Han Xu’s fearlessness prominently shined in the New York Liberty’s wayward second half in Chicago on Wednesday.
CHICAGO-Han Xu’s professional basketball career has been defined by fearlessness. Her first minutes in the WNBA made history long before she even touched the American hardwood: when her name was called by the New York Liberty to become the 14th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Han, then 19 years old, became the first Chinese-born draftee since Zheng Haixia in the inaugural edition in 1997.
Such gallantry played a factor in allowing the Liberty to escape from Illinois with at least some sort of silver lining in a dreary 83-50 defeat to the defending champion Chicago Sky on Wednesday night. In just over nine minutes, the 6-foot-10-inch Han was the only player to reach double figures in New York scoring, putting in 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, which included a three-pointer and a successful and-one opportunity in the final frame.
Wednesday marked Han’s first WNBA action in 976 calendar days, as her re-entry had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Desperate for any kind of spark in the late stages, first-year Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello knew that Han would embrace the opportunity granted in the second half.
“We couldn’t score. So it was more like okay, maybe Han can score she’s not afraid, she’s got some good size for us,” Brondello said of the decision to insert Han into the affair after she was held out of the eight-player rotation the Liberty used in the opening night over Connecticut last Saturday. “I thought she did good in the minutes…I think for nine minutes I thought Han did a really good job with what we needed from her.”
“I think she was great. She came in she stayed ready, she came in and gave us some great bench points,” teammate Betnijah Laney, likewise making her 2022 season debut, added. “She was active on both ends of the floor, so her effort was amazing.”
Though weighed down by a somber aura in the wake of a one-sided defeat, gratitude defined Han’s postgame comments, made with the help of translator Cindy Chen. She thanked the coaching staff for providing the opportunity as well as her teammates for “break(ing) the language barrier and culture barrier”.
“Finally being able to play is definitely a payback for the hard work,” Han said. “I always stayed ready to prepare to go on that court whenever. Today, I didn’t have any pressure.”
The burdens of a tough defeat ensure that anyone involved in such an effort will leave the arena with something to work on. Despite her silver lining status, Han was no exception, her lack of rebounds over nine minutes being somewhat startling considering her status as the WNBA’s tallest player.
Brondello noted that Chicago’s physicality “bothered” Han, though she followed up it up by praising Han’s acknowledgement of the issue and dedication toward getting stronger.
Han herself sought to be a reassuring light, noting that the Liberty bench as a whole served as a positive in defeat, especially in relatively shorthanded settings with DiDi Richards and Asia (AD) Durr respectively out due to an injury and illness.
Rookie Lorela Cubaj pulled down five rebounds on Wednesday while Sami Whitcomb, fresh off a 15-point evening in filling in for Laney on Saturday, had five assists. She’s hoping the reserves’ continued effort, further anchored by the most recent WNBA Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere (who remained engaged and vigilant on the bench despite the lost cause), will help soften the Liberty’s journey under new management.
“The bench players are going stay ready just like I did and have been doing,” Han said. “I think, on our team, the main focus is communication and trusting. We’re definitely going to prove that to the fans that we can do that.”
“On the bench, we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, giving the players on the floor important energy, full energy and support. Every time they score and make a play, we’re going to cheer them up.”
Han and the Liberty will return to action on Friday night against the Indiana Fever at Barclays Center (8 p.m. ET, YES).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
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