WASHINGTON — It’s not abnormal for Liberty players to linger on the court and put up shots after practice.
Breanna Stewart is one of the regulars who stays after shooting when she can.
Wednesday was one of those days.
Shot after shot, Stewart kept letting it fly from deep as she’s done countless times before. She made more than she missed based on the eye test.
Occasionally, though, assistant coach Olaf Lange stopped Stewart to remind her the basics of shooting mechanics — how it’s one fluid motion, with the bend in the legs working in unison with the body through her release.
Stewart, 30, has been working on her shooting mechanics for more than two decades.
But even the professionals sometimes need to get back to the basics, especially after an injury.
“You want to make sure your lower body is where it starts and continuing to keep that flow,” Stewart told The Post. “That’s just a point of emphasis and some things for me to keep in mind as I’m going through my shooting.”
Stewart had a minor scope in her right meniscus in mid-March after her season with Unrivaled wrapped up.
She later said she hurt it during the WNBA Finals.
At training camp, Stewart’s ramp-up process was slower given the “cleanup” procedure.
Stewart has been a strong defender and arguably the Liberty’s best finisher around the rim.
She’s getting to the free-throw line at a career-high rate, taking 7.4 attempts per game.
But Stewart’s 3-point shot isn’t falling. She is shooting 18.2 percent from deep this season.
It’s her worst conversion rate from 3-point range through seven games in her WNBA career.
Coach Sandy Brondello isn’t worried about Stewart’s low perimeter shooting percentage, citing how important she’s been in other ways.
“She works really hard,” Brondello said. “I know she missed a few shots there, but when she’s running and getting to the rim, she looks good, and I think her legs — and all their legs — are just getting under them a little bit.”
Stewart isn’t shy about this.
She acknowledged the Liberty’s taxing stretch of four games in six days put a strain on her body.
She called it a “big test” and said it was a chance to see how her body would recover on short rest.
When the Liberty played the Mystics last Friday, Stewart was coming off a 27-point performance, during which she drew 16 fouls and carried the Liberty to a win the night prior.
Against the Mystics, Stewart appeared gassed, shooting 3-for-10 from the field for 10 points and seven rebounds.
As of now, Stewart’s shooting struggles haven’t been much of a concern.
Not only is it early in the season, but the Liberty have so many other weapons who are shooting at a high clip.
Even with Stewart making fewer than one 3-pointer per game, the team leads the league in 3-pointers made per game (12.3) as well as 3-point shooting percentage (38.6 percent).
Playing alongside players like Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Marine Johannès, Jonquel Jones and Kennedy Burke has made it easier to hide Stewart’s early shooting woes from deep.
But Stewart also is confident she’ll rediscover her groove.
“It’s just knowing the depth and really the unselfishness that we have. No matter what, whether you have three shooters on one side, most likely the shooter is going to make the next pass because they have that faith and trust in the next person,” Stewart said. “Especially knowing I’m always going to get the closeout, I’m always going to get the attention, and just trying to make the right plays and at the same time being confident in my shot.
“I know I haven’t made as many as I want to, but seven games in, I know I’ll get to where I need to be.”
Stewart also said she feels “great” now after “working through that mud.”
“The recovery part, like the quick turnaround, is also part of the getting back process,” Stewart said. “So I’m feeling really good right now, which is amazing, and feeling like I’m finally getting back to my full self.”
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