Sabrina Ionescu will reportedly miss one month with grade 3 ankle sprain
Sabrina Ionescu, the New York Liberty’s star rookie, will reportedly miss about one month after suffering a grade 3 ankle sprain on Friday night during a game against the Atlanta Dream.
WNBA No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu is expected to miss approximately one month with a Grade 3 left ankle sprain and will continue to be re-evaluated, source tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. https://t.co/bnuHGN7uIs
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2020
It was a pretty scary injury for one of the WNBA’s bourgeoning stars, and it initially looked like it was a lot worse. The Liberty announced on Saturday that they believe Ionescu’s ankle can be treated non-surgically, and that the next few days will be focused on reducing the swelling and increasing her range of motion.
Will we see Ionescu again this season?
Ionescu, the Liberty’s No. 1 overall pick out of Oregon, was off to a blazing hot start. After her 12-point debut, she scored a massive 33 points (plus seven rebounds and seven assists) in her second game. She rolled her ankle in the second half of Friday’s game.
If Ionescu is out a month, she’ll likely return at the start of September. At that point, she’ll have missed at least 13 games, and the Liberty will have just six games left to play. With so little left on their schedule, there’s a decent chance that the Liberty could keep Ionescu out of the rest of the games. They may not want to risk her ankle if they’re not in the running for a playoff spot.
Ionescu is a star, and fans want to see her play — especially since everyone was robbed of that chance when the NCAA tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. But she’s also a key part of the Liberty’s future. It may not be worth risking that for just six meaningless games.
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