Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones has found her footing in the franchise. After going No. 8 overall in the 2017 draft, she’s spent her entire WNBA career in Connecticut. With the Sun she began as a bench player, ultimately landed a starting role and has become a huge part of the franchise’s success. Her transformation has been especially evident throughout the current WNBA season.
Jones is a three-time WNBA All-Star and hit a career 2,000-point milestone last week against the Los Angeles Sparks at TD Garden in Boston. This season, she’s averaging 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game with a 52.1% field goal percentage. Compared to her career averages in points (9.8 per game), rebounds (4.5 per game) and assists (1.0 per game), she is exceeding expectations this year.
How Jones began to flourish
Jones, who is currently ninth in the league for steal percentage (2.6%), has stepped into an obvious leadership role with the Connecticut Sun this season. Jones’ teammates, as well as Sun head coach Stephanie White, attribute her many successes to her own discipline and hard work. These values have translated to dependability for Jones on the court, which has allowed her to thrive during game play.
Just last week, Jones came up with a huge play against the Sparks in Boston when she dove on the floor to try and secure a loose ball. This play fired up the fans, who ultimately cheered their team to Sun victory in front of a sold-out crowd of over 19,000 fans.
Jones’ hard work, dedication and unwillingness to give up are huge reasons why Connecticut is sitting at second in the league standings. They are only 2.5 games behind the top-ranked New York Liberty.
“She just has a really strong knack for the ball,” White told The Next. “There are some people who just have those intangible skills that you can’t teach. There is not one player on our team that, if you ask them, ‘who’s gonna have your back?’ They’re [not going to be] like, ‘Oh, Breezy. Breezy is gonna — I know Breezy got my back. I know she’s gonna be there.'”
What Jones brings to the team
Jones’ basketball IQ and other mental skills have contributed heavily to her success this season. These skills have also propelled the Sun to be a championship-contending team.
“She’s got good instincts, she’s got a nose for the ball,” White said. “Her timing is really good, she anticipates well and she doesn’t really get rushed, right? So, she plays the play in real time, and she doesn’t allow herself to get … at a frenetic pace on either end of the floor. So, she does all those things, like I said, that you just can’t teach.”
Jones is a player that the Sun has needed for so long, in many ways. They lost some post presence when center Jonquel Jones (“JJ”) was traded from the franchise to the New York Liberty a few years back.
JJ was a leader when she was a part of the Sun roster. And since her departure, Brionna Jones has really stepped up to fill some of that void. She has become not only a leader herself, but also a veteran player who younger players can look to for support. She’s focused on being a player in games that her teammates can lean on at any given moment.
“Whatever the team needs me to be,” is Jones’ mindset this season, as she explained to The Next. “I think some nights it’s going to be defense, some nights scoring. I think it’s just bringing whatever the team needs me to.”
Working around the clock
This season, Jones has taken advantage of any time that she could get her hands on to become a better player and teammate. Per Jones, the best way to maximize the evolution of her game has been by getting extra shots and reps when she can. “It’s been a quick-paced season,” Jones explained. “We don’t have a lot of practice time … just trying to find time in between everything to get extra reps and get better.”
DeWanna Bonner, Sun forward-guard, isn’t shocked by Jones’ success this season. She sees how her teammate’s tenacity and leadership has meant so much to the franchise.
“I mean, coming off of injury, the type of season she’s had is kinda unheard of,” Bonner told The Next. “But she’s been committed and dedicated to herself and the work and the standard that she holds herself to. So, I shouldn’t have to expect anything less. She’s just an amazing person and amazing player, so the season she’s had, it doesn’t surprise me.”
Uniting and uplifting the Sun
Jones provides a collectiveness and glue to the team that most players can’t say about themselves.
“She’s a part of the big — I don’t want to say the big three but she’s a staple part of this organization,” Bonner continued. “We wouldn’t be where we are today [without Jones]. She’s kinda the main piece, the main focus, the steadiness to all the madness around here. She’s the go to for us … We wouldn’t be where we are today without her.”
Jones hasn’t done anything particularly different this season than in those previous, but her work ethic is shining through more than ever. Additionally, she’s made an effort to be able to improve her communication with her teammates on the court.
“I don’t think there’s anything different necessarily, but I think just being more vocal. I think that’s the biggest thing that makes a difference for me,” Jones said.
Jones knows she has filled big shoes this season and she’s aware that her leadership can affect the team’s success. “I think my role has been a leadership role, like I said just doing what needs to be done,” she explained. “Just being there for the younger players on the team and just building my chemistry as best as I can … taking whatever part I need to do to get us to the end goal.”
Bonner also recognizes how crucial Jones’ leadership is to the team. “Bri [is] one of the leaders around this whole organization,” per Bonner. “She’s the one with the level head, so when something needs to be done … you can go to Bri. She kind of handles everything on and off the court for us.”