Liberty's Nyara Sabally not expected to play against Sparks

Injuries have been a significant part of the Liberty’s story this season, and it’s unlikely they’ll return to full health on Saturday. Coach Sandy Brondello said before Friday night’s game against the Mercury that she doesn’t expect Nyara Sabally to play on Saturday against the Sparks.

Sabally, a 6-5 center, is averaging 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over 19.4 minutes per game this season. Sabally missed Friday night’s game, still dealing with knee discomfort, the eighth game she’s missed this season.

“It’s unfortunate,” Brondello said. “She’s a player with such great potential, but the injury bug has been the hardest thing she’s had to overcome. Once you see her (healthy) and she’s back on court, she plays at such a high level and we know that the ceiling is really high for her.”

Sabally, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, is averaging a career high in nearly every statistic, including points, rebounds and blocks in her third season. She played 21 minutes against the Fever on July 16, but Sabally has been out since the All-Star break.

Sabally was surprisingly ruled out for rest for Tuesday’s game against the Fever, before Brondello revealed the center was dealing with knee discomfort.

“We’re a player-first organization, we want to make sure they are feeling well and she’s working really hard,” Brondello said. “But we don’t want to make someone play through something.”

The return of Jones

Jonquel Jones, averaging 12.7 points and 9.5 rebounds coming off winning the WNBA Finals MVP last season, made her return after a nine-game absence on Tuesday. She had 18 points and nine rebounds over 23 minutes, and although she was happy to be back, she conceded the month away from the court was challenging.

“It was obviously difficult to not be able to suit up and just having to go through all the rehab processes and stuff like that,” Jones said. “There were a little bit of ups and downs emotionally, I’m not going to lie, but all my teammates were there for me and constantly talking to me and telling me to take my time and making sure I’m doing everything to come back on the court as close to 100% as possible.”

Awaiting Meesseman’s debut

The Liberty and Mercury were going head-to-head behind the scenes before the two took the court on Friday night. They were two of the three teams, along with the Minnesota Lynx, as the finalists to add Emma Meesseman, a 6-4 forward and two-time All-Star. The 32-year-old Belgium native committed to the Liberty on Tuesday, but she won’t join the team until her visa process is complete.

Meesseman averaged 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists over eight WNBA seasons before taking time off to play overseas. She last played for Chicago in 2022.

Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts praised the Liberty for landing the coveted forward, who averaged 19.2 points and 9.2 rebounds to lead Belgium to win its second straight EuroBasket title last month.

“Emma’s a great player, she’s going to be a really good fit here,” Tibbetts said. … “We were lucky enough to be one of (the finalists) and I think she made a good choice.”

Newsday's Brian Heyman contributed to this story.