Leonie Fiebich makes defensive presence felt in…
Breanna Stewart put her palms together and appeared up, like she was thanking God for answering her prayer.
Perhaps there’s no one more excited for Leonie Fiebich’s return to the Liberty’s rotation than Stewart, the workforce’s defensive anchor and chief who shouldered the burden of making an attempt to keep the workforce afloat amid a uneven start to the season.
“Leo’s a top defender,” Stewart said before the Liberty’s 84-74 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday evening at Barclays Center. “But just the chemistry that she has with the people on the court knowing that her and I can definitely play like a great two-man action together defensively and bring added length, you know, it’s also that awareness of knowing where she needs to be.”
The Liberty haven’t discovered their defensive id yet this season. They entered Wednesday having conceded an average of 86.9 factors per sport and posted a defensive score of 106.5, good for eighth in the league.
The Liberty’s perimeter protection has significantly been an space of concern. New York permits an average of 29.7 makes an attempt from deep per sport, the most in the league.
Fiebich was keen to report for obligation Wednesday after watching the workforce drop three straight.
“Whatever the team needs,” Fiebich said. “If that’s ball pressure, if that’s picking all defense, if that’s, you know, whatever, whatever the coaches and team needs for me.”
Any lingering jet lag Fiebich is dealing with wasn’t obvious. She made her presence felt on both ends of the ground, particularly during the workforce’s thrilling 23-0 run in the third quarter.
Leonie Fiebich (13) defends Marta Suarez (proper) during the Liberty’s 84-74 win over the Mercury on May 27, 2026 at Barclays Center. John Jones-Imagn Images
Fiebich completed with 9 factors on 3-for-4 capturing, with two steals in 32 minutes. Her stat line, though, doesn’t inform the full story, particularly when it comes to her defensive impression.
Coach Chris DeMarco said Fiebich was “as advertised.”
“She’s so steady,” DeMarco said. “She gets her hands on the ball defensively, made a big-time 3, she just gets it. She knows how to play. Really good addition and obviously with her being new here this season and just playing for the first time. … There’s some growing pains right there, but she was fantastic.”
Fiebich’s ability set enhances the offense DeMarco is making an attempt to run. She can drill well timed 3s, just like the nook trey she drained to open the sport. She’s sensible with her cuts, too, and will benefit from the general spacing.
It’s a small pattern dimension, and Fiebich hasn’t had a full follow with the workforce yet. But one sport in, it appeared Fiebich had a good grasp of the workforce’s spacing ideas.
“It’s a lot of freedom,” Fiebich said of the offense. “I think everybody can really showcase what they got, their skills.”
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