Libertys Sabrina Ionescu the X-factor in rematch vs. defending champion Aces

Nearly a year ago, the Liberty stars were a shell of themselves against the Aces and couldn’t hang on to earn their first WNBA title.Sabrina Ionescu averaged only 9.8 points on 31-percent shooting across the four WNBA Finals games — a huge dip from her 17-point season average.Nevertheless, the Liberty have seen a different facilitator in Ionescu a year later for the 2024 playoffs — one who drives to the rim, uses a floater and finds more shots inside the paint than out.The newfound versatility of the 2020 No.1-overall pick will be crucial to the early semifinal meeting with the Aces starting on Sunday in the best-of-five series.Since the beginning of the season, the Liberty wanted to see Ionescu go downhill more often, but nevertheless, she had to change her game due to her usual 3-point dagger becoming inconsistent.This year, Ionescu’s percentage from beyond the arc has fallen by 11.6 percent and sits at a low 33.3 percent.

Last year’s 44.8 percentage was a league record for WNBA players with at least 200 attempted 3-pointers in a season.“I think when you’re one-dimensional, it’s obviously a lot easier to guard,” Ionescu said after Liberty practice on Saturday.“Obviously this offseason, I worked really hard on just continuing to get really explosive, get back to driving, using my body, getting contact, getting into the paint and just getting some easy looks at the basket, which opens up the floor for everyone else.”Despite her struggles at the end of the regular season, shooting just 7-for-37 from the field in the final three games, Ionescu has come alive in the playoffs.She had a playoff career-high 36 points in Game 2 to lead the sweep of the Dream, in which 21 of those points were inside the paint.“She’s able to affect the game in so many different ways and obviously teams know they want to run her off the line,” Jonquel Jones said.

“They don’t want to let her get easy 3-point shots.She’s evolving.

She’s allowing herself to...