The New York Liberty are operating on a different level than any other team in the WNBA.
Apart from having the best record and being the first team to clinch a postseason bid, New York has outclassed the bottom of the league, as seen in their 103-68 win over the Sparks on Thursday, and ran past other teams fighting for the top.
One major reason why was on full display Saturday afternoon when the Liberty won in Las Vegas for the second time this year, taking down the Aces, 79-67.
Sabrina Ionescu pointed to Jonquel Jones as the key to the team's offense. Jones had 10 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists in the win, but her contributions ran deeper than the box score.
“I'd say sometimes our best offense is knowing we can keep the floor space and shoot the ball with confidence, knowing JJ is down there,” she said. “If we do miss, she cleans it up almost every single time.”
Jones provides the Liberty more than just a dominant post presence. As Ionescu explained, her ability to clean up the glass allows the guards to operate fearlessly on the perimeter.
“I think that's sometimes why we do make sure that we're taking those shots because it creates second chance opportunities that usually really play in our favor,” she added.
This is the second year of the Ionescu-Jones-Breanna Stewart combination, and it’s working even better than in year one. In 2023, the team took some time to gel. Jones struggled to reach the MVP levels she hit as a member of the Connecticut Sun. Even when she began scoring, she wasn’t the same factor she has become this year.
Jones has found success in 2024 operating both inside and out. She is confident enough in her shot that she participated in the three-point contest during All-Star weekend. She’s also averaging 3.5 assists per game. That puts her past her previous career high in total assists by 17 with 13 games remaining.
“It puts us in a great position offensively because she's able to be a ball handler and take the ball up top, she's able to drive and kick, she does so much for us than just scoring and being a post presence,” Ionescu said. “Her ability to do everything any given night, it's never really the exact same…her ability to adapt is something that I really cherish as a teammate.”
The numbers show that as Jones succeeds, so do the Liberty. In their five losses, including the Commissioner’s Cup title game, she is averaging 7.6 points per game. Compare that to her total season average of 15.1. When the Liberty struggled in the opening weeks of the season, dropping back-to-back games to the Sky and Lynx, foul trouble hampered Jones, holding her to 21 minutes and 28 minutes in those two games respectively.
The Liberty hope to stay focused with the postseason secured
The Liberty clinched the postseason with their win over the Aces, making Sandy Brondello the first coach in WNBA history to take her team to the playoffs in each of her first 12 years as a head coach. She’s had the benefit of coaching some of the best players to ever suit up, from Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi on the Mercury to her current New York super-team.
She has also found which coaching cliché helps manage a team with its eyes on a championship.
“We don’t get too high or too low. We’re happy,” she said. “There’s still areas that we could continue to get better in and getting more consistent…I’m excited to continue to develop.”
While one could forgive the team for temporarily basking in the joy of clinching the playoffs on their rival’s home court, they won’t show that extra satisfaction outwardly.
For Stewart, the excitement came in getting back to work.
“We were excited to be back with our teammates and the staff and know that this second half of the season is really important and there's no excuses,” she said. “No one cares if we just came off the Olympics and we have a game like four days later and a nine-hour time zone change.”
From here, the Liberty are playing for seeding. They have a three-game lead over the Sun with seven of their remaining 13 games against teams not currently in the playoff picture. That puts them in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
“Obviously, our goal isn't to just make it there, but it's gonna be continuing to win these games that we have coming up and continuing to just get better as a team and focus on ourselves,” Ionescu said. “It’s nice to see we’ve been able to pick up where we left off.”
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