INDIANAPOLIS — Breanna Stewart walked into the visiting news conference room with a somber demeanor Saturday night, more than 40 minutes after the Liberty suffered arguably their worst loss of the season.
She seemed tired — not only from the 32 minutes she played in the Libs’ fourth consecutive loss, but also tired of discussing the team’s recurring issues.
But that fatigue and possible frustration didn’t show in her answers.
She is the ultimate pro.
She was thoughtful, reflective and, at times, stern.
She was the first to say she could’ve been better after leading the team with 26 points and eight rebounds.
“I’m looking at myself, you know what I mean? There’s a lot that I didn’t do well today between the turnovers or the missed free throws or things like that,” Stewart said following the 108-88 loss. “So in order for us to be our best, I need to be better.”
Stewart accepted responsibility.
But she isn’t the only one who needs to improve.
Sabrina Ionescu finally shook off the rust and has been better of late.
But she took only two shot attempts in the entire second half and nine total Saturday.
She needs to be even more aggressive.
She’s averaging her fewest attempts from downtown since her sophomore season and a career-low in rebounds.
Jonquel Jones, a six-time All-Star this season, is attempting a career-high 4.7 attempts from 3 per game but her 5.1 field-goal attempts per game inside the arc are her fewest since her Sixth Player of the Year campaign in 2018.
Also, at times, she lets her emotions impact her focus when the whistle or lack thereof gets to her.
Marine Johannes started Saturday red-hot, shooting 4-for-5 from deep in the first quarter.
But she needs to reel in her flair and make simple passes rather than the flashy ones.
She gets into the occasional foul trouble, too.
Pauline Astier has been solid.
But she doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt from officials as a rookie.
She needs to make smarter decisions on defense.
The Liberty’s bench was touted as the deepest in the league.
Yet it has been outscored by opponents’ reserves 128-67 this month.
It should be able to provide more of a lift when the starters rest.
Coach Chris DeMarco knew the pressure that would be on his shoulders in Year 1.
There were bound to be natural growing pains with his new staff and new system.
But the Liberty’s rotation remains unsettled.
He played the two developmental players over Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Rebekah Gardner on Saturday when the team desperately needed a defensive spark.
He explained that he’s still experimenting, which isn’t unheard of at this stage.
But the team’s overall performance on both ends of the floor has dropped off after an impressive eight-game winning streak.
Perhaps the Liberty have overcommitted to their zone defense.
General manager Jonathan Kolb is not absolved from criticism either.
He made the decision to fire Sandy Brondello, the Liberty’s winningest head coach only a year after she delivered the franchise’s first title.
He led the coaching search that brought DeMarco to New York.
Kolb also built this roster, and the booming on-paper potential hasn’t translated to the court.
Injuries have been a factor, though the team’s recent downturn has shown deficiencies within the team’s depth as the Aug. 2 trade deadline nears.
“It’s a team game, and it’s a team effort,” DeMarco said. “And everybody, including myself, need to look at themselves and figure out how we’re going to improve. And when we do that, and we’re connected and we’re playing together, the wins will follow.”
