Liberty 2023 Player Preview: Jonquel Jones

The New York Liberty are set to embark upon one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise, if not WNBA, history. Fresh off consecutive playoff appearances, the Liberty made several moves that have some observers labeling them a "superteam" that could yield the organization's first championship after over two decades of waiting.

All Knicks will have coverage of the Liberty's quest for WNBA hardware as tip-off looms on Friday night in Washington (7 p.m. ET, WWOR/NBA TV) before the Brooklyn opener against Indiana two days later. With the opening-night roster officially unveiled, AK will feature play-by-player previews leading into the weekend.

The sun is thus rising on a new era of Liberty basketball and it's thus only appropriate to analyze the coming impact of former Connecticut star Jonquel Jones ...

Name: Jonquel Jones
Height/Weight: 6-6, 215 lbs.
College: George Washington
Experience: 7th season (1st with Liberty)

The Story So Far

Having moved from the Bahamas to Maryland at a young age, Jones quickly gamed the nickname "Big Slim" for her hardwood affairs. Fortunately for those reliant upon her rebounding antics, Jones' interior impact has been anything but thin.

The sun has set on Jones' career with the ... well, Sun. Her legend won't be soon forgotten, a legend that began when she rose from the mid-major depths of GW to become of the sixth overall pick of the 2016 draft. After a de facto redshirt where she came off the Uncasville bench, Jones immediately made history with a 20-point, 20-rebound game upon insertion into the starting five. In perhaps an intriguing sign of things to come, Jones would break a single-season rebounding record previously held by future all-time leading Liberty scorer Tina Charles.

Connecticut prospered in the Jones era, making the playoffs in each of her six seasons on the ledger (including the 2020 Bradenton bubble endeavor she opted out of). Individual accolades rolled in for Jones, including four All-Star Game invites and the 2021 MVP Award. A championship ring, however, proved elusive, leading Jones to personally declare that last season would be her final in orange. Connecticut reached the WNBA Finals but fell to the Las Vegas Aces in five games.

Even though he was unaware of Jones' intentions beyond Connecticut, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb mentioned that her metropolitan arrival was a day months in the making.

"I've had a Jonquel jersey in my office for a year," Kolb said with a smirk upon the completion of a three-team deal that brought Jones over" When we heard that there may be movement, we hurried right away."

The deal involving Jones forced the Liberty to say good bye to several familiar faces: Rebecca Allen, the longest-tenured New Yorker, was shipped to Connecticut while Natasha Howard and Crystal Dangerfield each went to Dallas.

They Said It

"I am excited to be here. It's a pleasure to say I'm a part of this organization. For me, last year, I saw a shift in the culture: the way they played high-octane, on both sides of the basketball ... I wanted to be a part of that. I was in Connecticut for the entirety of my career. It was time for a change, time for a new chapter. I'm happy I chose New York. I'm happy they chose me."-Jones on what drew her to New York

"Jones elevates everything we speak about ... Vegas plays great defense. Jones plays great defense and is one of the greatest rebounders in the WNBA."-Head coach Sandy Brondello

"JJ is a very nice person, not only a good basketball player. She's a big center too...she can play in the block, in the paint. She can shoot threes."-Han Xu

Outlook

Despite the considerable, justifiable hype around them, the Liberty probably figure to go through some growing pains as they seek All-Star chemistry amidst their newly formed group. Jones, is perhaps burdened with one of the simpler tasks: end and extend possessions.

Last season, the Liberty lost seven games that either went to overtime or were decided by six points or less. Had they reversed their fortunes in even only three of those games, they would've moved up an entire playoff spot, one that would've avoided the defending champions from Chicago and, ironically, placed them against Jones and the third-seeded Sun instead.

Jones has expressed a dedication to learning the new systems from her teammates and there's no shortage of familiarity with both Han and Stef Dolson back. But all she has to do, especially in the early going, is clean up the Liberty's paint job: New York allowed opponents to haul in 8.9 offensive rebounds, the second-worst rate in the Association. Fortunately for the modern Liberty, Jones has ranked no worse than seventh in offensive rebounding in each of the last five seasons that she has played, leading the Association in the category twice (2017, 2019).

First-round byes are no longer a concern but Jones' early inside jobs could be the difference between jostling for late, elite playoff seeding or playing relaxed before the potential postseason.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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