Liberty's Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Courtney Vandersloot back in action for Commissioner's Cup final vs. Lynx

The Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx were out there on the UBS Arena floor Tuesday night, trying to grab ownership of the Commissioner’s Cup in the championship game. It was a game that didn’t count in the standings.

In those that have, the Liberty have looked the part of a team quite capable of grabbing ownership of the WNBA championship later this year.  After claiming the Commissioner’s Cup vs. Las Vegas last season, they fell two wins short against the Aces in the Finals.

Minnesota, meanwhile, has looked the part, too.

But the Liberty could take even more inspiration in the way they had been able to overcome the absences of two starters. Both Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Courtney Vandersloot were declared good to go again against Minnesota by coach Sandy Brondello before the game.

Laney-Hamilton, the guard/forward and valuable two-way contributor who usually guards the best perimeter player, missed the previous three games due to trouble with her right knee. The Liberty won them all.

And Vandersloot missed the previous eight. The five-time All-Star point guard was dealing with her mom’s illness and then her death. Then she was trying to get back in condition to play. The Liberty went 7-1 without her, and also won an earlier game that she sat out as well.

The three other regular starters — Sabrina Ionescu, the 6-6 Jonquel Jones and 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart — continued to play at a high level without the two.

And they got an assist from Kayla Thornton and Leonie Fiebich, who took on larger roles.

“When you look at those two [Laney-Hamilton and Vandersloot], other players had to step up,” said Tamika Catchings, the Hall of Famer who worked as an analyst on Prime Video’s streaming of the Commissioner’s Cup final. “You get to see Sabrina in action. You get to see Jonquel with her point guard skills. Stewie is going to do what she does.

“And all of those supporting players are filling those gaps in between.”

Stewart is averaging 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Ionescu is averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds. And Jones is averaging 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

The Liberty stand on the top row of the standings at 15-3 — the best start in franchise history — after winning 11 of 12 since they fell, 84-67, at Minnesota on May 25. They went 5-0 in Commissioner’s Cup games to earn the best winning percentage and qualify as the Eastern Conference’s representative.

“Their chemistry has gotten stronger over time,” said LaChina Robinson, the former four-year starter at Wake Forest and ESPN analyst who also worked the title game. “So I think the more comfortable you are playing with each other, you start to see more layers in every individual’s games.

“For example, Jonquel Jones being the facilitator that she has been. We forget that she played point guard growing up and then had a growth spurt all the way to 6-6. So she’s had that ability, but now she’s more comfortable with her teammates. Obviously, the absence of Sloot has opened up the opportunity for her to do more and to be more.”

Robinson pointed toward Ionescu’s evolution in her fifth season, too. Lisa Byington, the play-by-play announcer for Tuesday night’s event, especially praised Ionescu’s work in the previous eight without Vandersloot.

“I think we underestimate the playmaking ability of Sabrina Ionescu,” Byington said.

The Lynx, under the direction of coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve, weren’t expected to be playing for the Commissioner’s Cup. Nor were they expected to have the WNBA’s second-best record, along with Connecticut, at 13-3.

“When I make my list of surprises so far this season, Minnesota is No. 1,” Robinson said. “I guess we should stop underestimating the GM and coaching abilities of Cheryl Reeve because clearly she’s very proven.”