Jones returns to Sun with plenty to prove
Connecticut Sun assistant coach Chris Koclanes looked around practice Wednesday and noticed the vibe was different.
It’s no mystery as to why. Jonquel Jones was enthusiastically back.
“JJ,” Koclanes said, “is positively contagious.”
Jones’ return was highly anticipated. The two-time WNBA All-Star hadn’t played with the Sun since October 2019 after skipping last season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Connecticut will tip off its season Friday at the Atlanta Dream (7:30 p.m., Twitter).
“This is where I’ve been my entire WNBA career, so it feels really, really good,” said Jones, a first-round draft pick in 2016. “Just watching the games last summer, I missed being out there with them. It’s good to be back. I love being back.”
The 6-foot-6 forward, speaking Thursday for the first time since opting out of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, said she enjoyed her time home in the Bahamas, but found herself eager to return as the season wore on.
“I was at peace with my decision, but definitely when the team started to make that late playoff push I wanted to be there,” Jones said. “If I could have said, just take me back for the playoffs, let me play, I would’ve done that. I definitely wanted to be there, seeing how close this team was and understanding that we have a team that can compete for a champion
ship.”
The Sun fell just short of a return to the WNBA Finals, losing in the decisive Game 5 of their semifinals series with Las Vegas last September in the Florida bubble.
Externally, expectations are lower for the Sun in 2021. While most of the core returns, Alyssa Thomas, a relentless defender whom teammates call “The Engine,” is expected to miss the entire season with a torn Achilles tendon.
But Jones’ presence will undoubtedly help. Jones, 27, averaged a team-high 14.6 points and led the league in rebounds and blocks in 2019, making All-WNBA Second Team and All-Defensive Team.
“Me personally, I always feel like people underestimate me,” she said. “I just don’t feel like there’s enough respect behind my name and so I’m coming into the season trying to prove something because I sat out last year. I think our ceiling is as high as we want it to go. I feel like we can be a very successful team, but it all comes down to how we mesh on the court.”
Back home, Jones was able to spend down time with family while still working out. She caught up with her childhood coach, who allowed her access to some private gyms during the lockdown.
All along, Jones stayed in touch with her teammates through text and watched games whenever possible.
“The situation,” Jones said, “worked out perfectly for me.”
Jones recently wrapped up playing in Russia, where she won a EuroLeague title with UMMC Ekaterinburg. Her team, which included reigning WNBA Finals MVP and UConn legend Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot and Emma Meesseman, went undefeated.
Wednesday was her first practice back with Connecticut.
Oh, and rest assured, she didn’t go unnoticed.
“Her energy, just how smart she is on the court, she just brings a different level to the game,” forward DeWanna Bonner said. “To finally have that back on the court with us, it’s just huge.”