Text with Madeline Kenney as she follows the Liberty — she’s sharing behind-the-scenes info and insights with Sports+ subscribers.

With Jonquel Jones still sidelined with an ankle sprain and the Liberty having endured several more injury hits in recent days, Sabrina Ionescu has been helping steer the team on track. 

Ionescu bounced back from a tough road trip by posting three straight 20-plus point games and helping the Liberty improve to 13-6 on the season. 

When Ionescu gets hot, the rest of the Liberty feed off her intensity. Her production has been especially important this season, with the Liberty having to run various lineups because of player availability. 

“She’s a leader for us honestly,” Kennedy Burke said of Ionescu. “When she’s on, I feel like everyone else is on. And same with [Breanna Stewart.] If one person’s on, everyone has to follow, especially in games like this.”