Jonquel Jones has embraced her clean bill of health, stepping up in a major way as the Liberty’s frontcourt has been riddled with injuries.
Jones returned from a monthlong ankle injury after the All-Star break and has seemingly picked up where she left off. Tuesday’s 85-76 win against the Wings was Jones’ ninth game back, and she finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
It followed what coach Sandy Brondello called a “real breakthrough” moment in Sunday’s win at Connecticut — in which Jones posted 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
With Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally and Kennedy Burke all sidelined indefinitely, the Liberty have had to rely on their 2024 WNBA Finals MVP more than ever.
And Jones believes the challenges, including the team’s grueling six-games-in-10-days stretch that wrapped up Tuesday, has expedited her reintegration process.
“I felt like I was 100 percent from the minute I came back or really close to it,” Jones said before the game. “The main thing with this stretch, even though it was tough, but the positive thing for me is that I was able to play a lot of minutes and really get my conditioning in basketball wise.”
Jones did everything you’d expect as she worked her way back from an injury in early July. She did hours of individual work and trained with Liberty director of player development Andrew Wade on the side of team practices.
But the only way to truly get into game shape is by playing.
“You can’t really simulate 5-on-5 basketball until you play 5-on-5 basketball,” she said. “So to be able to get those extended minutes and have to push through, I think it’s already helped me a lot, and I can really feel the difference.”
In her first eight games back, Jones is averaging 16.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 40.0 from deep.
Brondello has been impressed with the way Jones has handled everything.
“The first game back is always pretty good for any player returning, and then once you get into the slog of it, she’s had to work through getting back into game shape and she’s done a really good job of just being resilient and pushing through even when she has fatigue,” Brondello said.
“You could see, as she was getting way more comfortable, she had a little bit more on the legs to give, and that says a lot because our schedule has been quite compact.”
Sabally wasn’t on the Liberty bench Tuesday night. Instead, a team spokesperson said that she went back to Germany for treatment, though it remains unclear what she’s receiving and why she had to go back to her native country.
Sabally, who hasn’t played since July 16 because of right knee discomfort, is expected to return to the team in a few days.
