The New York Liberty are currently enjoying a seven-match winning streak. And for the first time this season, they have their full roster fit and available. Among those back in action is Sabrina Ionescu, who recently returned in the match against the Mystics after battling multiple injury setbacks. And she didn’t take long to make an impact.

In the very first match of her return, she just became the fastest player to reach 3,000 PTS, 1,000 REB, and 1,000 AST.

The record is impressive, but the margin by which it was broken is even more remarkable: a whole 60 games. The record was held by Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces, who did it in 243 games. Ionescu has done it in just 183 games. 

While she has barely featured this season, she was happy to feature against the Mystics on Monday. Enjoying an 86-64 win against them, Ionescu said, “My goal was, one, to just feel that joy again of being able to play.”

Ionescu had suffered an ankle injury earlier in the season. Then she suffered a back injury against the Wings in the only other game she has played this season. So far, she has missed 12 of Liberty’s first 13 games. Her status is being monitored continuously, and the Liberty are in no rush to start her actively.

While the Liberty team seems to be doing fine without her, getting Sabrina back to full fitness will certainly boost their playoff contention. And by the looks of it, Liberty might go all the way to the finals.

The former number one pick has certainly justified her place and stature. She has had an explosive start with Liberty. She was the first WNBA player to record 500+ points, 200+ rebounds, and 200+ assists in a single regular season. She is the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 300 career 3-pointers, doing so in just 117 games.

Since her debut, she has made the WNBA All-Star from 2022 to 2025 and the All-WNBA Second Team from 2022 to 2025.

Liberty is in a good position, but must remain cautious

While Sabrina Ionescu has put up extraordinary numbers till now, Liberty must remain cautious. She has now missed roughly 37 games because of injuries since her Liberty debut in 2020.

A severe ankle sprain required surgery in her first season. Then she played the entire 2021 season on a “wooden leg” due to nagging ankle issues. Then there was the UCL injury in her thumb during the 2024 finals. She did play through the injury and won her first championship, but underwent surgery later. This season has also limited her game time due to ankle and back issues.

The Liberty is winning right now. They still have a lot of firepower on the team. Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones are doing the heavy lifting. Rookie Pauline Astier has basically made the point guard position her own. She and Marine Johannes are nearly averaging 11.7 points per game this season.

Breanna Stewart is playing at near MVP levels and leads the team in scoring. So at the moment, Sabrina’s absence is not showing an impact on results. This means that Coach DeMarco can be cautious in his approach to bringing her back.

The WNBA regular season still has a long way to go. Having a fit and firing Sabrina will dramatically help come the deep end of the season.