Leonie Fiebich Seizes her Moment for the New York Liberty

Leonie Fiebich Seizes her Moment for the New York Liberty

By John "Woods" Armwood III

Saturday night, the New York Liberty (25-5) fell to the Connecticut Suns (22-7) at home, 72-64. While having another soldout crowd, the stadium’s energy appeared less lively than normal. Due to this Suns loss, the Liberty snapped their eight-game winning streak. Despite the streak, the 2024 Liberty is off to the team’s best start through 30 games in franchise history. Something positive to build off moving forward is the team’s chemistry, it’s beginning to reflect on the court as they extend their streak of 15 or more assists in WNBA history (101st consecutive game). 

“You know, they were very physical, but you could see that where they were all connected,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello stated. “You know, we've come off. We've been playing great defense. I thought that was as bad as we played tonight. There was no urgency.”

While there’s a ton to critique from last night's game, however something to highlight was the stellar performance by rookie Leonie Fiebich. She’s proven to be an asset since she joined the roster this summer, that said her length and shooting ability allow the Liberty a luxury offensively and defensively. Despite being one of the most respected European players in the world, on the Liberty, her role is much different. Frequently, she’s asked to guard smaller guards and occasionally to help out in the paint. 

Leonie Fiebich’s Impact for the Liberty

While Fiebich is listed as a rookie in the WNBA, she’s far from inexperienced and has brought priceless knowledge and skills to the Liberty. Her length and athleticism have allowed her to be a force on defense. In fact, the Liberty recorded a 90.3 defensive rating in 582 minutes with Fiebich on the court, which is the best DRTG among all WNBA players with at least 500 MIN in 2024. Her impact defensively has made the responsibilities of star forward Breanna Stewart and star center Jonquel Jones easier. They are allowed to play more freely, which ultimately allows them to exert more energy on the glass and within the offense.

“Yeah, the score would have been way bigger if Leah didn't make some of those shots there,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello states. “She’s been a key player for us and the confidence we all have in her to play well every single game. We played her 33 [minutes] and probably should’ve played her less. … Also she's doing well, but that's the luxury that we have. So I love it when she's being aggressive at both ends of the floor.”

She’s continuing to break records and has the potential to become the first rookie in WNBA history to average a plus-minus of +10.0 or better as a starter (min. 10 starts). Her +15.4 plus-minus as a starter is the best by any NBA or WNBA rookie with at least 10 starts since the NBA began tracking PBP data (1996-97).

What’s Next for the Liberty?

Tuesday night, the Liberty will take on the Phoenix Mercury on the road. This loss may have been the wake-up call the Liberty needed to dominate the league. That said, they understood this was a learning lesson and they plan to get better from it and move forward.

“I don’t think this matchup will become personal, I think we finish the series now 3-1 against Connecticut,” Stewart explained. “... Tonight, we let Connecticut do what they do and score points in the paint. ...We didn’t make it hard enough tonight.”

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