Who Are the Most Important Liberty Role Players This Season?

The 2025 WNBA season has just begun, but several New York Liberty players are already starting to make their mark.

Eight-year veteran forward Breanna Stewart was key to the Liberty’s title win last year. Stewie has been ranked among the top WNBA players since her rookie season. But as the W grows, so does the talent across the league.

If the Liberty want to repeat, Stewart is going to need more help than ever before. Which players on the Liberty are most capable of helping Stewart carry the Liberty to another championship?

With the Help of Sabrina

Sabrina Ionescu made a massive contribution to the Liberty last season.

Sab averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game last year and remains the Liberty’s amazing facilitator. Ionescu was alongside Stewart when they won the championship last season, and the two are quite the pair.

Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello spoke of the two stars after New York’s win against the Antelopes last week. “Yeah, it’s been really fun to watch the evolution of their game and the chemistry that they’ve built up,” said Brondello. “You know, this is year three. So, they kind of know what to expect from each other. They know how to help each other.”

The duo gets stronger each season, so Sabrina is expected to step up for another season to help the team get those crucial wins.

Jonquel Jones Stepping In

Jonquel Jones is arguably the perfect center to complement Stewart. Last season, Jones averaged 14.2 points per game and 9.0 rebounds. Yes, Breanna Stewart is a forward, but her style of play is extremely versatile. She shoots threes and can handle the ball, just as any guard is capable of doing.

With Jones’ 6-foot-11 wingspan, she is a force to be reckoned with and can gather the loose balls that Stewart can’t grab herself. Last season, the two were both named to WNBA All-Defensive teams and were the primary reasons why the Liberty was ranked third in defensive rating.

New Help from Natasha Cloud

Someone we haven’t seen win a title with Breanna Stewart yet is Natasha Cloud, the veteran who transferred from Phoenix before this year. In her Liberty debut, Cloud scored 22 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Her offensive game is impressive, but what Cloud has really been admired for is her defense.

After the first game of the regular season, Stewart told the press: “Her versatility [and] her ability to get down and attack the rim, putting her in great spots to kind of succeed and read the defense and then defensively, just being everywhere, pressuring…The fact that we’re going to continue to build that chemistry, but switching in a number of different ways and just making it hard for Vegas.”

If Cloud keeps making opponents as uncomfortable with the ball as she did the Aces, the Liberty may have a new star on its hands.

Leonie Fiebich Moves Up the Ladder

Natasha Cloud is new to the Liberty, but forward Leonie Fiebich is new to the WNBA. As a rookie in 2024, Fiebich averaged 6.7 points and one steal per game.

In New York’s championship sealing victory, Fiebich scored 13 points and 7 rebounds. In the game before that, she put up 19 points. Fiebich is 25 years old and has overseas experience that has set her up nicely for pressured situations. Stewart was a mentor for her last season, so imagine what another season under Stewie’s wing could do to a player with so much potential.

Strong Leadership for the Liberty

Breanna Stewart is one of, if not the, best players in the league at the moment. However, it takes more than one star to win a championship. The Liberty proved that last season, when Stewie’s teammates showed up in big moments. Could it be the same players this year? Or will we find some new talent to take over the Liberty supporting case and win another ring?