Liberty MVP Candidate Becomes Passing Sensation
A New York team often branded in blue is rising thanks to the skills of a passer named Jones ... just not the way you think, as it's a New York Liberty roundball rather than a New York Giants pigskin.
With eight seasons and counting under her professional belt, Jonquel Jones' skillset is well-established.
The 2016 WNBA entrant out of George Washington has been one of the most potent scoring and rebounding double-threats in league history, needing just eight seasons to reach 25th place all-time in the latter category. As if anyone needed a reminder of Jones' expertise, she put up double-doubles in all but one of the Liberty's 10 postseason games last fall.
Averaging 16.8 points and 8.8 rebounds, both her best since her 2021 MVP campaign in Connecticut, Jones has made a sterling case for a second such title over the first half of the season.
"It's awesome to see," head coach Sandy Brondello said of Jones' scorching start. "I said it multiple times: she's an amazing human being. Even last year, when it was slow to get her going, she stayed locked in, kept her confidence. She's a former MVP ... she's just a skilled big player. It's pretty fun to watch when she can shoot threes, do a bit of a Eurostep, pass it to her teammates. This is something that she's always had, and we're continuing to find ways to continue to grow it. This is her just taking ownership over it."
As if it wasn't clear, Jones is anything but a passing sensation ... and yet, she has become a passing sensation.
With New York's modern success built by swift ball movement and suave distribution, Jones has gotten in on the fun to the tune of a career-best 3.4 assists through New York's first 18 games. Jones has been in a particularly giving mood in June, averaging 4.3 for the month, more than double what she was distributing over her first seven seasons between Connecticut and New York.
"JJ's always had an ability to playmake but now she's continuing to evolve it within the system," Brondello noted. "We put her in action way more. I think the chemistry between her and Sabrina (is better). She's done a better job of catching the ball and having poise on the short rolls and seeing where the help is from. She loves these little scoops. We're also encouraging her to play the one-on-one at times. I think she's a player that's feeling confident with what she's doing. You can go out there and play free. She's playing at a really high level and it's great to see."
Through this season, Jones had only 11 prior games where he dished out at least five assists. She has done so on five occasions this year, including three times in the past four games. Jones had a career-best eight in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks last week, less than 48 hours after she tossed seven in a loss in Phoenix.
"I understand that teams are going to send people at me, send bodies at me, so I'm just being ready to make the next pass," Jones said of her seemingly newfound abilities. "I trust my teammates to make those shots, so it's just about keeping the game simple."
Jones' MVP case may be double-edged for New York: the Liberty is 1-3 when she is held below 10 points and the Minnesota Lynx almost perfectly neutralized her in Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup Final at UBS Arena. Despite a dozen rebounds, Jones had only three shot attempts and scored only three points, all from the foul line, in a 94-89 defeat.
Conversely, however, Jones' distribution has come a vital time on the metropolitan timeline: New York has had to work through nearly a full month without the service of Courtney Vandersloot, who was out for bereavement reasons prior to Tuesday's showcase. Jones' adaptation is one of several new avenues of Liberty offense that has propelled them to the top of the WNBA leaderboard: Sabrina Ionescu has upped her interior efforts while Kayla Thornton has discovered a new prowess from deep.
"It's a next man up mentality, doing whatever it takes to win," Jones said. "We understand that the adversity we face now is going to help us when the playoffs start."
True to form, Jones claims there are assists behind her assists, revealed when Ionescu invaded a recent postgame media scrum and cheerfully queried Jones about the rewards of being a "double-double machine."
"It feels great," Jones responded in equally good humor. "But I'm surrounded by even greater teammates that get me the ball, so what can I say?"
Jones and the Liberty (15-3) resume regular play on Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Dream (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks