Reviewing the roster limit

As you are probably aware, the NFL CBA allows each team to have 90 players on its offseason roster, but it also makes provisions for a 91st player who joins the team via the International Player Pathway (IPP) program. For the last several years, the Commanders have made use of this IPP exemption, as they have again this season, so Washington’s offseason roster limit is once again 91 players.

Washington’s 91st player via the IPP is currently edge rusher TJ Maguranyanga, who spent the 2025 season on the Commanders roster.

Surprising number of roster changes since the Lions game

In the four days that followed the Lions game, the Commanders announced nine roster moves.

Released/Waived (3)

RB Jerome Ford (released from IR with injury settlement)
The veteran running back will have the opportunity to sign with any of the other 31 NFL teams if he is healthy, but, per the NFL CBA, cannot play for the Commanders in 2026. This move did not affect the number of players on the roster since Ford, on IR, was not counted against the 91-man limit.

S Will Harris
After entering spring OTAs as one of the presumed starting safeties, Harris was released after the Lions game, presumably to give him the opportunity to catch on with another NFL roster ahead of Sunday’s mass cutdowns.

OT Foster Sarell
Sarell was released in conjunction with the signing of OT D.J. Humphries, which is simply an attempt by the Commanders to upgrade the position group.

Injured Reserve (2)

When a player is placed on injured reserve during training camp, he is ineligible to return to play for the team that season although he can subsequently be waived with an injury settlement and play for another team when healthy.

S Malik Spencer
The undrafted free agent was expected by many to wind up on the Commanders practice squad. The rookie safety was waived with an injury designation (hamstring) on Tuesday. Because he went unclaimed by another NFL team, he officially cleared waivers and reverted back to Washington’s roster the following day. As explained above, he will either spend the 2026 season on IR with Washington, or he can be released later with an injury settlement, and will be free to sign with any other NFL team. He cannot take the field in a regular or postseason game for the Commanders in 2026.

EDGE Drake Jackson
Jackson, who has lost past seasons due to issues with his patellar tendon, reportedly injured his hamstring during training camp/preseason work.

A quick NFL Rules Tutorial: One potential benefit to players of being placed on IR in preseason

Accrued Seasons vs. Credited Seasons

Credited and Accrued season are important to NFL players:

• Credited Season (3 Games): Used strictly for player benefits (pension, 401k, life insurance).
• Accrued Season (6 Games): Used to earn time toward free agency milestones.

What happens if a player is placed on IR during the preseason?

• Automatic Benefit: If a player is placed on IR in the preseason and remains on IR for the first three weeks of the regular season, he will automatically accrue a credited season. A player on IR must remain on full-pay status for at least six regular-season games to earn an accrued season.
• The Exception (Injury Settlements): If the team negotiates an injury settlement and releases the player during the preseason, he only gets a credited season if the financial settlement covers the equivalent of three or more regular-season game checks; if the settlement covers at least six, he qualifies for an accrued season.

Credited seasons are more likely to be of importance to marginal players — especially those with very short careers or who spend a lot of time moving on and off of team rosters and practice squads — as player benefits are often tied to credited seasons. Some things that are likely to interest fans, such as a player’s minimum salary, are based on credited seasons rather than accrued seasons.

For a player who might have been cut without ever making the team’s roster, being placed on IR during the preseason could potentially help that player add a credited or accrued season, enhancing his qualification for benefits or moving him a year closer to unrestricted free agency.

Signed (4)

OT D.J. Humphries
Humphries spent nine seasons with the Cardinals (2015–2023), establishing himself as a premium blindside protector and earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. He accumulated 101 career NFL starts. Following a torn ACL near the end of 2023, he became a journeyman backup. Humphries played two games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 and appeared in eight regular-season games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn made it clear that he would provide depth behind Brandon Coleman as opposed to taking over the starting LT position.

OLB Boogie Basham
Over five seasons, he has played in 43 career games as a rotational pass rusher, bouncing between the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. Before signing with Washington, he spent the first half of 2026 playing locally in the UFL for the DC Defenders, where he recorded 24 tackles and three sacks.

S Joshua Bledsoe
A 6th-round pick in 2021, he spent his first three NFL seasons (2021–2023) with New England, appearing in four regular-season games primarily as a special teams contributor. Since leaving the Patriots, he has spent time on the offseason rosters or practice squads of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans, and also spent time in the UFL with the San Antonio Brahmas.

S Quindell Johnson
After going undrafted in 2023, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams and later claimed by the Chicago Bears. He appeared in nine regular-season NFL games with Chicago during his rookie year, recording two tackles and one interception. He also spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Accounting for Laremy Tunsil & Johnny Newton

While today’s chart lists 91 players, we know already that two of those players, LT Laremy Tunsil and DL Johnny Newton, will not be on the active roster in Week 1.

Timing counts for a lot with players who suffer major injuries in training camp. Here’s a quick explanation of the considerations for placing a player on IR under the relevant NFL rules:

1. The Pre-Cutdown Rule (Season-Ending)

As mentioned above, if the Commanders place Tunsil or Newton on IR during training camp before the final 53-man roster reduction deadline on Aug. 30, the player is automatically ruled out for the entire season. He would not be allowed to practice or play for Washington at any point during the year.

While Tunsil and Newton have already undergone surgery, head coach Dan Quinn said that doctors have not yet determined the recovery timeline for either player. If doctors determine, in the coming days, that Tunsil and/or Newton will not be able to return to play prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose to exercise this option.

2. The Cutdown Day Exception (Designated to Return)

NFL rules allow teams:

a. to designate, on cutdown day (Aug 30th), up to two injured players to return from IR during the season.

b. alternatively, the team can carry a player onto the initial 53-man roster and move him to IR the following day (Aug 31st) or later, opening up a roster spot; the only reason to do this would be if the team needed to designate two other players to return at the time the initial roster was set on Aug 30.

(Option A is almost certainly the one that the Commanders would choose in Tunsil’s case, probably Newton as well)

This approach (either option a or b) allows the player (Tunsil/Newton/both) to keep his season alive, as it leaves the door open for him to return after sitting out a minimum of four games (obviously, in these two cases, it would be closer to four months than four games).

If doctors determine that the player’s (Tunsil’s/Newton’s/both) return to play could happen prior to mid-February, then the Commanders might choose this option to keep all possibilities on the table. The only cost to the team is the opportunity to carry one or two more players on the training camp roster between now and Aug 30.

Not your typical depth chart

The chart below is only a depth chart insofar as it assigns players to positions and stacks them in an order.

The primary purpose of the chart is to keep track of the 91 guys that currently comprise the training camp roster, not to predict game-day alignments.

You will note, for example, that I have 12 offensive position stacks and 12 defensive position stacks on the chart despite the fact that a team can only field 11 players at one time.

You will also note that each player’s name appears only once regardless of the fact that he may play in multiple alignments or positions (e.g., an interior offensive lineman who can play center and both guard spots will appear at only one of those positions, not all of them). Again, this is by design, since the goal is to provide handy visual reference of the 91 individual players while also offering an overall snapshot of team strength and depth. The bias, though, is to provide a visual list of the full roster, not so much to create a game-ready depth chart.

Finally, you will also note that, where players are capable of playing more than one position (and likely to do so on game days), my decision on where to align them may be very different from your idea of where they belong.

The updated offseason roster/depth chart

NOTES:The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2026 cap hits per Over the Cap. I have not included cap hits below $1.5m.

The Commanders currently have 44 defensive players, 44 offensive players and 3 special teams players.

Please note that assigned positions and color codes are my own personal opinions; they do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus or the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.

It’s also probably worth noting again that my goal is primarily to illustrate the full offseason roster, not to create a conventional depth chart. I have, for example, 12 position stacks on offense and 12 on defense. Readers can project 11 or 12 personnel (or whatever else) on offense, as well as multiple defensive alignments.

The Philadelphia Flyers are set to have plenty of national exposure during the 2026-27 season. The NHL and its U.S. broadcast partners announced their national television schedule Wednesday, with the Flyers scheduled to appear in 19 nationally televised games throughout the regular season, and increase of five national broadcasts from last season. 

Philadelphia will have nine games on TNT, six across ABC and ESPN and four exclusively available through ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu. 

The Flyers will get their first taste of the national spotlight immediately, with their Sept. 30 home opener and playoff rematch against the Pittsburgh Penguins airing on TNT at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Plenty of Rivalry Matchups

The Flyers will face off against the Penguins three times on national television, bringing quite a bit of attention to the Battle of Pennsylvania. In addition to Philadelphia's season opener against Pittsburgh, both the Jan. 31 and April 3 games at Pittsburgh will air on ABC.

Washington will also receive plenty of attention in the Flyers' national schedule. Philadelphia will visit the Capitals on Oct. 28 for a 7:30 p.m. ET TNT matchup before hosting Washington on April 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. 

The Flyers will also be featured against several notable opponents throughout the season, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues. 

Did the Flyers Already Tease Their 'Hometown Remix' Jersey?The NHL just officially announced the "Hometown Remix" program, but the Philadelphia Flyers may have been one step ahead.

Philadelphia's national exposure picks up considerably during the second half of the season. They have four nationally televised games scheduled in February, including matchups against Tampa Bay, Dallas, the Rangers and Buffalo. 

The Flyers will have several more national appearances down the stretch with a March 25 game against the Lightning, the Capitals on April 3 and the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 8. 

The regular season will conclude with Philadelphia hosting Washington on April 10 in a 12:30 p.m. ET game on ABC with what could be Alexander Ovechkin's last NHL game. 

After ending their five-season playoff drought last season, the Flyers will have many opportunities to show a national audience what the next stage of the franchise's rebuild looks like. 

Multiple outlets reported earlier this week that former Texas men’s basketball standout Jason Klatz has died. Klotz was 44 years old.

Klotz was a memorable player on former head coach Rick Barnes teams. In his five seasons in a burnt orange jersey from 2000 to 2005, Klotz played at center for the Longhorns. Texas men’s basketball also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of those five seasons under Barnes: three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances and a Final Four appearance (back in 2003). Over that span, Klotz saw playing time in 12 NCAA Tournament matchups, which is tied for the most in Longhorns men’s basketball history.

Klotz logged seven minutes and scored one point in Texas’ Final Four loss to Syracuse.

He saw playing time or started in 131 games during that span, including 27 starts.

He averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17 minutes per game, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Prior to his college career, Klotz was a star at Klein High School in Houston.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS

Austin American-Statesman: Texas women’s basketball signs on to play Ohio State, TCU in Fort Worth

Austin American-Statesman: Not country enough? New UT football players react to living in Austin.

Houston Chronicle: Former Klein Forest, Texas basketball player Jason Klotz dead at 44

247Sports: The Insider: Projecting Texas’ offensive depth chart heading into the 2026 season

247Sports: The Insider: Projecting Texas’ depth chart on defense and special teams heading into the 2026 season

247Sports: Stock Report: Five Texas football players on the rise in preseason

Inside Texas: Texas Practice Intel: Longhorns already preparing for Ohio State

Inside Texas: Why it’s easy for Texas to have ‘all of the chips’ on the table and ‘go after it’ in 2026

Inside Texas: What the vision for Jayda Clark is at Texas and why she was cleared by the NCAA

Inside Texas: Where is Texas three deep heading into 2026?

ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION

Will the real Arch Manning please stand up

Texas moves Jordon Johnson-Rubell to LB

RECRUITING ROUNDUP

247Sports: College football’s top recruiting games of 2026—Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss headlines must-see matchups

247Sports: Texas squarely in the mix for elite WR Peyton Smith

247Sports: Team Talent Composite for college football’s 2026 season: From Oregon’s rise to Alabama’s regression

247Sports: The secret weapon behind Texas’ late push for Landen Williams-Callis

247Sports: 2028 four-star WR Bubba Brown to see one school four times as loaded fall schedule takes shape

SEC SHOWDOWN

Inside Texas: Texas built the heaviest defensive line in the FBS, and it shows in the SEC

And The Valley Shook: Double The Honor: Trey’Dez Green and Whit Weeks honored by sharing No. 7

Red Cup Rebellion: Ole Miss football 2026: Kewan Lacy leads Rebel RB attack

Rocky Top Talk: Tennessee guards Tyler Lundblade, Troy Henderson close to returning to full strength

Roll ‘Bama Roll: 2026 Alabama Fall Football Preview: Quarterbacks

A Sea Of Blue: Ousmane N’Diaye has hopefully cleared a hurdle that caused Utah a major eligibility blow

WHAT WE’RE READING

SB Nation: Packers RB Josh Jacobs chargedc with battery and criminal damage to property

SB Nation: Five USWNT young stars to watch ahead of 2027 Women’s World Cup

SB Nation: Lane Kiffin knows that LSU has all sorts of aura

NEWS ACROSS LONGHORN NATION AND BEYOND

• Can’t wait to see more of this.

We did one Q&A earlier in the week and had a ton of questions left over, so we thought we’d assemble a slightly different line up to tackle some more queries!

On today’s show, Martin, Sam, Jonny and Ant talk

• Attacking threat – in particular our wingers and forwards

• How many points would be a good return from the upcoming games?

• Which Sunderland player of the past would you add to the current squad?

• And loads more

All this and more! Get subscribed to Haway The Podcast so you never miss another episode of our free daily show.

Ready to have an AI that can tackle real work? Try Claude Cowork today — Claude.ai/HAWAY 

Want to get in touch with us? You can drop us an email at HawayThePodcastSAFC@Gmail.com, or you can contact us via social media – we’re @RokerReport on almost every platform. For your daily SAFC fan-written content, head over to⁠RokerReport.SBNation.com

Certain matchups can reveal a lot. When you’re matched up against one of the best teams in the league, you have to meet their level. You’re trying to catch them and see where you stand as we draw closer to the playoffs. A good outing can give you a boost heading into the postseason. A tough loss can leave you questioning what would happen in the playoffs. For the New York Liberty, they left Thursday night’s game with plenty of questions they need to answer.

The Liberty were held to a season-low 60 points in a 79-60 loss to the Valkyries on their home floor. Golden State’s physical defense kept New York’s offense out of rhythm for most of this one. The Valkyries played two nights back, while the Liberty had a five-day rest after playing the Indiana Fever on Saturday.

It didn’t matter. Golden State took grasp of this game and never looked back.

“With a team like this with the physicality and just really making it tough, after awhile that can make it really hard,” Breanna Stewart said. “And I think that we gave the effort and energy that we wanted but we got to knock down some shots, so we got to find an easier way to score.” 

Stewart added 16 points and six rebounds, but New York’s offense became increasingly difficult to sustain as the game went on.

Jonquel Jones set the pace for the Liberty early on, finding range as her arsenal from deep kept the defenses honest as the ball hummed around the perimeter.

However, that’s where the good times for NY ended.

Cecilia Zandalasini hit a series of difficult jumpers in the second quarter, while the Valkyries’ rangy zone defense disrupted New York’s high-powered offense. The Liberty scored only 11 points in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 42-30.

Zandalasini ultimately led all scorers with 20 points, including four three-pointers, while Gabby Williams added 16 points and four rebounds for Golden State.

New York tried to make a push after halftime, cutting the Valkyries’ lead to 10 points on several occasions, but never managed to make it over the hump. Veronica Burton stood out for Golden State, and tied her season-high for assists (13).

The Liberty lost because they missed opportunities… and open shots. They finished 7-for-31 from three-point range, and many of those attempts came on open looks created by solid ball movement. Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich went a combined 2-15 from three, which is out of character for the both of them.

Open three-pointers in the corner, threes off of good ball movement, etc., but they couldn’t get anything going. That also answers our pregame question about how Fiebich would answer her 20-point outing against the Indiana Fever.

Throughout the second half, frustration started to mount. Fiebich got whistled for a… curious flagrant foul following a Tiffany Hayes fall. In the fourth quarter, tempers flared a bit as Jones and Burton got into a small collision.

The game was never in doubt, though.

With 3:13 remaining, the Liberty emptied the bench. Burton was a difference-maker, finishing with eight points, two rebounds and a game-high 13 assists without committing a turnover.

The Liberty shot just 19-for-63 from the field (30.2%) and 7-for-31 from three-point range (22.6%). Ionescu finished with seven points on 2-for-12 shooting, while Fiebich scored just three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

Final Score: Golden State Valkyries 79, New York Liberty 60

Next Up: Chicago Sky

As we’ve mentioned several times: it was a season-low for the Liberty. By no coincidence, the previous lows for them this season were against the Valkyries as well (67, 70). Let’s just say it’s not looking good for New York if the two meet in the playoffs, a matchup some pundits deemed a potential playoff matchup preview.

“I feel disappointed with this one and a little bit embarrassed as well,” Rebecca Allen said after the loss. “I just don’t think that we should ever lose like that on home court.” 

The last game before the FIBA World Cup break: New York closes things out with a matinee affair against the Chicago Sky at Barclays Center. Tip after 1:00 PM on August 29.

The craziest offseason in college basketball history continues to get weirder for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Saint Francis Red Wolves transfer Skylar Wicks has decommitted from the program and reopened his recruitment, according to his agent Richie Felder. The hybrid wing committed to the Zags originally in June and was granted a waiver from the NCAA for an additional year of college basketball eligibility in August, deriving from his 2024-25 season with the UTSA Roadrunners.

The 26-year-old journeyman was going to have a tough time breaking into coach Mark Few’s rotation after Florida Gators lead guard Xaivian Lee transferred to Gonzaga just 24 hours before Wicks made his unsurprising announcement.

This subtraction from the 2026-27 roster technically brings it to 14 of the 15 spots filled, but it’s far from being officially complete.

Fifth-year point guard Xaivian Lee (Florida Gators transfer)

Sophomore guard/wing Isiah Harwell (Houston Cougars transfer)

Sophomore wing Davis Fogle

Redshirt senior power forward Braden Huff

Sophomore center Massamba Diop (Arizona State Sun Devils transfer)

*Point guard Nathan De Sousa (France’s Cholet Basket)

*Fifth-year point guard Javon Bennett (Dayton Flyers transfer)

Freshman combo guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa (France’s JL Bourg)

Fifth-year forward Chauncey Wiggins (Florida State Seminoles transfer)

*Forward/center Izan Almansa (Spain’s Real Madrid)

Redshirt freshman power forward/small-ball center Parker Jefferson

*Needs NCAA to approve college eligibility

The 2026 high school recruiting class consists of four-star wing Luca Foster, four-star center Sam Funches, and preferred walk-on wing Carter Nelson. Walk-on sophomore point guard Alonzo Metz will not count against the roster’s limit as he’s a designated student-athlete.

Point guard Nathan De Sousa of France’s Cholet Basket of the LNB Pro A (awaiting an international eligibility waiver), forward/center Izan Almansa of Spain’s Real Madrid of the EuroLeague (also awaiting an international eligibility waiver), and fifth-year point guard transfer Javon Bennett from the Dayton Flyers in the Atlantic 10 Conference (not permitted to play after an NCAA stay in the state of Ohio) are all still up in the air.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

Following a 94-84 victory on Tuesday, the Washington Mystics returned to the Mortgage Matchup Center for another tilt with the Phoenix Mercury.

Behind a career-high 25 points and six 3-pointers from Georgia Amoore, Washington earned an 80-73 road win.

The Mercury jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead before Shakira Austin got Washington on the board with two free throws. Phoenix’s advantage reached 13 points before Amoore drilled a pair of triples to settle her squad down.

After trailing 15-2, the Mystics answered with an 18-3 run to take a 20-18 advantage into the second quarter.

Kahleah Copper scored 20 of the Mercury’s first 25 points as they kept pace with the young Mystics.

Behind a trio of Kiki Iriafen buckets and a pair of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton assists, Washington embarked on a 10-0 run to open a 38-27 lead. But Phoenix held firm, trimming its deficit to just three entering halftime.

Copper’s dominance persisted in the second half as she reached 32 points on 13-for-18 FG to give her squad a 57-53 lead entering the final quarter.

Shay Ciezki drilled a 3-pointer and a five-foot jumper to push Phoenix ahead by nine to open the fourth. Washington was again on the ropes.

But spectators would soon find out that those moments are made for Amoore.

The second-year guard settled things down with an and-1 layup to trim the deficit to seven before she plucked the ball loose from her defensive assignment and tossed a dime to Austin for an easy layup. After a Sonia Citron steal, Amoore sunk her fourth triple of the contest to make it a two-point game.

And she wasn’t done there. Amoore slithered into the lane for an easy layup to put Washington ahead 67-65. After another Copper miss, Iriafen ran the floor and added three more to make it 70-65 with four minutes remaining.

In just three minutes, the Mystics had turned a 10-point deficit into a five-point advantage to quiet a once-lively Mortgage Matchup Center.

Phoenix scored twice in a minute as it eyed a late comeback. But Amoore had every answer.

The 5-foot-6 guard dribbled through the defense for a layup. Then she sank a cold-blooded corner three to put Washington ahead by four. Then she added another, this one a wing triple off a Citron feed that brought the Mystics’ bench to their feet and grew the lead to 78-73.

Laney-Hamilton iced the game at the line as Washington secured a hard-fought road win.

Amoore finished with 25 points and six 3-pointers made — both career-highs — plus four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

When the Liberty performance staff greenlit Leonie Fiebich’s return, the starting lineup inevitably had to change.

Rebecca Allen was the odd woman out. After a month as a starter, she shifted back to the bench for Saturday’s win against the Indiana Fever.

In her 11th and final season, Allen knows this is how it goes.

“It just carries on as normal,” Allen said before Thursday’s 79-60 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. “It’s just starting the game at a different point.”

She also sees the bigger picture and understands what Fiebich brings.

“I mean, having Leo back is such a luxury for all of us,” Allen said. “You’ve got this length, this defensive, you know, she goes on all the best players as well defensively but offensively, we saw such a great game, especially the last one, so I think, I mean, there’s only good things having her back in the lineup. My role changes a little bit, but still my mindset doesn’t.”

Feibich scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting in 32 minutes in her second game back Thursday. Allen had five points on 2-of-6 shooting in 12 minutes.

When Fiebich went down with a left foot injury in early July, coach Chris DeMarco had no choice but to tinker with the starting lineup that also included Sabrina Ionescu, Pauline Astier, Breanna Stewart and Jones.

Initially, DeMarco plugged Rebekah Gardner into the starting lineup.

After back-to-back losses, he decided to go big and start Han Xu alongside Stewart and Jones.

After another loss, he went with Marine Johannès.

None of it worked.

On a four-game losing streak, DeMarco turned to Allen.

Up to that point, Allen had sparingly cracked the rotation. Some of that was because she gradually eased into the season after missing most of training camp as she worked her way back from an undisclosed injury.

Allen appeared in only 10 of the Liberty’s first 25 games and logged the second-fewest minutes among players on the 12-player roster.

But Allen’s start resulted in a win. And then another. And then another.

DeMarco stuck with it, keeping Allen in the starting lineup for 12 consecutive games. New York went 9-3 during that stretch.

The five-player starting lineup featuring Allen was the Liberty’s best five-player grouping during that span, posting a net rating of plus-9.5.

Allen found her flow too.

“That was sort of obvious to see,” she said. “You sort of go those extended minutes, you can feel the ball a little bit more and it was good for myself and my confidence, too.”

Allen averaged nine points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from deep.

When the Liberty performance staff greenlit Leonie Fiebich’s return, the starting lineup inevitably had to change. 

Rebecca Allen was the odd woman out. After a month as a starter, she shifted back to the bench for Saturday’s win against the Indiana Fever.

In her 11th and final season, Allen knows this is how it goes. 

“It just carries on as normal,” Allen said before Thursday’s 79-60 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. “It’s just starting the game at a different point.”

She also sees the bigger picture and understands what Fiebich brings. 

“I mean having Leo back is such a luxury for all of us,” Allen continued. “You’ve got this length, this defensive, you know, she goes on all the best players as well defensively but offensively, we saw such a great game especially the last one, so I think I mean there’s only good things having her back in the lineup. My role changes a little bit, but still my mindset doesn’t.”

When Fiebich went down with a left foot injury in early July, DeMarco had no choice but to tinker with the starting lineup that also included Sabrina Ionescu, Pauline Astier, Breanna Stewart and Jones. 

Initially, DeMarco plugged Rebekah Gardner into the starting lineup. 

After back-to-back losses, he decided to go big and start Han Xu alongside Stewart and Jones. 

After another loss, he went with Marine Johannès. 

None of it worked. 

On a four-game losing streak, DeMarco turned to Allen. 

Up to that point, Allen had sparingly cracked the rotation. Some of that was because she gradually eased into the season after missing most of training camp as she worked her way back from an undisclosed injury. 

Allen appeared in only 10 of the Liberty’s first 25 games and logged second-fewest minutes among players on the 12-woman roster.

But Allen’s start resulted in a win. And then another. And then another. 

DeMarco stuck with it, keeping Allen in the starting lineup for 12 consecutive games. New York went 9-3 during that stretch. 

The five-player starting lineup featuring Allen was the Liberty best five-player grouping during that span, posting a net rating of plus-9.5.

Allen found her flow, too. 

“That was sort of obvious to see,” she said. “You sort of go those extended minutes, you can feel the ball a little bit more and it was good for myself and my confidence, too.” 

Allen averaged nine points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from deep.

LeBron James has always been centered around the great “GOAT” debate in the NBA, but after his recent decision to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, does it create a stain on his resume?

Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson said on his show, “All the Smoke Pod” that he believes James’ decision to join the 76ers no longer puts him in the GOAT debate with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

“All the talk you hear about the GOATs, comparing him to Jordan and Kobe. For me, Cleveland was the only thing that made sense to keep him in that conversation,” Jackson said of James. “Going to a team that’s already championship-ready, that’s not what I would look at as the best player in the league challenging himself.”

The outlier between James, Jordan, and Bryant in the GOAT debate is centered around the movement around teams on James’ resume.

James is about to play on his fourth team in the NBA, and it’s one that currently bolsters one of the best rosters, as it features Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecomb.

A week after James announced that he would be joining forces with the 76ers this season, his agent Rich Paul said on his podcast “Game Over” that he wasn’t really considering Philadelphia until they traded for Jaylen Brown.

James, a four time NBA Champion, Finals MVP, and league MVP is about to turn 42 next season and is on contract with Philadelphia until he’s 43.

In 2023, James became the league’s all-time leading scorer, and it will likely remain that way, as he finished last season averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.

It’s been 11 years since Klay Thompson put on a 37-point spectacle against the Sacramento Kings, and since then nobody has come near that kind of dominance. And maybe will never.

Thompson was asked by former NBA player Serge Ibaka about his dominance that night and told him he’s not sure if anybody will be able to replicate his performance.

“That’s a lot of points in the quarter. I don’t know if that’ll be done again, to be honest,” Thompson said. “9-for-9 from three [point range] in nine minutes, that’s hard to do. It’s hard to do for me just in the gym alone.”

Thompson went on to say that night, there was a little bit of luck involved that allowed him to put on that kind of clinic, but he hopes to see his record-breaking night for most points scored in a quarter be broken someday.

Ibaka went on to ask Thompson what was going through his mind, to which Thompson revealed that nothing was going through it.

“The only thing going through your mind is getting the ball and getting it off your fingertips,” Thompson said. “You’re hot, you’re in that flow state, and you feel like it’s just gliding off your fingers.”

That night, Thompson finished scoring a career high at the time, 52 points, where he sank 11 of 15 shots from the three-point line, while shooting 16-25 from field goal range.

The Post reported that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that while he was lucky enough to play alongside Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson, but he never saw anyone do what Thompson did that night.

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The Valkyries had just played Wednesday night in Connecticut, while the Liberty had four days off between games. 

But if you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought New York was the one playing the back-to-back in Thursday’s 79-60 loss to Golden State. 

The Liberty knew they were facing a tall task in the Valkyries’ league-best defense. Sabrina Ionescu even acknowledged at practice Wednesday that the game would be a major stress test for the Liberty’s offense. 

And New York failed miserably as the Valkyries held the Liberty to their lowest scoring output of the season. 

“I feel disappointed with this one and a little bit embarrassed as well,” Rebecca Allen said after the loss. “I just don’t think that we should ever lose like that on home court.” 

Coach Chris DeMarco waved the white flag with 3:13 left and New York down 17, subbing off all the starters except Pauline Astier. 

The frustration with the Liberty’s poor play started to bubble to the surface in the fourth, with Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart jawing with officials. 

Jones’ foul that sent Veronica Burton to the floor was reviewed for a possible upgrade, though it was upheld as a common foul. 

With the loss, the Liberty were swept by the Valkyries in the regular-season series. Not only is Golden State the only team New York hasn’t beaten this season, but the Valkyries are also responsible for the Liberty’s three lowest scoring games of the season. 

Allen thought the Liberty played hard and “with intent” but “just didn’t find a way” on this night. 

Of course, it doesn’t help that the Liberty shot a season-low 30.2 percent from the field. 

“It was definitely a disappointing one because I feel like today was a bit of a step backwards,” Allen said. 

The Liberty moved the ball well in the first quarter and trailed by only two entering the second. Then, the offense got stagnant, and the Valkyries got hot. 

Cecelia Zandalasini went 3-for-4 from deep in the second quarter to aid in the Valkyries outscoring the Liberty 21-11. New York trailed 42-30 at halftime. 

In order to beat a team like the Valkyries, who thrive on elite defense, physicality and rebounding, a team has to beat them at their own game. 

When New York’s shots weren’t falling, the Liberty needed to tighten up their defense, grab rebounds and limit second-chance points. Getting to the free-throw line would help, too. 

That didn’t happen enough. 

The Valkyries opened the fourth quarter with six unanswered points, building their lead to 18. 

The Liberty had no answers and frustration followed. 

Stewart said she thought the Liberty overall generated good looks from 3, but the shots didn’t fall. New York went 7-for-31 from deep. Sabrina Ionescu went 1-for-9 from behind the arc and Leonie Fiebich 1-for-6. 

“With a team like this with the physicality and just really making it tough, after awhile that can make it really hard,” Stewart said. “And I think that we gave the effort and energy that we wanted but we got to knock down some shots, so we got to find an easier way to score.” 

With the playoffs around the corner, Thursday’s showing didn’t instill much confidence in the Liberty’s ceiling. After all, there’s a good chance the Liberty might have to go through the Valkyries in order to reach the WNBA Finals. 

Right now, it’s clear Golden State has the edge on New York. 

“Progress is not a linear line,” Rebekah Gardner said. “It can sometimes go up and down and today was obviously not our best day… We definitely need to sit and watch this film and it’s good that it happened now before the playoffs so we can learn from it. Obviously, the game didn’t go how we would like it to go but if we learn from it, we’ll be better moving forward.” 

NEW YORK (AP) — Cecilia Zandalasini scored 14 of her 20 points in the first half, Gabby Williams added 16 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the New York Liberty 79-60 on Thursday night.

Golden State (28-11) improved to 3-0 against New York this season — the only team the Liberty have not beaten this season. The Valkyries held the Liberty to 70, 67 and 60 points in three games, the three lowest-scoring games of the season for New York.

New York (23-16) had scored 80-plus points in 16 straight games — the longest streak in franchise history.

Veronica Burton had a season-high 13 assists to go with eight points for Golden State, which was coming off an 89-64 victory over Connecticut on Wednesday. Tiffany Hayes had 12 points off the bench.

Jonquel Jones scored 18 points for New York, which had a six-game home winning streak halted. Breanna Stewart added 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Zandalasini made four 3-pointers in the first half to help Golden State build a 42-30 lead. The Valkyries started the third quarter on an 11-6 run to go ahead by 17 points, and scored the opening six points of the fourth to go ahead 65-47.

Up next

Valkyries: At Portland on Sunday.

Liberty: Host Chicago on Saturday.