Almost by herself, Sabrina Ionescu made the New York Liberty a must-see attraction in the WNBA last year. Now they’re a sudden powerhouse with the addition of Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot and Jonquel Jones.
But there’s another reason this team should be watched at every opportunity: The most skilled athlete who comes off the bench in any sport.
Do you have your doubts about Marine Johannes? You probably haven’t seen enough of her. To me, she’s as much of a basketball attraction coming out of France as the towering Victor Wembanyama, about to make his NBA debut with the San Antonio Spurs.
There’s a lot of Ionescu, the all-court wizard from Walnut Creek, in Johannes. She has anticipatory vision, delivers phenomenal passes and launches beautiful outside shots with nearly unlimited range. She plays with uncommon grace and style. It’s only because of Ionescu, along with backcourt partner Vandersloot, that Johannes doesn’t start.
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That wouldn’t be the case with most other teams. People are just starting to recognize Johannes as one of the world’s great entertainers.
It’s really not her intention to get people leaping out of their seats. Her countenance is stoic, her words at a minimum, her celebrations nonexistent. In the meantime, you’re looking at a player who calls to mind the great Larry Bird.
Whatever kind of pass you can name — long-distance sling, on the bounce in traffic, cross-court bullets with either hand, volleyball tip, one-handed flick, behind the back, even a no-look jewel with both hands over her head — Johannes delivers with startling accuracy, usually right into someone’s shooting pocket.
And then she returns to the bench, where she might languish for long periods of time. Teammates say she struggles with her confidence, an issue she has dealt with for years, so there will be mundane stints that draw no attention whatsoever. But it won’t be long before she blows your mind again.
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Her shot selection calls to mind the virtuoso, rich in original thought. Blending marksmanship with a sense of theater, she’ll fire an off-balance 3-pointer off one foot, the other leg purposefully splayed off to the side. She has crossover preparation, floaters and clever spin banks in her arsenal. “Some of her shots look like the kind you’d take on the playground just goofing around,” one scouting report noted. “Risky, yes. But she makes you question what’s possible on a basketball court.”
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon describes Johannes’ potential as “lightning in a bottle.” Liberty teammate Jocelyn Willoughby told thenexthoops.com, “It catches me off guard when she does certain things and has no reaction to it. We’re all just like, ‘Whoa, that was elite.’ ”
It’s fascinating, too, because there isn’t much known about her beyond the basics. She grew up in Lisieux, a countryside town some 135 miles northwest of Paris, and came to be known as “the French Stephen Curry” as her reputation blossomed. Earlier this year she led Lyon ASVEL to both the French League title and the EuroCup Women championship, earning MVP honors in the Finals.
Between the pandemic, the Olympics and playing for the French national team, she didn’t look into returning to the WNBA until January 2022. As a free agent, recruited heavily by the Phoenix Mercury, she chose the Liberty because of her love of New York, some friends on the team and her respect for coach Sandy Brondello, who saw Johannes’ potential and employed her off the bench throughout last season.
“I’m a huge fan of Marine,” Brondello recently told reporters. “I think everyone should get a chance to watch her. I know her worst enemy is herself, so I try to keep her confident because that’s how she’s going to help us the best. But she’s an amazing player. She’s just a bird; you gotta let her fly.”
The most appealing non-starter in sports? That’s a ridiculously wide-open argument, from the NBA’s talent stockpile or (just to throw out a name) Jack Grealish of the all-conquering Manchester City in international soccer. We’ll see what unfolds with the U.S. and other formidable teams in the upcoming Women’s World Cup. I’ve cast my vote, and I don’t see it changing any time soon.
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• The league’s copious depth becomes evident each year, when only a few of the first- and second-round draft picks make any kind of impact. Ionescu has discovered this at the highest level, to the point where she finished sixth among guards in the All-Star voting by fans and media. It was shocking, though, to learn that the players’ votes buried her at 19th in the backcourt.
• That’s just wrong. No quarrels here with the four guards leading the overall vote — Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Arike Ogunbowale, not to mention the likes of Kelsey Plum, Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper, Vandersloot and the ever-sterling Diana Taurasi. But this suggests a bit of jealousy and envy toward Ionescu, who gets a ton of media attention (deservedly), shows off her personality in marketing productions and has a ton of admirers among top NBA players. Packaged within her world-class game is 42% shooting from 3-point range, a glowing command of the team concept and a reputation as the league’s best backcourt rebounder (at 5-foot-11), making her a constant triple-double threat. Enough with the snubs.
• The showdown was a letdown. The Las Vegas Aces hung a 27-14 third quarter on the Liberty and turned Thursday night’s long-awaited game into a 98-81 rout. Hammon, a brilliant strategist who spent eight NBA seasons as an assistant under San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, has a gold mine of talent after adding Candace Parker and Alysha Clark to last year’s championship-winning assembly. It was clear by any measure Thursday night that the best players on the floor were Gray (the league’s best shooter against contested defense), the relentless Plum and A’ja Wilson, the two-time MVP.
• Parker was pleased, but not delighted, afterward. “I wish the game had been nationally televised,” she said. “That would have brought more attention to it. We need to celebrate these matchups.” ESPN is part of the WNBA’s complicated TV package and had plenty of time to prepare a telecast. Instead, the Vegas-New York time slot brought us “The Last Dance” (who hasn’t seen that?) and repeated editions of “SportsCenter.”
• There’s no forecasting the vagaries of playing time and injuries, but at this stage of the season, former Stanford star Haley Jones (Atlanta) is on a very short list behind Indiana’s Aliyah Boston in the Rookie of the Year projections. In a league known for its sophisticated, tough-minded veterans, Jones has shown no hesitation taking big shots or speaking up during timeouts.
Bruce Jenkins writes the 3-Dot Lounge for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1
June 30, 2023|Updated June 30, 2023 4:10 p.m.
Sports Columnist
Bruce Jenkins has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1973 and has been a sports columnist since 1989. He has covered 27 World Series, 19 Wimbledons and many other major events, including the Super Bowl, World Cup soccer, NBA Finals, four major golf tournaments and U.S. Open tennis championships.
He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1966 and UC Berkeley with a B.A. in journalistic studies in 1971.
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