Healthy Nyara Sabally out to finally fulfill potential as vital piece of Liberty title defense

Liberty forward Nyara Sabally spent the end of the first two days of training camp standing on the sidelines of the Barclays Center practice court, where the assistant coaches hovered as her teammates ran defensive and offensive sets. 

On Tuesday, the restrictions that kept Sabally out of those final stretches of practice were lifted. She was free to participate fully. 

Sabally’s limitations early in training camp had less to do with her injury past and more about allowing the 6-foot-5 center time to recover from her season in Turkey. 

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said those days off were a chance for Sabally to “reset and refresh” ahead of the team’s 44-game season. 

“She’s in shape, she’s just come off the season, so that’s not a problem,” Brondello said. “It’s great to have her in training camp because we’re always limiting her and she … was injured in the past, so she feels good and excited to have her and continue to build her because we think the sky’s the limit for her.” 

Injuries have derailed her potential for greatness too many times before, and the Liberty’s best shot at repeating as champions is with Sabally in the rotation. 

Sabally, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft out of Oregon, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee twice while in college and missed her rookie WNBA season after undergoing another knee surgery. 

Sabally was sidelined for a month last season because of a back injury, which again stifled her development. 

But Sabally persevered through yet another round of adversity. She was better last season than she was in 2023, as she set career highs in points (4.9 per game), rebounds (4.0), steals (0.7), blocked shots (0.4) and field goal percentage (57.5%). 

Sabally’s brightest moment last season was Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, when she erupted for nine points in the third quarter before finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds in the title-clinching overtime win. 

Sabally returned to the Liberty this season eager to channel that version of herself on a more consistent basis. She’s focused on her on-ball and off-ball screens this offseason as well as her efficiency at finishing around the basket. 

“Just keep going, keep doing the same thing I’ve been doing,” Sabally said. “And just kind of keep building days, keep believing in myself because I mean everybody on the team does.” 

Sabally has prioritized taking care of her body more as a professional. She’s incorporated more weight training to build up her strength, especially in her lower body. 

“My body feels good,” Sabally said. “I feel healthy and it’s just kind of managing your body and your load.” 

That’s good news for the Liberty. 

“We just want her to keep doing what she has been doing for us, but where she can [when] there’s no restrictions on how much she can play,” Brondello said. “That’s hard for any kind of player. So just stay healthy for her because you’ll see what we want to do on the court and how she adds to us with her screening, her running, her rebounding, her defense. … She’s so great at screen and speed rolling that it creates openings not just for herself but for others.”