Emma Meesseman knew what she signed up for.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In Stewart\u2019s Monday return<\/a> for an 81-79 win over the Connecticut Sun<\/a>, coach Sandy Brondello decided to have Meesseman play off the bench and Kennedy Burke take the starting spot.<\/p>\n \u201cShe hadn\u2019t had any time together with the Big 3 [Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones],\u201d Brondello said of her reasoning after the Liberty\u2019s practice Wednesday. \u201cWe wanted to get off to a good start, so we went with familiarity.\u201d<\/p>\n Meesseman didn\u2019t bat an eye at the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to interrupt that or break that rhythm that they have,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Emma Meesseman goes up for a layup during the Liberty\u2019s win over the Sun on Aug. 25, 2025. John Jones-Imagn Images<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Nevertheless, she is \u201cexcited\u201d for what the pair can do together.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, we need to explore what that looks like,\u201d Brondello added. \u201cIt looks like a viable option for us and I think it is, but we still need experiences to learn. I think she\u2019s doing well. She\u2019s hanging in there. It\u2019s probably been a little harder than she would have thought but she\u2019s going to help us and she\u2019s getting more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n Breanna Stewart shoots a jumper during the Liberty\u2019s win over the Sun. Michelle Farsi \/ New York Post<\/p>\n At Wednesday\u2019s practice the two-time All-Star and 2019 Finals MVP had reps with the Liberty\u2019s second unit as well as the starters.<\/p>\n Talking has been the one sure way accelerate Meesseman\u2019s acclimation.<\/p>\n \u201cYou 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,\u201d Meesseman said. \u201cI think that\u2019s the only way at this point that we could do it. So, I think we did a pretty good job at that. I didn\u2019t feel totally lost. \u2026 Like almost all practices, and just games in general, I feel like I survived pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma Meesseman goes up for a layup during the Liberty\u2019s win over the Sun. Michelle Farsi \/ New York Post<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n She said it was \u201cnot great.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tCovering the Liberty like never before\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Madeline Kenney’s Inside the Liberty, a weekly Sports+ newsletter.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I hope is that they heard my perspective, the player perspective, and why we\u2019re feeling the way that we\u2019re feeling,\u201d Stewart said.<\/p>\n Natasha Cloud (nose fracture) was a partial participant at practice and is questionable for Thursday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Nyara Sabally (knee) is out while Isabelle Harrison (concussion) is not on the injury report after a full practice Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Emma Meesseman knew what she signed up for. 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