Tina Charles has been the driving force for this year’s New York Liberty — but she can’t win a championship on her own.
The Liberty (2-3) have lost three straight games and must improve, before their season goes downhill. Here are three key players who need to step up.
Shavonte Zellous
Head coach Bill Laimbeer told the Post earlier this week he is desperate for more offense from versatile guard Zellous, an offseason signee. The former All-Star was slated to fill the void left by Epiphanny Prince, last season’s second-leading scorer who is sidelined with an ACL injury.
Zellous is averaging 7.2 points, down from 8.4 a year ago and has yet to sink a 3-pointer. She also possesses playoff experience, having won a WNBA Championship with the Indiana Fever in 2012, which could be helpful in the postseason.
Kiah Stokes
Before the season, it was reported that Laimbeer had expectations for Stokes to add scoring on the block, along with her defensive prowess during her sophomore stint. The center is tied for second the league in blocks (2.0) and ranks ninth in rebounds (7.2). However, she has yet to put up offense, tallying 5.4 ppg in 24.3 minutes.
Stokes was named First Team All-Rookie last season. If she can contribute points from the paint, she can finally contribute as a two-way player.
Shoni Schimmel
After trading for the two-time All-Star before the season, Schimmel has only played 16 minutes in three games. She did not see any playing time during Tuesday’s 79-69 loss.
Schimmel made 38.3% of her 3-point attempts last season, while the Liberty as a team shot 30.9%. With long-distance shooting lacking, she could help ignite the team off the bench. Schimmel has made two of her four attempts this season in limited action.
