Sabrina Ionescu gets first star treatment, performance before injury

Deep dive into what the New York Liberty have

There's no word when we'll get to see Sabrina Ionescu, the number one overall pick of this past year's draft, suit up for the New York Liberty again after a severe ankle sprain early in Friday's game against the Atlanta Dream. The rookie had just two games under her belt heading into the matchup, a 4-for-17 shooting debut and a 33-point scorcher. 

The former had the dominant Seattle Storm trapping every one of Ionescu's high screens, sending Alysha Clark after her like a defensive bloodhound. It was an introduction into life as a WNBA star, and for an insanely hyped newcomer with first-pro-game nervous energy, it amounted to a bad night. 

Game two featured weaker competition and an Ionescu one game more experienced. Some minor adjustments and more confident shooting led to a standout night, and put on display the potential basketball junkies raved about. 

The reality of Ionescu's current skill level likely lands somewhere in the middle of these two games, and there's no telling when she returns or how she looks at that point. There is, however, plenty to glean from her games thus far that should provide Liberty fans reasons for optimism and a sense of the type of impact Ionescu can have.

Eating our vegetables first, Ionescu was not prepared for the defensive intensity and attention headed her way in game one. The Storm, who had the fourth-best defense last season and the third-best in 2018, decided to trap Ionescu on the ball and deny her off it, treating her like the star she'll become but isn't quite yet. The first clip shows the typical coverage and result of Ionescu running a screen and roll/pop, the second shows back-to-back possessions in which the Storm deviate from their trapping scheme, then go back to it.

This stifling defense led to five turnovers from Ionescu, but on the possession Seattle switched instead of trapped, she was able to create. Soon enough she'll be getting this treatment on a nightly basis, so picking up that read for a quick drop-off or zip pass to the weak side will be crucial. The Dallas Wings only hedged her on screens in game two, leaving whether an adjustment was made in the air. 

There were also a bevy of self-inflicted wounds, as would come naturally in a debut game of this magnitude. Ionescu was adamant on getting the ball after a score or rebound and often forced the issue herself in transition instead of making the easy play. Defensively there appears to be a rift between Ionescu's heady on-ball defense and underwhelming help defense. Ball watching and sagging off too far were a constant theme in game one. It's easy to chalk up a lot of these to nerves, as game two saw tangible improvements:

In the first clip Ionescu pushes the ball ahead despite a streaking Leaonna Odom open on the wing, but in game two Ionescu makes the simple play, passing the ball up with a greater chance of puncturing the defense. Ionescu is struggling to successfully maneuver underneath a screen for one of the league's top shooters in the second clip, allowing an open three. The Liberty were ducking under picks in general so this may have been schemed, but in the aggregate Ionescu displayed little defensive physicality, and it's clear this side of the ball is where she'll need to improve the most. In game two she showed a greater sense of urgency, fighting over a pick and closing out hard to force the miss. 

The little changes and lesser defense were enough to open up the floodgates for Ionescu. She deferred to Layshia Clarendon, the veteran point guard, and let the game come to her, leading to more open looks and six threes en route to 33 points. Ionescu proved the veracity of her no. 1 selection in just a 90-second stretch to close the second quarter:

That's two layups, a stupid good pass downcourt and and off the dribble three to keep the defense honest. Pretty decent burst out of your first year player.

Certain things stand out in game two that could even be found through the struggles of game one that we should expect out of the rookie going forward. First, her comfort and ability using her off hand is no joke. She can pass, handle and score inside with her left easily, opening up lanes that most rookies wouldn't sniff until later in their careers. 

Her distributing is so outrageous in general, it's no question why she always wants the rock. She's able to deliver pinpoint lead and weak-side passes as if she'd been a WNBA point guard for years. Even in the Storm game, when she was able to actually pass out of the double team some of the looks were impressive. Her assist totals will climb higher as she improves her vision and timing while team chemistry builds and her coaches scheme more for her. She can already anticipate defensive reactions to first step and make the premeditated swing pass to her side for an open jumper or attack. It's all mesmerizing:

The Liberty were living what their former NBA counterpart New York Knicks felt in 1985 when they secured Patrick Ewing, and her injury means the messianic return to glory will be on hold for a little while. Though we saw little of what is hopefully a long and successful career, it was enough to show Liberty fans they have a special talent on their hands, one the WNBA already fears.