2015 Record:
23-11; lost in Eastern Conference Finals

Key Offseason Moves:
Signed Shavonte Zellous
Re-signed Carolyn Swords
Candice Wiggins retirement
Essence Carson signed with L.A.

Last Year’s Draft Picks:
1st round/9th overall: Brittany Boyd
1st round/11th overall: Kiah Stokes
2nd round/24th overall: Amber Orrange
3rd round/27th overall: Lauren Mincy
3rd round/28th overall: Michala Johnson

This Year’s Draft Picks:
1st round/12th overall
2nd round/24th overall
3rd round/36th overall

Season Highlights:

Team Needs:
A team that finished with the best record in the league doesn’t have much in the way of needs, especially when holding only the last pick in each round. The Liberty played their cards to perfection last year, making two first-round selections that paid immediate dividends in rookie contributors Kiah Stokes and Brittany Boyd.

New York’s roster heading into 2016  features the ideal mix of youth and experience. Bill Laimbeer’s club possesses a star and co-star and in their primes (Tina Charles and Epiphanny Prince), a young defensive anchor (Stokes) and two-way perimeter threat (Boyd), and depth across the board. Though wings Essence Carson (signed with L.A.) and Candice Wiggins (retired) are now gone, in steps longtime Fever guard Shavonte Zellous, who should blend in seamlessly on an already tough-as-nails team.

The Liberty have as sound a defensive system as any team in the league — their league-leading 94.2 Defensive Rating was the WNBA’s best since 2008 — but if there’s one thing they’re are lacking, it’s offensive pop. They finished 10th in Offensive Rating and 11th in three-pointers made, and a stagnant offense and over-reliance on Charles and Prince doomed them against the well-balanced Fever in the East Finals. Nabbing a readymade shooter like DePaul’s Megan Podokwa or Oregon State’s Jamie Weisner could bring another element to their attack.