Liberty excited to add Emma Meesseman and Stephanie Talbot during All-Star break

The All-Star break wasn’t a break for the Liberty when it came to redecorating the roster.

They were 15-6 and running second behind their 2024 WNBA Finals partner, Minnesota, but they loaded up even more for a run at a repeat by adding two new players.

The big acquisition was a standout big. The Liberty beat out the Lynx and Phoenix for 6-4 forward Emma Meesseman.

The two-time All-Star and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP with Washington has been working overseas since playing for Chicago in 2022. Meesseman, a 32-year-old native of Belgium, committed to the Liberty. But she needs to go through the visa process before joining the team.

The Liberty also added 6-2 forward/guard Stephanie Talbot as another depth piece. The 31-year-old native of Australia was available for Tuesday night’s game against Indiana at Barclays Center.

But Meesseman brought a special sense of anticipation.

“To add someone like Emma, that’s pretty exciting,” said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who was as an assistant coach for a time with Meesseman’s UMMC Ekaterinburg team in Russia. “She’s a great player. I think she’ll fit into the system very easily with the way that we play as a a team at both ends of the floor.

“But you still have to put it all together. Talent doesn’t win championships. Playing it the right way wins it.”

Meesseman has eight seasons behind her in the WNBA, the first seven with the Mystics. Her career averages are 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals, which go with 37.1% shooting on threes.

She just finished helping Belgium win its second straight EuroBasket title last month, claiming MVP honors just like she had in 2023. This time, she averaged 19.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks across six victories. Besides the Belgium National Team, she had played in Turkey since leaving the WNBA.

“Emma is one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached,” Brondello said. “The way she plays and moves off the ball, her IQ is off the charts. … We need some time to put it all together, but I’m excited about the challenge ahead, adding a great player.”

Natasha Cloud will be teammates with Meesseman once again. They were together in Washington for four seasons, including on that 2019 title team.

“It’s a huge addition,” Cloud said. “I think we already had what we needed in our locker room. We just added another MVP-caliber player to our team.

“I loved my time with Emma in D.C., one of the most versatile players that I’ve played with. She can extend the floor. She’s a tough defender. Just an all-around smooth player.”

Talbot is on her sixth team in seven WNBA seasons. Expansion Golden State waived her last week. She averaged 3.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 16 games, 10 of them starts.

The three-time Olympian, who had shot 35.2% on threes in her WNBA career, played for Brondello’s Australian team in the last two Summer Games, including 2024 when the Opals took the bronze in Paris.

“We love size,” Brondello said. “I think you’ve seen that last year, how we played. We love big players, the ability to switch. Talbot’s one of the toughest players I’ve coached. She’s 6-2. She won’t be playing at the four spot. She’s a perimeter player for us. But she’s switchable. She gets out and runs.

“And it won’t always show up in the stat sheet, what she does. She does all the little things well. The effort points, crashing the boards, running the lanes, moving the ball.

“It looked like she’d been here all year (in practice). But it helps when you know the system.”

Kennedy Burke will be teammates with Talbot again. They were together with Seattle in 2021.

“She’s another big guard for us,” Burke said. “… It’s nice to have another big body on the court with us, especially with [Jonquel Jones] coming back. It makes us look extra big now.”

Indeed the Liberty had another very big midseason “acquisition” in Jones. The 6-6 center and 2024 WNBA Finals MVP returned against the Fever after sitting out nine games with a sprained right ankle.

“We missed her,” Brondello said. “We’re excited to have her back.”