Sabrina Ionescu’s Shooting Numbers Are Tanking. She Knows Why.

The New York Liberty lost again Sunday. This time it was 76-67 to the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. That makes four losses in five games for a team that was supposed to be one of the WNBA’s deepest rosters.

Sabrina Ionescu didn’t score a single point in the first half. It’s the fourth time this season she’s been held scoreless before halftime. For a four-time All-Star, that number is jarring.

Numbers That Don’t Lie

Ionescu is averaging career lows across the board: 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists. She’s shooting 34.6% from the field and 27.3% from three. She hasn’t cracked 20 points in any game this year.

The 28-year-old missed the first five games of the season with an ankle injury sustained in the preseason. Then a back problem cost her seven more games. She’s been back for a while now, but the rhythm just isn’t there.

“I’ve never missed a month in a season unless it was my rookie year, and I missed the whole season,” Ionescu told reporters, per Liberty reporter Myles Ehrlich. “Obviously, it’s been a learning experience for me, especially early on in the year, where you’re trying to find your identity as a team and build chemistry with players you haven’t played with, and obviously, a new coach, new system, so all of that is new.”

Chemistry Problems Aren’t Just Her Fault

The Liberty are 12-8. That’s fine. But the margin for error is thin in a league where every possession matters, and New York looks like a team still figuring out how to play together. Jonquel Jones recently called out her teammates for not playing with enough heart. That’s not the kind of thing you hear from a team that feels settled.

There’s a new coach in place. New sets. New rotations. And Ionescu, who usually dictates the offense, has been trying to find her place in something that’s still being built. The ankle limited her explosiveness early. The back injury cost her conditioning. Now she’s playing catch-up on top of learning a new system.

But here’s the thing about Ionescu: she’s the kind of player who can flip a switch. One game where the shots drop and the whole narrative changes. She’s done it before.

The Liberty head back to New York for a Tuesday matchup against the Las Vegas Aces. That’s a tough test for a team that’s still searching for its identity. But it’s also exactly the kind of stage where a player like Ionescu tends to remind everyone what she’s capable of.