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2015 Record:
23-11
Lost in Eastern Conference Finals

Key Offseason Moves:
Signed Shavonte Zellous (IND)
Lost Essence Carson to free agency (LAS)
Drafted Adut Bulgak (R1, P12)

Outlook:
The players. The coach. The city. Those three facets were working in parallel last season when the New York Liberty won a franchise-record 23 games and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Playoffs.

Intense team defense — lauded by generations of Madison Square Garden crowds — became the calling card for a team that inched within a win of the WNBA Finals.

“I think the players know New York is a special place to play,” Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. “The fans are very knowledgeable, very demanding and they want effort and they want consistent effort, and when you put together a defensive team like we had last year and hopefully this year, they appreciate the energy and time put in to get that accomplished.”

The Liberty led the WNBA in scoring defense (71.1 points per game) and help opponents to a league-low 39% shooting.

“We practice extensively on defense and demand of our players accountability both individually and with a team concept,” Laimbeer said. “Last year it was very successful for us and that feeds the mindset of the players. They know that’s where they hang their hat.”

Having players that are known for defense, Laimbeer said, also helps the process of becoming an elite team on that side of the ball. The addition of gritty veteran Tanisha Wright and the drafting of Kiah Stokes a year ago are two other reasons — aside from tenacity and work ethic — that fueled the Liberty’s defense.

Stokes was named First Team All-Rookie after averaging 2.0 blocks and 6.4 rebounds per game.

“We got her as a known defender and shot blocker,” Laimbeer said. “I didn’t think she’d be as good as she was last year so quickly.”

Improvement also came from within. Laimbeer mentioned that he thinks Liberty superstar Tina Charles had her best season defensively last year.

“I think the intense peer pressure of the team is one factor,” Laimbeer said of the improvement. “I think that she conformed and followed along. She always had it in her talent-wise; it’s just a matter of applying that talent and last year she did and she saw the results.”

The presence of Charles is one of the reasons the Liberty continue to have lofty expectations in 2016, despite the loss of Epiphanny Prince, the team’s second leading scorer (15.0 points per game) who will miss an extended period of time this season and likely to be replaced by second-year guard Brittany Boyd. That’s where Charles’ consistency comes into play.

“Every year you know you’re going to get 17 or 18 points and 10 rebounds. As a coach, to rely on that every night, that’s a huge bonus,” Laimbeer said. “She also went through a Playoffs series or two that really showed what she’s capable of doing. Everybody else knew it already, but in her own mind she took that next towards realizing she can be a great player.”

With Charles and a stifling defense, the Liberty could be in for another promising year in New York.