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If the Liberty needed another glimpse at the evolution of Breanna Stewart, if their superstar needed another performance to demonstrate that she, still, can be just as dominant even if her new-look shot profile doesn’t mirror the one from her most dominant seasons, then Wednesday served as that. 

With a right groin injury sidelining Indiana star Caitlin Clark, Stewart ensured the Liberty capitalized on the opportunity by pouring in 24 points during their 98-77 win over the Fever at Barclays Center and helping them enter the All-Star break with four wins in five games.

But in a season where a career-low 21.7 percent of Stewart’s shots are 3-pointers and a career-low 21.0 percent of those attempts have gone in, Stewart again relied on attempts inside the paint — all 10 of her makes occurred there — and attempted just one 3-pointer to help pace a balanced Liberty (15-6) offense that shot 57.8 percent from the field. 

“It seemed like especially in the first half, anything where I came off the stagger [screen], it was confusion between guards and posts and I was able to kinda just scoot downhill,” Stewart said. “So just taking what the defense gives me. If it’s gonna be like tonight, I’m gonna try and get to the basket every single time because it’s so open, and then another night might be more on the perimeter or dishing to my teammates.” 

Sabrina Ionescu (15 points, season-high nine assists) and Natasha Cloud (14 points) also ensured the Fever never had a chance at mounting a comeback, but the offensive burst revolved around Stewart, who topped 20 points for just the third time in the past nine games.

Assistant coach Olaf Lange told The Post before the game that Stewart’s changed shot profile partially stemmed from her needing to take on more of a facilitator role. Her “whole offensive profile is way [more] diversified,” Lange said, and in scenarios when Ionescu draws an opponent’s top defender and Cloud struggles to get into the paint, it opened up avenues for Stewart to drive, to convert shots around the basket, to still contribute at similar levels to her MVP campaigns even if her primary method for scoring has changed. 

The Liberty have tried to play the percentages, Stewart said, and it helped her produce a vintage scoring line against the Fever. She guided the Liberty to an eight-point lead after the first quarter and a 15-point advantage after 20 minutes.

To open the scoring in the second half, she collected a pass from Cloud near the left block and converted a jumper.

Then, possessions later, Ionescu fed Stewart backdoor for another layup. She added 11 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and one steal to finish with a statline that only Candace Parker has compiled in WNBA history, according to StatMuse. 

By the time she checked out with under five minutes remaining, the Liberty’s lead hovered around 20 points. Their defense limited the Fever to 36.8 percent shooting.

Their offense — with Stewart as its focal point — made empty Indiana possessions matter even more, and 16 points from Kelsey Mitchell and 12 from Sophie Cunningham could only produce so much of a response. 

“Usually the games when you’re leaving or you’re going to something are the hardest,” Stewart said, “because there’s so much happening, you’re packing, you’ve got this tomorrow, you’ve got that tomorrow. And I wanted to kinda set the tone and really focus in on here.” 

Stewart’s new-look approach isn’t something the Liberty pinpointed or started working on during the offseason, but rather the result of adjusting to what the offense needed on the fly.

She opened the season in a slump for a second consecutive year, one that March knee surgery, Lange acknowledged, could’ve contributed to. The injury impacted her knee and leg strength. It impacted her stamina, too, after playing “an entire Unrivaled season with a knee that wasn’t 100 percent,” Lange said. Stewart hasn’t missed a regular season game, but the adjustment still took time. 

“People were really trying to count her out coming into the season,” Cloud said. 

At some point, Lange said, Stewart’s 3-point numbers will increase again. That could happen later this season. Maybe it’ll take until 2026 or another year. 

“But for now,” Lange said, “I think this is what it is.” 

And on nights like Wednesday, Stewart showed why that’s more than enough.