Latest news with #EmmaMeesseman
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Preview: The injury epidemic, Cameron Brink's return, and the week's top matchups
The WNBA's trade deadline is officially a week-and-a-half away with teams having until August 7 at 3:00 p.m. ET to get all trades done before the WNBA's regular season reaches 70% complete. As Cole Huff explained last week, it is reasonable to believe that the Dallas Wings and the Washington Mystics will be sellers in the next ten days. The Dallas Wings remain the second worst team in the league while the Washington Mystics have reportedly been entertaining calls to trade sophomore forward Aaliyah Edwards. But who might be the buyers? The New York Liberty got their work done early earning a commitment from free agent Belgian superstar and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman. She is set to arrive in August. But how will the Lynx match especially since they lost Karlie Samuelson for the season on July 4? What about the Seattle Storm, a team who continues to lose to teams without as much talent? As of now the Storm are fifth in the WNBA standings, but have the ninth ranked offense in the league. That has to improve if Seattle wants to go on a deep playoff run. Before moving to the week ahead, the injury endemic in the WNBA must be discussed. In the past week Golden State's Kayla Thornton got season-ending knee surgery following an injury she sustained in practice, Angel Reese missed two games this past week nursing a bad back, and Breanna Stewart left the Liberty's game on Saturday against the Sparks with presumably a right calf strain. Add that to the fact that Caitlin Clark has remained out after injuring her right groin right before the All-Star break. And MVP Napheesa Collier has been playing through something in her shoulder. She began wearing a wrap on her shoulder on July 25 to mitigate some discomfort. What's the cause of this and why does it feel like so many notable players are injured and banged up all at once? There has been a ton of heat this season for questionable and inconsistent officiating from WNBA referees, and while some of this is warranted especially when the league has more eyes on it than it ever has, there's another part of this story. Poor officiating isn't just why the WNBA has been on pace this season to register the most injuries ever during a regular season in recent memory per Lucas Seehafer of The IX Basketball. Since 2021, the amount of games played in the regular season has increased by 37.5%. Coming off the pandemic bubble season in 2020, there were 32 regular season games played because it was an Olympic year and the footprint of the season had to include a month-long break in the middle of the season. From 2022 to 2025, the amount of games has gone up from 36 games in 2022, to 40 games in 2023 and 2024 and then in 2025 there are 44 games during the regular season, the most ever. Last season, 2024 was also an olympic year. While the amount of games played has vastly increased, the WNBA footprint, or amount of days that encompass a whole regular season and playoff schedule has not. More games are being shoved into less time. In just this past week, six teams in the Dream, Aces, Liberty, Mystics, Sun and Wings have all played in back-to-back games. This prompted ESPN broadcast analyst and former WNBA player Rebecca Lobo to dig up some research that showed the dramatic decrease in average days between games during the regular season since 2021. The numbers via ESPN researcher Garrett Gastfield show that even in a non-olympic year, the schedule is even more brutal than it was a season ago. As of now the WNBA and its players are involved in on-going CBA negotiations, and the length of time in between games in addition to a longer season footprint ought to be brought up in further discussions. While Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is preparing to extend next season into the month of November due to the 2026 FIBA World Cup that takes place in September, the league's calendar footprint needs to be expanded in the long term rather than just for a season. 'We want to promote player safety,' Mercury forward Satou Sabally told reporters on June 19.'I think that's the biggest thing, and we want to work together with the league about it, because we're the product, right? And we also understand it's a business, so just finding the best possible way to make it accommodating for everyone…to ensure that we can play all these games and give our best performance.' The current model––playing 44 games in 119 days–– has in turn led to more players getting injured at a moment when die-hard fans and new audiences crave seeing their favorite players play instead of in street clothes on the bench. The Week Ahead There's a theme in the games selected for this week. Each one has specific playoff implications as these are all matchups between teams that are very close to each other in the standings. As of this writing, the only matchup I have highlighted that doesn't include teams just a game or two apart from one another in the standings is when the Liberty finally face off against the Lynx on Wednesday night. The Liberty remain 3.5 games behind the Lynx, but that shouldn't deter anyone from watching the 2024 WNBA Finals rematch that features the top two teams in the league that took over two months to be played. Also, some of the best matchups this week are nationally televised games. That's what the WNBA's playoff push deserves. Las Vegas Aces @ Los Angeles Sparks (Tuesday July 29 at 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV) The Aces and the Sparks go into Tuesday's matchup having each won a game of the teams' season series. As of this writing, the Aces are 13-13 and are 1.5 games up on the 11-14 Sparks. Los Angeles has momentum riding a five game winning streak where they've defeated the Sun and the Mystics twice and then defeated the Liberty on a Rickea Jackson buzzer beater on Saturday. While the Sparks have improved especially offensively, their win streak came against teams that are either negative in net rating or in the Liberty's case just came off playing the day before. While the Aces blew out the 12th place Dallas Wings on Sunday, Las Vegas is still looking for consistency. Does Jewell Loyd coming off the bench help the Aces moving forward? Also, Tuesday the Sparks will welcome back Cameron Brink, the 2024 No.2 overall pick who tore her ACL and meniscus last season and hasn't played in a game since. New York Liberty @ Minnesota Lynx (Wednesday July 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN) There's good news and bad news. First the good. After over two months, the moment most WNBA fans have been waiting for is almost here: the first rematch of the epic 2024 Finals that went five games and into overtime twice. The bad news is that the New York Liberty will most likely play this game without Breanna Stewart, who appeared to strain her lower right leg in the first quarter against the Sparks. Also, the Liberty will most likely be without Finals Game 5 hero Nyara Sabally who according to the New York Post's Madeline Kenney will be out for between two to three weeks. While the Lynx have battled with less injuries, they still won't be completely healthy. They've missed Karlie Samuelson's shooting on the wing ever since she went down with a season ending foot injury. Regardless of who's in and who's out, there's still a lot of talent on the floor that will battle it out on Wednesday. But without Stewart, it will be hard to know after this week how these teams match up against each other in 2025. Some more good news is that both teams will play each other three more times in the month of August. Golden State Valkyries @ Washington Mystics (Thursday July 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video) The Valkyries and the Mystics have both been struggling as of late. Both teams got blown out by opponents on Sunday and they both sit at the bottom of the playoff picture. As of Monday, Golden State just trails Washington by half a game for the final eighth spot, and if the Valkyries still want to make the postseason, which isn't certain especially considering their All-Star Kayla Thornton is out for the season, this is an important game for them to win. With a win on Thursday night, the Valkyries would hold the advantage in the season series against the Mystics, although these two teams play each other two more times before the end of August. Phoenix Mercury @ Atlanta Dream (Friday August 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION) When these two teams faced off on July 23, Brittney Griner's return to Phoenix was sprinkled with some competitive juice in addition to some genuine emotion. She wanted to show out and defeat the franchise that wanted to go in a different direction after she played for the Mercury for over a decade. Griner succeeded at both tasks. She had 18 points and eight rebounds in her Dream's 90-79 win over the Mercury. I expect Griner to want to show out once again when the Mercury face the Dream in Atlanta on Friday. But besides the pride associated here, there are playoff implications too. The Mercury are just a game above the Dream in the standings as of Monday, and if the Dream defeat the Mercury again on Friday night, Atlanta could clinch the season series, a valuable seeding advantage if the two teams end up with the same record at the end of the season. Indiana Fever @ Seattle Storm (Sunday August 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+) The Fever and the Storm are inverses of one another. The Fever have the third best offense in the league, but inconsistency on the defensive end of the ball has led to being sixth in the standings. The Storm, however, have the second best defense and ninth ranked offense. Seattle scored 58 points against the Mystics who have a mediocre defense, ranked seventh best in the league. The Storm's offense remains so inconsistent. As of Monday the fifth place Storm have a one game edge over the Fever in the standings. The Fever have the edge in season series, and if they defeat the Storm again on Sunday, Indiana will have the seeding advantage if these two teams also end up tied on the last day of the season.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big Questions for the Second Half of the WNBA Season
Zena and Ben attempt to answer some big questions for the second half of the WNBA season, namely: Can the Fever and the Aces start winning more? And, with the return of Jonquel Jones plus the addition of Emma Meesseman, will the New York Liberty find their way back to the top?
New York Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Emma Meesseman's looming arrival gives Liberty options — in theory
We've got you covered on the Liberty beat Text with Madeline Kenney as she follows the Liberty — she's sharing behind-the-scenes info and insights with Sports+ subscribers. SIGN UP NOW On paper, it's exactly what the Liberty needed. On paper, they just received an agreement from Emma Meesseman — the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP who has become one of the marquee international forwards during her two-plus years away from the league — to bolster their depth. Advertisement On paper, and an ever-changing injury report, three of their current frontcourt pieces in Breanna Stewart (March knee surgery), Jonquel Jones (just back from a second ankle-related absence this season) and Nyara Sabally (missed her seventh game of the year Tuesday) have dealt with injuries either before or during the season. On paper, Meesseman, whose captivating Liberty potential is accompanied by the mystery of whether she can mesh with the reigning champion's systems on the fly, could allow for starters to rest more down the stretch and ensure they're healthy when the postseason begins.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
5 burning questions ahead of WNBA's second half: Will the supercharged Liberty go on a run? Can Caitlin Clark get healthy?
Can an already established superteam become even more super? Apparently, the answer is yes. The New York Liberty landed on top in the sweepstakes for three-time EuroLeague MVP Emma Meesseman, who has reportedly committed to sign with the reigning champions over Minnesota and Phoenix. Advertisement It's a major splash out of the All-Star break that gives the Liberty an upper hand in repeating. While Meesseman, a 6-foot-4 forward, hasn't played in the WNBA in a few years, she's dominated opponents in Europe and will provide additional depth in the frontcourt — a major boost in a potential Finals rematch with the Minnesota Lynx and MVP candidate Napheesa Collier. Coupled with the return of Jonquel Jones (ankle) on Tuesday against the Fever, it's a significant shift in potential for the second-best team in the league. The return of Meesseman to the WNBA following the EuroBasket tournament last month was long speculated. The Belgian star is the best player in Europe, winning three consecutive EuroLeague MVP honors and back-to-back EuroLeague championships with Turkish team Fenerbahçe. She last played with Chicago in 2022, but is best known in the United States for her seven seasons in Washington. She won the 2019 title with the Mystics and was named Finals MVP , averaging 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in the postseason playing alongside Liberty point guard Natasha Cloud. It now gives the Liberty three WNBA Finals MVPs, including frontcourt brethren Breanna Stewart (two with Seattle) and Jonquel Jones (2024 with New York). She played with both at UMMC Ekaterinburg, providing an easy ramp-up in on-court chemistry for the new addition. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello and her head assistant, Olaf Lange, coached Meesseman there in the late 2010s. Meessman also played with Stewart at Fenerbahçe in 2022-23, and reserve center Nyara Sabally a year ago. Advertisement New York (15-6) already boasts the best offense and second-best defense behind the Lynx. Injuries and absences marked their first half, allowing the Lynx (20-4) a soft 3.5-game cushion in the standings. The Mercury (15-7) are at New York's heels despite playing without their big three of Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally on the court together for much of the season. The most pressing question of the second half of the season is if Meesseman is the golden ticket for a New York repeat, as general manager Jonathan Kolb aims to create a legacy for the seafoam. He won Executive of the Year for bringing in Jones, Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot in 2023 (Vandersloot signed with Chicago in free agency) and expertly crafted this roster under the hard cap. Stewart, Ionescu, Jones and Cloud are each making around $200K, while everyone else on the roster is on or very near the player minimums, according to the Her Hoop Stats salary database. New York had $154,969 in cap room at the All-Star break. In a curious oddity, among many, in the WNBA schedule, we're not seeing a WNBA Finals rematch until next week when New York is in Minnesota on July 30. Meesseman's arrival is dependent on her visa application being processed, so her status for that game is unclear. If one had asked on Monday morning, those four Lynx-Liberty matchups within a span of three weeks looked like a potential avenue for the Lynx to put the No. 1 seed and Finals home-court advantage out of reach. Ceilings and floors change quickly in the WNBA. Advertisement Here are the other questions the second half of the WNBA season will answer in due time: Will Caitlin Clark be healthy and available? Expectations for the Fever came crashing down to Earth in the season's first half as Clark dealt with various injuries that kept her out of the All-Star Game over the weekend. The health of their superstar in the second half will be what makes or breaks their hopes of a championship run, or at minimum, a charge to the semifinals in setting up a future title run. Injured and on the bench for her home All-Star weekend, Caitlin Clark's status in the second half will likely make or break the Fever's playoff chances. (Steph Chambers via Getty Images) The Fever proved they can win big games without their star , but they'd rather have her on the court than off of it. Her absence is especially felt late in close games as the go-to offensive orchestrator. Indiana is 8-5 with her (a three-game winning streak upon her return boosted that record) and 4-6 without her (including the loss to New York on a back-to-back following her injury). Advertisement Though she's struggled from beyond the arc and had trouble finding her rhythm amid a revolving door of injuries every four or five games, Clark remains the catalyst for the Fever offense in almost every way. Her 8.8 assists per game and 44.2% assist rate rank behind only Mercury point-forward Thomas (9.5 per game, 56.1%). And she's the best pick-and-roll partner for third-year forward Aliyah Boston, whose game has taken another step this year. Fever head coach Stephanie White said Clark was meeting with doctors on Monday and Tuesday and 'doesn't presume to give any timetables' on her return. She previously described the injury as 'day-to-day' in the first 24 hours after the star sustained it in a win over Connecticut on July 15. 'It's whatever the medical staff says, that's what I go by,' White said. It may be time to consider shutting Clark down for a little longer than the medical staff had previously, given the related injuries. If the defense can keep them floating around a No. 6 seed, is it worth it to shelve Clark until late August and ramp her up for the playoffs? Advertisement Who will take the race for No. 8? It's always a race for the No. 8 and final playoff seed as the season carries into August. As of All-Star, the Indiana Fever (12-11), Washington Mystics (11-11), Las Vegas Aces (11-11) and Golden State Valkyries (10-12) are bunched together in the 6-9 spots. Los Angeles (8-14) is two games back of the Valkyries. Rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have been key to the Mystics staying competitive season. (Photo by) (Ethan Miller via Getty Images) Indiana has the most upside since Clark could return to the lineup. The Aces have the experience, but have been inconsistent and defensively challenged this year. For the Mystics and Valkyries, feel-good stories could turn into playoff surprises that far exceed preseason expectations. Advertisement How the Mystics fare will rely heavily on their rookie tandem of All-Stars Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. The duo combines for a third of the Mystics' offense on average (26 points per game) as two of the most efficient players on the floor (45 FG%). The Valkyries already surpassed the 8.5 expected win total set by Bet MGM and are fourth in defensive rating, allowing 98.8 points per 100 possessions. That's behind only the Lynx, Liberty and Mercury, who are first through third in the standings. Golden State is 4-1 against Indiana (2-0, one to play), Washington (1-0, three to play) and Las Vegas (1-1, two to play). They played the league's second-toughest schedule in the first half, according to Massey Ratings . Are playoffs in Ballhalla's future? If so, that environment will be electric. Will there be a first-time MVP? Napheesa Collier's trophy case must be sturdy. The Minnesota Lynx forward won her first WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024, added an Unrivaled 1x1 championship and secured the All-Star MVP nod. She's largely viewed as the top contender to win WNBA MVP, an honor that would be her first. Advertisement Collier leads the league in win shares (5.0) and scoring (23.2 points per game), ranks fourth in steals (1.8) and blocks (1.6) and is ninth in rebounding (7.6), a lower mark than a year ago with more size around her in Minnesota. She's shooting clips of 51.7% overall, 34.2% from 3-point range and 94.6% from the free throw line. Her shooting percentage is a career high by five percentage points, and her free throws by nearly 10% on more attempts. More impressive is her success from range. It's not a career high, but she's attempting and hitting more than ever in her career as an additional deep weapon for the Lynx's offense. Collier, a seventh-year steal in the 2019 draft, has the advantage of being named a frontrunner early, but her second half can seal the deal. The Lynx play their first games against reigning champs New York next week in matchups that will go a long way toward an MVP-winning candidacy. The WNBA standard-bearers in A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are deserving of discussion, but as of now, out of the picture. Wilson's Aces are barely in playoff contention, while Stewart hasn't had the shooting touch from deep and plays amid a star-studded Liberty group of MVPers. Jonquel Jones might become a talker by season's end as the core of that group once she returns this week from injury. Advertisement Moving up into consideration is Thomas, whose already illustrious career appears revitalized in Phoenix. Despite playing without Copper and Sabally for spurts of the year, Thomas has the Mercury in third place behind the Lynx and Liberty. She leads the league in assists (9.5), ranks 12th on the boards (7.3 rebounds per game), 15th in shooting percentage (51.7) and ninth in win shares (2.8). And Allisha Gray is a player to watch down the stretch for Atlanta. Will the trade deadline matter? Historically, the answer has been unequivocally no . It's one of the many down-ballot issues the players and owners should address in the collective bargaining agreement. Advertisement But there may be a case for it this time. All teams have cap room except the Las Vegas Aces — already movers ahead of the deadline by trading for NaLyssa Smith — and five teams are in six digits. Excluding the Liberty, who will use the majority on signing Meesseman, the Mystics ($394,308), Valkyries ($332,285), Sun ($285,998) and Fever ($111,945) all have monetary wiggle room, per the Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database . And since the majority of players are unrestricted free agents come the end of the season, there is no consideration of whether the player fits into long-term goals. Most of the league can be acquired as a one-time filler in a chase for a championship. Players on rookie deals can be swapped to build around next year as known entities. This year's trade deadline is Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. ET.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Emma Meesseman will join the Liberty in her return to the WNBA, AP source says
NEW YORK (AP) — Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP who last played in the league in 2022, is joining the New York Liberty, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday. The timing of the arrival of the 32-year-old from Belgium in the U.S. will be determined by how long it takes to get her visa, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. ESPN first reported Meesseman's decision. The two-time All-Star, who helped the Washington Mystics win the 2019 title, has been focused on leading the Belgium national team since her last season in the WNBA, which she spent with the Chicago Sky. Meesseman played with Natasha Cloud, whom New York acquired in the offseason, in Washington when the Mystics won their championship six years ago. Meesseman helped Belgium win the EuroBasket title last month to qualify for next year's World Cup. She joins a stacked New York team with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu that won its first championship last year. The 6-foot-4 forward also considered Minnesota and Phoenix. The Liberty currently sit second in the standings, 3 1/2 games behind the Lynx. Meesseman has dominated overseas in her time away from the WNBA. She was named the EuroBasket MVP twice in the past three years. And she helped Belgium reach the medal round at the Paris Olympics before it lost to France in overtime in the semifinals and then Australia in the bronze-medal game. ___
