Liberty Coach Makes Definitive Breanna Stewart ‘Best Player’ Statement

New York Liberty coach Chris DeMarco left no doubt about where he believes Breanna Stewart stands among the game's best players. And he made sure his feelings about his star player were clear after the Liberty's win over the Toronto Tempo on Sunday.

“I think if you ask any coach who’s ever coached her and played against her, she is the best player in the world,” he said. “She’s an absolute winner. You can feel it when she’s off the court. You feel when she’s on the court, not only here, obviously FIBA World Cup and everything else."

"When it comes to impact and winning, like there's nobody better. It's not even close," DeMarco added.

Stewart's resume as a winner is difficult to dispute. And she is fresh off winning FIBA World Cup MVP after Team USA won gold in Berlin, Germany. That is to go with her numerous international wins, three WNBA championships, and clean sweep of national championships in her four years at UConn.

Meanwhile, the Liberty appear to be rounding into form at the right time, as they won their third game in a row with the WNBA playoffs approaching. Stewart was a catalyst in the 106-69 blowout of the Tempo, scoring 27 points to go with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block.

What Kind of Season Is Stewart Having?

Stewart is unlikely to win MVP, but she does have a case. And she should certainly be All-WNBA first team this season.

She is averaging 20.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks in making an impact on both ends of the floor. Stewart is converting on 47.1% of her shots with the biggest current flaw in her game being struggles from deep.

She is shooting 25.6% from beyond the arc, which follows a trend of her three-point shooting percentage declining over the last several seasons.

However, that is being nitpicky when considering her overall play. Stewart's consistency as a scorer and on the boards in combination with her length defensively makes her one of the most complete players—or, in DeMarco's view, the most complete player—in the WNBA.

Stewart's legacy is already set in stone, but if she is able to lead the Liberty on a playoff run she can only add to it. Another WNBA championship would serve as quite an encore given what she has already accomplished and coming right off leading Team USA to a World Cup win.

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