Emma Meesseman knew what she signed up for.
Not only did she expect to take on a load to help turn around a reigning champion team going through an injury-filled season, but she also knew she would be a fluid piece for the Liberty.
Since her New York debut Aug. 3, Meesseman has been in the starting lineup with two-time MVP Breanna Stewart sidelined due to a knee injury.
In Stewart’s Monday return for an 81-79 win over the Connecticut Sun, coach Sandy Brondello decided to have Meesseman play off the bench and Kennedy Burke take the starting spot.
“She hadn’t had any time together with the Big 3 [Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones],” Brondello said of her reasoning after the Liberty’s practice Wednesday. “We wanted to get off to a good start, so we went with familiarity.”
Meesseman didn’t bat an eye at the decision.
“I don’t want to interrupt that or break that rhythm that they have,” she said.
It’s been a balance for Meesseman, learning the tendencies of her teammates while also letting the existing chemistry flow on the court. Much of her adjustment to the Liberty has happened during games, as practices have been few and far between with the preferred starting five due to injuries.
Against the Sun, Meesseman only played two minutes alongside Stewart, Ionescu, and Jones. All parties expect that to change as the six remaining regular-season games play out.
Stewart, who returned on a minutes restriction and has previously played with Meesseman, said it was hard to catch her as she was hardly in the rotation across 21 minutes.
Nevertheless, she is “excited” for what the pair can do together.
“Of course, we need to explore what that looks like,” Brondello added. “It looks like a viable option for us and I think it is, but we still need experiences to learn. I think she’s doing well. She’s hanging in there. It’s probably been a little harder than she would have thought but she’s going to help us and she’s getting more comfortable.”
At Wednesday’s practice the two-time All-Star and 2019 Finals MVP had reps with the Liberty’s second unit as well as the starters.
Talking has been the one sure way accelerate Meesseman’s acclimation.
“You know, in huddles or just face to face. If I feel something is off, [they] see something the way they think it should be, we just talk through it,” Meesseman said. “I think that’s the only way at this point that we could do it. So, I think we did a pretty good job at that. I didn’t feel totally lost. … Like almost all practices, and just games in general, I feel like I survived pretty well.”
While away from the game, Stewart, as Vice President of the WNBA Players Association, went to an in-person CBA meeting in the beginning of August.
She said it was “not great.”
“What I hope is that they heard my perspective, the player perspective, and why we’re feeling the way that we’re feeling,” Stewart said.
Natasha Cloud (nose fracture) was a partial participant at practice and is questionable for Thursday’s game.
Nyara Sabally (knee) is out while Isabelle Harrison (concussion) is not on the injury report after a full practice Wednesday.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
