The New York Liberty are off to a strong 4-2 start to begin the 2023 WNBA season. But it's not too early to find a weakness in the league's latest super team.
The New York Liberty added three new stars to the roster this offseason so there were bound to be some growing pains to start the year, right? Well…that might not be as much the case as we thought. The Liberty are 4-2 going into Friday night's game against the Atlanta Dream, and there aren't many weaknesses to point at.
While the traditional stats don't tell the whole story, there are some numbers that are in New York's favor. First of all, they rank first in both 3-pointers made and assists on a per-game basis. From an efficiency standpoint, they are third in field goal percentage (44.9) and true shooting percentage (54.9).
The advanced stats also love the Liberty, who are third in both offensive and defensive rating, giving them the second-best net rating in the league.
So what are their weaknesses? Statistically speaking you could point to the fact they are 11th in turnovers (15.8) and turnover percentage (19.9 percent), last in free throw attempt-per-game (13.7) and just eighth in points-per-game (80.0). But despite all that, New York is off to a strong start. So what can we find that can speak to their two early season losses? It's one word.
Pace.
The Liberty are operating at the second slowest pace in the W at less than 96 possessions per 40 minutes. That's more than seven possessions less than the league-leading Dallas Wings. In their four wins, the pace of the game has been measured at 97.4, 87.4, 90, and 90.8. In their two losses, it was 99.2 and 102.4.
Why do the New York Liberty play so slowly?
There are many reasons the Liberty could prefer the slower pace. Part of it could be that transition offense is another form of offense that needs to be learned as a group. And they may have spent training camp focused more on the halfcourt.
Another possibility is the personnel — namely the stars they added this offseason. With two players who operate in the post it's natural they'd play at a slower pace. Lastly, and perhaps most compelling — it might be a coaching preference. In 2022 the New York Liberty were last in the league in pace. And that was with a young team led by a scoring guard.
Friday night will be a good time to test out this theory. The Liberty are facing off against the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta is third in the league in pace at just under 100 possessions per-40-minutes. They are off to a slower start this season at 2-3, but their youth and pace will be a good litmus test for New York.
At this point in the season, pace seems to be the only thing tripping up the league's new super team. And it very well could get corrected as the season goes on. But it will be an interesting thing to monitor moving forward.
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