BEST OF THE BEST
The Sun’s Jonquel Jones for MVP, Brionna Jones for most improved highlight Courant’s picks for 2021 WNBA awards
It’s that time of year: WNBA awards season.
As one of 50 media members voting on a litany of league-wide honors, The Courant’s Connecticut SUN/WNBA beat writer Alexa Philippou shares her picks for everything from MVP to Most Improved Player to Rookie of the Year and ALL-WNBA First and Second Teams, while explaining her rationale for each.
The picks may be pretty Sun-heavy, but that is not a product of Connecticut bias — the Sun have been just *that* good!
MVP: Sun forward Jonquel Jones
Stats: 19.4 points per game on 51.5% shooting (36.2% on 3s), 11.2 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, 1.3 blocks per game, 31.7 minutes per game
WNBA MVP awards tend to go to the best player on the best team, but the case for Jones goes beyond that.
After opting out of the 2020 season, Jones returned to the WNBA playing some absolutely formidable basketball. She finished fourth in the league in scoring and first in rebounding to earn her third WNBA Peak Performer Award. She was one of two players to average a double-double this year, with 18 in 27 games (the 66.7% is second-best in league history). She poses a threat at all three levels. (May I remind you that, despite being a 6-foot-6 forward/center, she finished second in the 3-point shooting contest?) The fact that she and Brionna Jones anchored the Sun’s stellar defense only solidifies her case.
If you’re an advanced stats junkie, then you’ll appreciate that Basketball Reference has Jonquel Jones as No. 1 in win shares (6.6) and 0.1 behind No. 1 Brittney Griner of the Mercury in Player Efficiency
Rating. Kevin Pelton’s wins above replacement player metric also reflected Jones is the runaway best player in the league this season.
Jones has won three of the five Eastern Conference player of the month awards this season, including September.
Most Improved: Sun center Brionna Jones
Stats: 14.7 PPG on 57.1% shooting, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG in 30.6 MPG
The biggest knock I’ve seen on Bri Jones’ case is that her MIP season really came last year in the WNBA bubble when she emerged as a starter for Connecticut. But anyone who’s watched the Sun closely knows that she upped her game another level this season. She led the team in scoring six times — tied with Dewanna Bonner for the second-most on the team — and has been even more of a go-to player to help the Sun win. Though her field goal percentage went down compared to her league-high mark last year (60.5), 57.1% still is third in the league and she has been doing it on three more shot attempts per game than 2020. Her scoring, rebounding and minutes are all at career highs, earning her an All-star bid this season.
Coach of the Year: Sun’s Curt Miller
Prior to the 2021 season, not much was expected from the Sun (I admit, I even had them sixth in my preseason rankings). They were expected to be without Alyssa Thomas for the entire summer.
Connecticut wasn’t simply going to be missing an All-star. Thomas’ facilitating as a point forward shaped much of the Sun’s offensive identity in recent years, and Miller has routinely called her the best defender in the world. So for Miller to guide the Sun to a league-best 26-6 record, the best winning percentage in franchise history and the No. 1 overall seed in the WNBA playoffs behind statistically one of the best defenses the league has seen in years all without Thomas? He is an easy pick.
On Monday, Miller was once against named the WNBA Coach of the Month after taking home the honor in August.
Defensive Player of the Year: Lynx center Sylvia Fowles
Stats: 8.0 defensive rebounds per game, 1.8 SPG, 1.8 BPG
The toughest pick for me to determine, but I don’t think you can go wrong by picking Fowles, who has won Defensive Player of the Year three times. Fowles is one of the best rim protectors in the game, dominated the defensive glass this season and led the league in steals. That she’s having this exceptional of a season for the third-seeded Minnesota Lynx at 35 is incredible.
I considered picking a Sun player for this award since Connecticut has far and away the best defense in the league, but it was too hard to choose just one (plus the unit’s collective effort on defense is what makes it special). Fowles arguably has a weaker group of defenders around her and still helped the Lynx have the fourth-best defensive rating in the league.
Sixth Woman: Aces guard Kelsey Plum
Stats: 14.8 PPG on 43.7% shooting (38.6% on 3s), 3.6 APG, 2.5 RPG in 25.5 MPG
I found Kelsey Plum’s second half too good to ignore. She averaged 21.7 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game across six games in September and finished second on the Aces in scoring (14.8 points per game), also held the best scoring average for a player off the bench this season.
If Plum can keep up that level of play in the postseason, no one is going to want to face Las Vegas.
Rookie of the Year: Liberty forward Michaela Onyenwere
Stats: 8.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG in 22.5 MPG
This year’s rookie class was, well, notoriously underwhelming. Only five players averaged at least 10 minutes per game and appeared in at least 10 games. Oof.
I gave my vote to Onyenwere because, as a starter for New York, she played more minutes by far than any other rookie, while also leading the class in scoring. Aari Mcdonald and Didi Richards, both known for their defense, had particularly strong second halves, though.
ALL-WNBA First and Second Teams*
First Team: Sun F Jonquel Jones, Storm F Breanna Stewart, Mercury C Brittney Griner, Mercury G Skylar Diggins-smith, Storm G Jewell Loyd
Second Team: Aces F A’ja Wilson, Mystics F Tina Charles, Lynx C Sylvia Fowles, Aces G Kelsey Plum, Sky G Courtney Vandersloot
* — Each team needed to feature two guards, two forwards and one center, but this voter thinks the ALL-WNBA teams need to be position-less.
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@ courant.com.