Liberty Year In Review 2024: Courtney Vandersloot

A difficult season ended in triumph for New York Liberty star Courtney Vandersloot.

Geoff Magliocchetti | 4 Hours Ago

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

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New York Liberty

After 27 years, 40 games, 12 more playoff contests, and even a fateful overtime period, the New York Liberty finally stand as WNBA champions.

New York earned its first postseason WNBA title with a five-game series victory over the Minnesota Lynx earlier this fall, capping off a monumental season for the WNBA. For now, the championship serves as a culmination of a long-gestating plan put forth by Liberty leadership, one that brought home the first basketball team honor to the city in over five decades.

The Liberty’s path to a repeat comes at an exciting if not turbulent time on the WNBA timeline: rosters are set to endure tremors caused by expansion drafts, free agency, and upcoming collective bargaining agreement discussions.

With the season itself gone — but the memories never fading —Knicks on SI looks back at a victorious season that was and what’s ahead for the Liberty on a case-by-case basis.

2024 Year In Review: Courtney Vandersloot

Name: Courtney Vandersloot
Season: 14th (2nd with Liberty)
Key Stats: 6.4 points, 4.8 assists, 91.6 defensive rating

How It Started

Vandersloot, of course, was part of the great metropolitan migration of 2023, a free agency addition to the game-changing triumvirate co-starring Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart. Like her fellow arrivals, the career-long Chicagoan brought a packed trophy case to Brooklyn.

Most of the hardware came in the form of international titles (including two Turkish MVP awards and a domestic championship with the Sky in 2021) but Vandersloot made her presence felt through numbers: between college at Gonzaga and her breezy tenure with the Sky, Vandersloot led the nation in assists on eight occasions before coming to New York as a free agent.

Vandersloot brought the expected output to New York upon her arrival, forming a sterling one-two punch in the backcourt with a Sabrina Ionescu reaching the height of her powers. Taking on a reduced role for the finest reasons (a sheer plethora of talent), Vandersloot streamlined the New York offense to the tune of a career-best offensive rating of 112.3 and a net rating of 13.9, another personal best. In addition to her traditional facilitation abilities (moving into second on the WNBA's all-time assist list), Vandersloot showed off an improved ability under the rim, earning 23 blocks (her best in a decade) and a plus-14.3 per 100 possessions.

How It Went

There was enough weighing on the Liberty's mind this season after coming up short in the 2023 Finals but it was a painful year for Vandersloot in both a physical and mental sense: she played the first portions of the post-Olympic slate in a mask after enduring an injury in practice but she also missed almost all of June on bereavement leave, having lost her mother Jan after a two-year bout with cancer.

For perhaps the most understandable reasons, Vandersloot's early offense prowess was lacking: over the first six games, she averaged only 7.8 points and 5.5 assists--still decent for a non-Vandersloot type but lacking her usual brand of production--and she lost multiple turnovers in each. The 6.4 points she averaged on the season overall were her fewest since her rookie campaign.

But throughout this difficult season, Vandersloot also solidified a late-blooming reputation as a tenacious defender: among all WNBA starters this season (min. 30), Vandersloot had the second-best defense rating behind only Finals foe Courtney Williams. In a bit of a surprising development, New York opted for the youthful upside of Leonie Fiebich in the starting five once the postseason started but Vandersloot fulfilled perhaps the ultimate basketball roster fantasy of having a downright historic talent on the second unit.

Finest Hour

Those who have accepted the seafoam challenge have come in know that they may not have the same workload or spotlight thrust upon them. Thanks to what leadership has brought aboard, it's a near certainty and Vandersloot could've been viewed as the victim when the Liberty made adjustments to their starting lineup.

Rather than complain or stew, Vandersloot did what she did best, albeit in new settings: in addition to becoming the WNBA's all-time leader in playoff assists during the opening round against Atlanta, Vandersloot helped place vital momentum on New York's side in the semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces. Playing just over 20 minutes in Game 2, she tallied 12 points, four rebounds and a steal and block each in the 88-84 win.

They Said It

"My resilience just being here, to be honest. I'm hurting, I'm hurting every day without her here and the thing is, she's my biggest, number one fan. She would have been here and that's hard in these moments, but just to be able to show up for my teammates and be there for when they needed me, I think that's the biggest thing."-Vandersloot on how she made her mom proudest this season

"I trust Sloot. It wasn't anything about that. It was going to help us with our best lineups at all times, especially with (Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's) minutes in and out that she needs. So, she handled it. She wants to win. That shows a lot about her mentality. Whatever is best for the team is best for her. I thought she came in and gave us really good energy there and that's what we're going to need. She can kind of run that second unit."-Sandy Brondello on moving Vandersloot to the second unit

What's Next

An intriguing offseason awaits the Liberty and Vandersloot, who appears on the seafoam free agency ledgers this time around.

Some foresaw Vandersloot as a trendy selection in mock expansion drafts, but the Golden State Valkyries (limited to one free-agent-to-be) took Kayla Thornton off the Liberty's list instead. That puts Vandersloot in an intriguing spot as she pursues a 15th season and only adds intrigue to her participation in the upcoming Unrivaled endeavor: Vandersloot is one of the most seasoned players in the new three-on-three league and she'll be pair with co-founder/Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart on Mist BC.

If Vandersloot opts stay in the W's affairs (and continue her pursuit of Sue Bird for the title of all-time assist queen), it'll be interesting to see what's she's looking: fifteen new starting lineup opportunities are set to open up over the next three seasons thanks to the incoming squads in San Francisco, Toronto, and Portland but Vandersloot proved to be highly effective in relief, which could be the key to potentially going out gracefully.

If Vandersloot, opts for the latter route, it stands to reason New York would be the best option to engage in such a setting: Vandersloot's rapport with her proteges can't be understated and solid defensive work off the bench will be crucial on the repeat run now that Thornton's in the Bay Area. Despite her diminished offensive returns, there should be shortage of suitors for Vandersloot, whose adaptability can assist a championship run or restoration project alike.