New York Liberty 2021 season: 12–20, scoring 78.5 points per game and allowing 85.5 (-7 average margin) across 32 games. Updated August 16, 2026.
The Liberty finished 12–20, 10th in the league standings, with a -8.2 net rating that ranked 11th of 12. The problems ran both ways: 10th in offensive rating and 10th in defensive rating. They played fast, too — 2nd in pace. Their calling card was three-point volume (12.3 makes a game, 1st); the soft spots, turnovers (20.7 a game, most in the league) and offensive rebounding (7.6 a game, 12th). Scoring was spread around — Betnijah Laney-Hamilton led at 16.8 a game, but no one accounted for more than 21% of the points, though the on/off numbers point to Sami Whitcomb as the one they can least afford to lose — +8.2 per 100 possessions better with her on the floor. The high points: a 3-game winning streak (May 14–May 18) and a 23-point rout of the Dream on Jun 26. The lows: an 8-game losing streak (Aug 20–Sep 15) and a 29-point loss at the Mystics on May 21. They went 4–14 against teams at .500 or better, and faded late, 2–8 over the last 10. Bottom line: a difficult season, with Betnijah Laney-Hamilton the main reason to watch and its turnover problem the most urgent fix.
Shot-zone charts shaded against the WNBA average, four factors versus opponents, most-used lineups by net rating, on/off player impact, and where the Liberty rank league-wide.