At 13-3, the New York Liberty have the second-best record in the WNBA, trailing only t0 the 13-2 record of the Connecticut Sun, who they defeated earlier this season. Though the team has many stars, including; 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, who leads the team with 19.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, and Sabrina Ionescu, who puts up 18.6 points and a team-leading 6.2 assists per game, it is Jonquel Jones who appears to be the most crucial star of the team.
Jones, who averages 17.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and a team-leading 1.4 blocks per game, also tenth in the league, is the centerpiece of the team’s defense.
She is also crucial to the team’s offense, as she is not only a force in the paint, where as a 6 ft.6 in. 215 lb. center, she has the advantage in the post, but she also allows the team to spread the floor, knocking down almost two three-pointers per game while shooting a spectacular 43.1 percent from three-point range, making her sixth in the league. In the three Liberty losses of the season, Jones has only averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.
“[Jonquel Jones is] an amazing human being even when last year when it was slow to get her going [because of injuries], but she stayed locked in, kept her confidence because you know, she’s a former MVP so it’s not that she’s not a great player already and it’s just learning to play with each other,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said.
“Hers was more about health and now, we’ve worked it out too. It’s about us. I think the chemistry that [Jones and Sabrina Ionescu] have grown this year certainly helps us go to a different level. And the rest of it is, she’s just a skilled, big player. I mean, it’s pretty fun to watch when she can shoot three, she can do a transition, you know, little bit of a euro step and pass it to her teammates. This is something that she’s always had, and we are trying to find ways to continue to grow it. But this is her taking ownership of it.”
The Liberty will host the Los Angeles Spark on June 22, at 3 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and face the Atlanta Dream on the road on Sunday, before returning to the New York City area to compete for the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday, June 25 at UBS Arena at 8 p.m.
