourselves from other opponents and there being close games,” Jones continued. “I think when we start taking good shots and not moving into great shots we get in trouble.”
The good-to-great mantra has been a hallmark of Sandy Brondello’s teams since she came to Brooklyn in 2022. As Stewart noted last season, the Liberty get exponentially better looks when they space the floor and the ball switches sides multiple times per possession.
That hasn’t changed — the Liberty are just executing it much better this year with a crisper offense.
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu is hunting her shot
Ionescu missed all five of her three-point attempts in the season-opening win over the Las Vegas Aces, but since then, she’s connecting at a 40 percent clip.
Over the past few weeks, she has become more intentional with her shot selection. As she put it, she is continuing to look for her shot and understand when she is open.
“Most of the time [it’s] trying to shoot [threes] in transition when defenses aren't set, coming off screens, and just continuing to find ways to get open,” she said after a recent win.
Brondello doesn’t mind Ionescu firing away, either.
“One of the purest strokes I've ever seen. She loves transition,” Brondello said.
But like a true coach, she conceded that even at 7-0, the team’s defense hasn’t been good enough to give Ionescu as many opportunities.
“Our defense hasn't been where it's at, that we can actually get out and run and find her in those open looks,” she continued. “Once she sees the ball go in, it's great.”
Even after Ionescu shot 25 percent from three over the first four games, Brondello encouraged her to keep shooting. She took 15 threes in her fifth game and 11 the game after that.
“I was never worried about it, this is Sabrina, she's gonna fight away because she's such a competitor, but she'll keep shooting them up there and hopefully we can find some for her a little easier ones,” Brondello said.
