Liberty 2023 Player Preview: Nyara Sabally

The New York Liberty were low on 2023 draft capital but are still on track to reap major benefits from a rookie.

Author:
Geoff Magliocchetti
May 17, 2023 5:20 PM EDT

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The New York Liberty are set to embark upon one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise, if not WNBA, history. Fresh off consecutive playoff appearances, the Liberty made several moves that have some observers labeling them a "superteam" that could yield the organization's first championship after over two decades of waiting.

All Knicks will have coverage of the Liberty's quest for WNBA hardware as tip-off looms on Friday night in Washington (7 p.m. ET, WWOR/NBA TV) before the Brooklyn opener against Indiana two days later. With the 12-woman roster officially unveiled, AK will feature play-by-player previews leading into the weekend.

The Liberty's rookie is next up, as our previews turn to Nyara Sabally ...

Name: Kayla Thornton
Height/Weight: 6-5, 204 lbs.
College: Oregon
Experience: Rookie

The Story So Far

New York Liberty fans have waited for the return of a certain University of Oregon alum. Yes, obviously Sabrina Ionescu is still on the roster and a recently-bestowed multi-year extension ensures she's not going anywhere. But Sabally carries one of the most interesting younger stories in the Association and her eventual regular season debut will be a sizable landmark on a difficult yet rewarding hardwood journey.

Sabally has made a name for herself in more ways than one: not only did she break free of the burdens placed upon her as the sister of Ducks royalty (her sister Satou went right after top pick Ionescu in the 2020 draft) but she became a headliner of the post-Satou/Ionescu/Ruthy Hebard era affairs in Eugene. Under her guidance of team-best scoring and rebounding efforts, the Ducks got back into 20-win territory and reached the Sweet 16 while she earned All-Pac-12 honors in consecutive campaigns.

To top it all off, the younger Sabally built her expansive collegiate resume after two ACL tears, the first sustained at a FIBA-sponsored amateur event repping her native Germany before she ever took the forested floor of Oregon. Complications lingering from the corrective procedures and rehabbing cost Sabally her first professional rookie season but that didn't stop the Liberty from making her the fifth overall choice in the 2022 draft.

Sabally took to a different kind of sideline during the 2022-23 season, keeping busy by taking an assistant coaching position at Sacramento State. Under her partial watch, the Hornets won 25 games and earned entry to their first-ever NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

They Said It

"I definitely think it was a very good experience for me to go through. I got to see the game from a different perspective. Prior to this year, I wasn't too honed in on what was happening behind the scenes. As a player, you kind of just show up. Obviously, you think about basketball, but, as a coach, it's different. I got to see Mark Campbell, the head coach, how he works. I'm very impressed by him and his whole coaching staff, how much time goes into coaching."-Sabally on how her experience as a coach will help her on the road ahead as a player.

"She has been amazing, absolutely amazing. She has come in super eager to learn, asking me questions a lot. Not every rookie does that. Some come in and think they know everything and she came in just so excited to learn. Then she's just talented. She's athletic, she rebounds like crazy. She's been making really good decisions with the ball."-Stef Dolson on working with Sabally in training camp

Outlook

The Liberty obviously have some plans for Sabally if they were willing to use what they hope is the last of their high pics for the foreseeable future on her knowing that her freshman season was going to be a wash.

“I think (my versatility) is one of my biggest strengths, just offensively and defensively, just bringing the energy on defense and bringing the energy on offense and just scoring in the paint, defending the bigs and just bringing a little height,” Sabally said last year when asked where she can contribute immediately. “I want to use my strength inside and the power I bring…help wherever I can, get those boards, defending.”

Jostling for minutes in the interior could prove difficult in the early going and it already cost fellow rookie and 2022 draftee Sika Koné a potential spot on the roster. Dolson and Han Xu are coming back and that was before Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart joined the fold. Sabally did make the most out of some precious preseason minutes, scoring 11 points and pulling in seven boards over two appearances last week.

This could be a bit of a trying, learning season for Sabally, especially considering accomplished younger players like the departed Michaela Onyenwere and DiDi Richards struggled to find consistent minutes in the first year of head coach Sandy Brondello's watch. Her coaching experience, however, could help her adjust fairly quickly and one look at the New York roster suggests few better learning environments for a young player finding her professional footing.