Liberty Injury Report Shrinks vs. Mystics
The New York Liberty has yet to reach its final form but it's starting to resemble its old championship-contending self slowly but surely.
The Liberty injury report for Thursday's visit from the Washington Mystics (7 p.m. ET, My9/Prime Video) features only two names, as Natasha Cloud (nose) is questionable while Nyara Sabally (knee) remains out. Prior entrants Isabelle Harrison, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart are off it entirely, giving the Liberty the most complete contingent it has gotten to field in quite some time.
Thursday should thus mark the long-awaited return of valuable sixth woman Harrison, who had been in concussion protocol since the aftermath of Aug. 10's against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. Playing in her first Brooklyn season, Harrison struggled to crack the Liberty rotation at the onset of the year but has been a sterling depth star in the latter part of the tour: since June 27, Harrison is averaging 7.8 points in 15 appearances on over 56 percent shooting while pulling 3.1 rebounds in that same span.
While Sabally's post-All-Star break absence continues, the Liberty appear poised to get back Cloud, who missed Monday's win over Connecticut. Head coach Sandy Brondello revealed after that game that Cloud, a staple in the Brooklyn starting five, endured a slight fracture in her nose but that she was still expected to partake in Thursday's game. Stewart returned on Monday after a 13-game departure for a bone bruise on her knee while Ionescu also came back after missing one with a foot injury.
The timing of such a brief injury report, down to but two women, couldn't be better as New York (23-15) continues to jostle for position on the WNBA leaderboard. If the season ended today, the Liberty would place fifth on the playoff bracket but sit just two games out of second with six left on its docket.
The Liberty has not played with a full unit (sans Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who is out for the year after offseason surgery) since opening night's win over the Las Vegas Aces back in mid-May.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.