Chris DeMarco will come to regret obvious Sabrina Ionescu blind spot
It has been a season of inconsistencies to date for the New York Liberty. A change in head coach and several other gamers dipping out and in of the damage report have led to skepticism surrounding the franchise’s championship credentials. To make issues worse, Sabrina Ionescu is but to reignite her magical spark, and her lack of manufacturing is hindering Liberty’s means to win video games. Chris DeMarco should look in direction of decreasing the star’s function whereas she continues to discover her type.
New York’s imaginative and prescient for 2026 was obvious: championship or bust. The franchise created one thing of a superteam by adding Satou Sabally to an already stacked roster that features Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones. Even with an 11-6 report, the detached performances have turned up the stress cooker on Chris DeMarco and the way he’s utilizing the gamers at his disposal.
Coaching a litany of superstars may be each a blessing and a curse. New York’s entrance workplace will count on its ‘Fantastic Four’ to be on the sector of play when they’re accessible. That may very well be a harmful sentiment for DeMarco and the Liberty, as a participant being accessible for choice doesn’t imply they’re absolutely wholesome — living proof: Sabrina Ionescu.
DeMarco should take into consideration Ionescu’s long-term future
When at her finest, Ionescu can flip a sport on her head along with her particular person brilliance. Additionally, the Oregon alum’s ball-facilitation expertise could make every participant round her a extra harmful proposition for the opponents. However, in her present type, Ionescu has not showcased the attributes that helped New York carry the championship trophy.
Throughout the 2026 season, Ionescu has solely featured in 5 video games — beginning in 4. The 28-year-old has averaged 7.4 factors, three rebounds, and three.2 assists per sport, whereas capturing simply 31.8% from the ground and 27.8% from deep.
As a high-volume shooter, Ionescu’s field-goal share doesn’t at all times make for fairly studying — in reality, she is just averaging round 40% for her profession — however since coming back from damage, her effectivity and offensive presence have been a worrying sight.
Not solely are the photographs not falling for Ionescu, however she will not be getting to her spot persistently sufficient to enhance this statistic. Currently, the Liberty guard is recording a career-low 8.8 photographs per sport. This will not be due to an absence of effort from Ionescu; one thing is holding her again, and it’s now affecting New York’s means to win video games.
Allowing Ionescu to proceed on this worrying rut will not be solely hurting the Liberty within the quick time period, but when DeMarco doesn’t pull her from the beginning lineup quickly, she might decimate her confidence and turn out to be completely ineffective when the postseason lastly arrives.
Chris Demarco cannot afford to tiptoe across the elephant within the room; Sabrina Ionescu is struggling for type. Whether she has not returned to peak match health or she continues to be carrying some type of damage, it frankly would not matter. The New York Liberty head coach was put in situ to make selections which might be finest for this group. Pauline Astier more than capable of holding the fort till Ionescu returns to her devastating finest; DeMarco should act now.
