Isabelle Harrison didn’t hesitate.
In a year that the forward has emerged as a key piece off the Liberty bench, and on a night when she poured in a season-high 13 points during their win over the Fever, Harrison said this is the best she has “ever” felt.
She started playing without her knee brace in June.
She carved out an increased role when an ankle injury sidelined Jonquel Jones, and her best game of the year even occurred the night Jones returned.
And after missing all of 2023 due to meniscus surgery and then struggling with the Chicago Sky in 2024, Harrison, finally, has settled into a rhythm with the Liberty over the past month — averaging 8.0 points across 14.6 minutes per game since June 27.
“Like, quite simply, this is like the best I’ve felt since ever,” Harrison said. “I remember my Dallas [Wings] days were really great because I had like a really amazing team, but obviously those games were hard. We had some tough moments, but I just think right now, it’s just like I’m so happy where I am.
“I don’t want to get emotional, but I’m really, really blessed to be here.”
Harrison’s strides were evident Tuesday, when she shot 5-of-6 against the Fever and drew an and-one against Aliyah Boston late in the fourth quarter.
She pinpointed the Liberty’s lengthy road trip in June as a turning point, when she didn’t play much the first two games (only 9:57 total), but then watched as her role on a contender grew.
By the time the Liberty arrived back home, Harrison had a “different mindset” from observing fueled by aggressiveness, and she survived another knee injury scare July 6 by only missing one game.
“I wanted to be that person to step in, in place for JJ,” Harrison said.
The next step, she said, will revolve around building on her individual momentum from before the All-Star break.
Around ensuring she remains a dependable scoring option on the roles or drives that follow screens.
Around continuing to play freely on the court after ditching the brace that “was holding me back in a way” and proving to head coach Sandy Brondello — her coach as a rookie in Phoenix nine years ago, who Harrison said played a role in her current Liberty opportunity — that “she made a good decision” to take a chance.
It took time and some adjusting to a new system and a new role, but the version of Harrison that the Liberty envisioned has started to emerge.
In her first minutes with the Liberty, Stephanie Talbot, a veteran forward who played for Brondello in Phoenix and with the Australian national team, went scoreless with three turnovers in just four minutes Tuesday.
She added an assist and a steal.
After shootaround Tuesday, Talbot, who was waived by the Golden State Valkyries and signed with the Liberty this week, said she wants to “do those little things that in moments they’ve been lacking.”
