With the opening of each WNBA season, there are high hopes and a lot of hype around each team. The task for those considering 2022 New York Liberty futures is cutting through the hype to honestly assess the team’s chances.
While there are many reasons for optimism around New York, who tipped off the season on May 7, it’s important to remember that there are several unknown quantities. Gauging their impact is a key to sound choices on buying into the Liberty.
What do New York Liberty futures look like right now?
Heading into the season, most legal New York online sportsbooks had New York as a mid-tier contender in their 2022 WNBA championship futures. Atop most of the markets are the Connecticut Sun and/or Las Vegas Aces, sitting between +325 and +350.
At the bottom are the Atlanta Dream and/or Indiana Fever, resting around +10000. Here’s where the Liberty sat among the eight live NY sports betting apps:
- BetMGM: +1400
- BetRivers: +2500
- Caesars: +2500
- DraftKings: +2500
- PointsBet: +2200
- Resorts World Bet: +2200
- WynnBet: +3000
*FanDuel’s only current WNBA futures market available in New York is whether teams will qualify for the playoffs. The Liberty entered the season at -240 to make the playoffs.
Why might BetMGM be higher on New York than the rest of the pack? While there are many factors, it really isn’t that hard to make a case for the Liberty as a darkhorse championship contender.
Reasons to believe in the Liberty in 2022
New York is coming into its first potential full season of a healthy trio of center Natasha Howard, guard Sabrina Ionescu, and guard Betnijah Laney. Injuries have kept at least one of the three off the court at disparate times since they came to the Liberty.
Laney is one of the best defenders in the league and is no slouch on the offensive end, either. The same goes for Howard, being the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year who averaged 16 points and seven rebounds in limited action last season.
Ionescu has yet to fulfill the enormous billing she received out of college but in fairness, she’s had little time healthy to adjust to the WNBA game and that billing was gigantic. She might have the pieces around her this year to do that.
The Liberty added veteran big Stefanie Dolson via free agency. In the incumbent mix are 2021 Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere and Didi Richards. Another stellar move for New York during the offseason will be on the sidelines.
The Liberty replaced Walt Hopkins as the team’s coach with Sandy Brondello. Brondello won a WNBA title in 2014 and was just two wins away from doing so again last season. Under Brondello, New York could take advantage of their defensive prowess and play at a faster pace that accentuates’ Ionescu’s feel for the game.
With good execution and health, the Liberty have a decent shot. The things that stand in their way are all those teams above them on the NY sportsbooks futures tables.
Reasons to wait and see how the season progresses
Public money can have huge impacts on futures markets like this. Last year, sportsbooks responded to the market by shortening odds drastically on both the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx. Thus, that might be worth watching as this week unfolds.
Bettors who want to take a more conservative approach with a new coach and new faces on the roster should learn more about the 2022 New York squad quickly. The Liberty opened the regular season Saturday with a home win against the Sun. New York, though, followed that with a 33-point blowout loss to the defending champion Chicago Sky on May 11. Within their first eight games, the Liberty (1-1) face teams above them in the futures odds tables seven times.
A quick start might not be the best of omens, however. Last year, New York started out 3-0 then 5-1 but nearly missed the playoffs altogether. It’s important to remember that despite the abundance of talent on the Liberty roster, there are just 12 teams in the WNBA.
That means nearly every roster is loaded with star players with just 12 roster spots per team. The WNBA is one of the most competitive leagues in the world for players to earn a roster spot in.
For New Yorkers who prefer to take a game-by-game or even in-game approach to betting on the WNBA, there will be myriad opportunities for that starting this weekend.
How to bet on single games, in-game markets
New York Liberty futures are far from your only option in New York. All the top NY sports betting apps will have many markets available for single games. Usually, the pre-game lines are live on the mornings of each game.
The options include all the standard basketball markets; moneylines, point spreads, and point totals. Prop bets will vary from one sportsbook to the next. For those who wish to “sideline” bet the games in person, the Liberty play their home games at the Barclays Center.
The WNBA counts CBS and ESPN among its national television partners. Amazon and Facebook also offer a few games for live streaming. Other carriers of WNBA games are NBA TV and the WNBA’s own League Pass.
Regardless of which way you choose to bet the Liberty this season, doing so responsibly always makes you a winner. The time to make decisions about whether to buy into this team for 2022 is upon us.
