Courtney Vandersloot: Caught Between the Moon and New York City?

The Stellar Playmaking Point Guard Could Very Well Be Missed by the New York Liberty

By Andy Lipton

Leading the ‘Break

It had to be a tough pill to swallow. But you wouldn’t hear it or see it, as she was the consummate teammate supporting her teammates on their way to the first WNBA

championship for the New York Liberty.

 Coach Sandy Brondello made the tough choice to not only take Courtney Vandersloot out of the starting lineup the 2024 playoffs, but to also reduce her playing time in the playoffs. It was drastically reduced in the last four games of the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx.

Brondello inserted a much taller and tougher defender and a better shooter in 6’4’’Leonie Fiebich into the starting lineup in the playoffs and went with a bigger lineup during most of them.

During the postseason, Coach Becky Hammond of the Las Vegas Aces commented about what a tough conversation that much have been for Coach Brondello to have with Vandersloot to remove her starting lineup.

There’s been much talk - rightfully so - about Diana Taurasi being the GOAT in women’s basketball upon her recent retirement.  But Vandersloot is also one of the league’s all-

time best playmaking guards. She’s been a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-WNBA First Team player, and a three-time All-WNBA Second Teamer.

 The 14-year veteran has started 398 regular games out of the 429 she has played and until the last season’s finals had started all 50 playoff games in which she played.

She has averaged 6.6 assist per game in her WNBA career. She is the second all-time leader in assists next to Sue Bird. The 15th All-time leader in steals.

Her career field goal percentage is almost 45% in both the regular season and playoffs.

Vandersloot was the point guard on the 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky.

She was a mainstay for the Liberty as its point guard for the 2023 season in which the Liberty went to the WNBA Finals.

Watching her play this past season, in my opinion, despite being 35 years old, Vandersloot was still in prime physical condition and still in possession of her excellent basketball skills.

 And of course, Coach Brondello knows of Vandersloot’s abilities and has tremendous respect for her. The year before Vandersloot joined the Liberty, I was having a conversation with her about Sabrina Ionescu’s excellent passing skills. She mentioned three other great passers in our conversation, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Vandersloot.

If you weren’t sure about Vandersloot’s disappointment with her limited playing time in the 2024 playoffs, she hinted at it during a January 7, 2025, media Q&A for players and coaches before play was to begin in the new Unrivaled Basketball League.

Vandersloot mentioned that she still felt part of the New York Liberty but was going to explore her free agency that would be coming up. She said her priorities were to be valued, to be on a team that was competitive, that takes care of her and wants her to be there, and for her and her family to be comfortable. She also said “I want the ball in my hands and be able to create the way that I think I can.”

At the time of these sentiments, I did not think that precluded the Liberty from wanting to keep Vandersloot or precluded Vandersloot from wanting to return to the Liberty.

I thought the Liberty would do well to keep her. With a team stacked with terrific players, the Liberty still came close to losing the deciding Game 5 of this past season's

Finals to a Minnesota Lynx team not considered to be loaded with superstars.

 Minus one foul by the Lynx in the closing seconds of regulation time in Game 5, the Liberty very likely - though not 100% certain - would have lost that final game and the season would have been a major disappointment.

In that Game 5, both teams were very tired. Vandersloot, with perhaps fresher legs than her teammates and experienced in many big games, might have been a positive factor with some more minutes in the game. She played only 3 minutes in Game 5. That had to be a huge disappointment for her. She played approximately 11, 8, 6 and 3 minutes in the last 4 games of the Finals.

Vandersloot’s playmaking contributions to the Liberty are not only passing ability, but her ability to keep the offense focused and organized, and to control the tempo. Not of all of these are stat-sheet items.

She was obviously a pass-first player on a team that has many scorers.

She also knows how to move without the ball and can hit shots.

The Liberty’s biggest opponent can be themselves, when on offense the players and the ball stop moving.

As this past season progressed, the Liberty’s player and ball movement was outstanding. In my opinion, the Liberty needed Vandersloot to prevent lapses in its offensive movements.

There is plenty of scoring and defensive ability from other Liberty players.

Sabrina Ionescu is a phenomenal passer, and could be the team’s playmaker but the team and her seem more interested in her scoring abilities.

There are many times that Coach Brondello has the forward Breanna Stewart bringing the ball up court to get the half-court offense started, which has to be physically wearing on her. 

 Perhaps that strategy enables Stewart to get the ball in her own hands more easily.

As it turns out, on February 1, 2025, the first day WNBA free agents could sign a contract, Vandersloot signed with the Chicago Sky, the team that had been her home for 12 consecutive seasons before going to the Liberty in 2023.

Second-years players forward Angel Reese and center Kamila Cardoso will become much better players because of Vandersloot’s experience and playmaking abilities.

Wouldn’t be surprised if one day Vandersloot becomes part of the Sky coaching staff.

Right now it looks like the Liberty don’t have an experienced back-up point guard to Ionescu.

Not clear if reserve free agent guard Marine Johannes will come back to the Liberty. She is an excellent passer, but likes to shoot and not sure she would be a playmaker in the Vandersloot mold.

I read that the Liberty tried to get the point guard Natasha Cloud from the Connecticut Sun, but was unable. Don’t know if that story was true. But if it was true, it indicates that the Liberty wants an additional playmaking guard to Ionescu.

So what would it have taken for Vandersloot to stay with the Liberty assuming the Liberty wanted her back? Did she want to go back to the Liberty? And did the Liberty want her back?

A few days ago, I asked Vandersloot those questions.

Vandersloot said that her time in New York was special, she had great relationships with everyone there, was very grateful to the Liberty for what they were able to provide her

and left on good terms.

She also said, “Obviously my role changed a lot and I was looking to be in little bit different situation…You know I think we [the Liberty and her] decided at the end that it was time for me to move on…We have had conversations and it was just I was looking for something they couldn’t give me…”

I was not able to reach the Liberty’s GM Jonathan Kolb to speak with him about losing Vandersloot.

 Is there an experienced back-up point guard on the horizon for the Liberty?

 * The words in the title come from the lyrics of the song “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, written by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen.