Few post players will keep up with Joneses

Playing overseas raises Jonquel, Brionna’s physicality, focus

MANSFIELD — Another WNBA season is nearly underway and while the Connecticut Sun have returned plenty of familiar faces, two of them might be significantly more important this year.

Post players Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones are poised for a big season, according to coach and general manager Curt Miller. The duo has impressed in training camp, coming back from overseas competition with improved physicality and focus.

Here’s a look at what they’ve done to improve, and what to expect this season:

Jonquel Jones

The 6-foot-6, 25-year-old forward didn’t have a bad season last year, but it wasn’t her best. She struggled with consistency, going through stretches of games where she wasn’t that productive. Pro competition in Russia has made her more aggressive, she said, while also helping her become more of a leader.

“I see the bounceback in JJ’s game that she had in 2017,” Miller said. “She’s just so active right now, but you also see the maturity and growth in her game… You hear her more vocal on the court than ever, and that’s really great to see.”

Jones practiced against Kayla McBride, Courtney Vandersloot, Emma Meeseman and Brittney Griner on a daily basis, and that constant challenge was critical to her growth. She had to show up with energy and physicality every day if she wanted to compete.

“I think playing against those players every day in practice really helped me out a lot and has helped me in my mentality and approach to the game,” Jones said. “Just playing against Britney every day, you have to be on your game, so that’s really helped me grow a lot and get ready for the season.”

Brionna Jones

Brionna Jones, 23, got a lucky break, and she knows it. When Chiney Ogwumike was traded to the LA Sparks, a space opened up for Jones to slide into.

Last season, Jones averaged just nine minutes per game, scoring in double digits twice. This season, she’ll be a key player coming off the bench for Connecticut.

“Bri is going to have a monster year off the bench for us,” Miller said. “She’s just so reliable. You know what you’re going to get and had just been caught in a numbers game with a very deep post… I think people are going to see that she’s a player that is a really, really quality post player off the bench.”

Jones, a 6-foot-3 center, spent training camp earning more minutes. She took advantage of the opening Ogwumike left, and showed Miller how much improvement she made while overseas. He saw her improved confidence and consistency, and as a result she’ll be a much bigger factor on the team this season.

“I definitely think that with the moves that happened in the offseason I’m going to have an opportunity to step up and make an impact on this team this year,” Jones said. “I’ve been working on being more patient in the post and working on my reads. And then I’ve been working on my shot a lot more and being more confident.”

Both Brionna Jones and Jonquel Jones will have a chance to prove to Miller the improvements they made can transfer over into regular season games when Connecticut’s season begins on Saturday. The Sun are set to take on the Washington Mystics inside Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m.

Kelli Stacy can be reached at kstacy@courant.com.