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2015 Season Review: New York Liberty

2015 Regular-Season Record: 23-11 (1st in Eastern Conference)

Postseason: Defeated Washington Mystics 2-1 in Eastern Conference Semifinals, Lost to Indiana Fever 2-1 in Eastern Conference Finals

After failing to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons under decorated WNBA head coach/GM Bill Laimbeer (and no lottery picks to show for it), the New York Liberty had to make some big changes both on and off the court if they hoped to become a contender once again.

They already had their centerpiece: perennial All-Star center Tina Charles. Though part of the reason New York had such few assets was that they had to sell the farm in exchange for the 2012 MVP, it guaranteed them a matchup advantage in nearly every game they played, as Charles’s superb rebounding and ability to score with a multitude of moves from the post continues to put her among the best in the world.

In 2015, though, it was about how the Liberty were able to surround Charles with the right pieces, and forge themselves a real identity as a team. An offseason SG swap with Chicago sent Cappie Pondexter out and brought Epiphanny Prince in, and she turned out to be the perfect complement to the Liberty’s star center. While Prince missed the start of the season due to overseas commitments, the numbers speak for themselves: she posted her best shooting efficiency stats since 2012 (56.1 TS% and 51.2 eFG%) and also assisted on close to 25 percent of all Liberty field goals while she was on the floor.

The bigger indicator of Prince’s impact can be found in Charles’s numbers. While struggling with her shot during Prince’s absence, Charles raised her efficiency considerably as the season went on, shooting 49 percent from the floor in June and a scorching 55 percent in July. Having a dynamic guard who can score from all areas of the floor and create shots for herself and others can only help a dominant low-post player like Charles, and the pair quickly became one of the WNBA’s top guard-forward combos in 2015.

Despite their offensive success, the Liberty wouldn’t have risen to the top of the East without their remarkable ability to control the pace of the game. They were able to do this with a superb rebounding rate (their defensive rebounding percentage of 78.3 percent was far and away the best in the league) and stifling defense.

Much of this was made possible by a pair of unlikely heronies: rookies Brittany Boyd and Kiah Stokes. While Boyd, a flashy and explosive point guard out of Cal, was projected to have an immediate impact on the team (and she did: she led New York in assist percentage and the entire league in free throw rate), Stokes was more of a sleeper pick, acquired in a draft-day deal with the Minnesota Lynx.

But teams weren’t sleeping on her for long, as her length, athleticism and instincts made her the perfect main cog for Laimbeer’s defense: a player who can defend both inside and out, switch on pick-and-rolls, bother and block a ton of shots, and be active on the defensive glass. Both players were rewarded for their 2015 campaigns with spots on the WNBA All-Rookie Team, with Stokes finishing second to Jewell Loyd in Rookie of the Year voting. With all these pieces coming together at the right time, it’s no wonder the Liberty finished the season with a league-best record of 23-11.

Biggest Need Heading Into 2016: Wings, Prince replacement

So, with the Liberty being set for the foreseeable future at both point guard and center, what should they be looking to upgrade this offseason?

The answer, of course, is their wing depth. The logic is simple enough: with point guards who can penetrate and a center who commands frequent double-teams in the post, the Liberty can never have enough outside shooting to keep the floor spaced for the superstars.

Beyond that, though, one has to wonder how much longer veterans Tanisha Wright, Swin Cash and Essence Carson are going to keep playing. While they made contributions of their own in 2015 (especially Wright, whose excellence at both guard positions earned her a spot alongside Stokes and Charles on the WNBA’s All-Defensive Second Team), keeping up that level of play throughout 2016 would be a surprise.

Of course, no matter what team you’re on, role players come and go. What’s more worrisome is the status of Prince. While playing in Russia during the 2015-16 offseason, she suffered a torn ACL, leaving her status for the 2016 WNBA season in doubt.

Without Prince, one can assume that Boyd will be handed the keys to the offense in her second year, but the team will still be missing significant outside shooting. In order to replicate their success of 2015, the Liberty must find a way to keep their aging wings healthy and, more importantly, keep Tina Charles scoring efficiently while the young gun fills some of the bigger guard shoes in the league.

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