Sabrina Ionescu has blossomed into an elite star this WNBA postseason

The New York Liberty are just one win away from the WNBA Finals. They performed spectacularly in the first two games of the semifinals, playing hungrily against their rival Las Vegas Aces. The biggest X-factor in the postseason was Sabrina Ionescu. She has completely stepped out of Breanna Stewart’s shadow and won one game after another.

After losing in the WNBA finals a season ago, the Liberty went back to the drawing board. The first step was to keep the core players together like Ionescu, Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Another step was adjustments to the playing style. How did Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello get her stars in the right position? One of their brilliant moves was to give Ionescu 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 a key factor in the Liberty’s success. Playing the point guard position has become second nature for Ionescu this season. She enjoys taking on the task of running the offense for New York, creating plays for herself and creating easy opportunities for her teammates. The regular season was arguably Ionescu’s best, as she averaged 18.2 points and 6.2 assists.

Ionescu’s influence was evident not only on offense, but also on defense. 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 typically doesn’t have the agility to stay in front of defenders and has been a liability on that end of the floor in the past.

Luckily, this season was different. Ionescu showed more effort on defense, which benefited the Liberty. During the season, they finished third in defensive rating and continued to push teams to get out of their comfort zone in the halfcourt. One way Sabrina Ionescu improved her defense was by playing in the passing lanes and using her body to disrupt defenders. Her physical prowess has demonstrated her strength as a player and shown that she can make the opposing ball-handler uncomfortable. Ionescu’s development on defense has led to easy opportunities on offense all season.

Ionescu’s great play in the regular season carried over into the postseason. A championship is at stake for the New York Liberty. After failing to make it a year ago, they showed they are hungry for redemption. The Liberty defeated the Atlanta Dream in the first round. In the decisive second game of the series, Ionescu stole the show with 36 points and nine assists. She took over in the fourth quarter with 12 points and made great baskets to seal the deal.

Ionescu later followed up her strong performance with another in the second game against the Aces. It’s not about how a player starts the game, but rather how they finish it. Ionescu scored 24 points in the contest and 13 in the fourth contest. What made her night special, however, was her ability to make exciting plays down the stretch. Ionescu’s energy fired up her team and played a big role in helping the Liberty take a 2-0 lead.

Ionescu has shown growth this season. She shows that she is up to any challenge that lies ahead of her and will shine. Ionescu understands that this season is championship or bust for the Liberty. They have to keep pushing to be the last team standing.