Jones is an All-Star

There was no doubt that Bahamian women’s professional basketball player Jonquel “JJ” Jones was going to be named a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) All-Star this season. She’s actually a frontrunner for the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, so being named an all-star was really a no-brainer.

Jones along with two of her Connecticut Sun teammates were recently named to represent their teams and conferences in the 17th WNBA All-Star game.

Jones is no stranger to the festivities that will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 14, as she makes her third appearance in the league’s all-star classic. Her first appearance was in 2017 and she last appeared in 2019. She opted out of the 2020 season because of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no WNBA All-Star game in 2020.

In the 2019 edition, Jones finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 18 minutes of play. Her team lost 129-126.

Jones’ teammates Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner were also named to the upcoming all-star game.

Drafted back in 2016 as the number six overall pick, Jones is averaging a double-double this season with a career-high 21.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 13 games. She is also averaging 1.2 blocks and a career-high 1.5 steals per game, and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from deep.

Jones is one of two players averaging a double-double in the league – the other is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Sylvia Fowler at 16.5 points and 10 boards per game.

Jones leads the league in rebounding again this season – the third time in her career. Her scoring output has catapulted from 14.6 points in 2019 to 21.1 points per game this season. She is ranked at number two in the league in points per game. Leading the way in that category is the Washington Mystics’ Tina Charles at 25.8 points per contest.

In addition, Jones is ranked at number seven in the league in steals at 1.5 steals per game. Her 1.2 blocks per game has her tied at number nine in the league.

Jones was named as the Kia WNBA Player of the Month for her efforts back in May. It was her second career player of the month award with her first being in June 2017. As mentioned, she is in the mix for the league’s MVP Award this season.

Jones was able to record a regular season career-high 31 points on June 5 against the New York Liberty. In that game, she made a career-high 12 field goals. The forward/center played a career-high 41 minutes against the Seattle Storm on May 25.

The trio of Suns all-star players have helped the Sun sport a 12-6 win/loss record this season – best record in the Eastern Conference and third-best record in the league. In the newly introduced Commissioner’s Cup, the Sun is the number one team in the Eastern Conference with a 7-1 record with two more games remaining.

In their last outing on Saturday night, the Sun was stunned by the Indiana Fever on the road. They lost 73-67. Jones had an off-night by her standards with 16 points and nine boards while shooting 5-for-17 from the field in 33 minutes of play. That loss snapped a five-game winning streak for them. The Sun return home, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, to host the Atlanta Dream on Friday.

Jump Line – The Sun have the best record in the Eastern Conference and third-best in the league

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