At the 2021 Women’s National Basketball Association’s All-Star game, Bahamian-Bosnian Jonquel Jones showed the world just how far she has come, and the potential she has to go further.
It was a busy night (Wednesday, July 14) for the 6’6’’ Connecticut Sun center at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only did she put together an MVP (Most Valuable Player)-caliber performance among her peers, she also showed that she is a certain threat from beyond the three-point arch in the MTN (Mountain) Dew Three-Point competition.
Prior to helping Team WNBA secure the 93-85 win over the Women’s United States National Team (composed of the league’s USA talent), JJ put the league on notice as she finished second in the three-point competition.
The Chicago Sky’s Allie Quigley would walk away as the eventual champion of the contest, posting 28 points in both the first and championship rounds. Jones, however, would set the tone in the first round scoring 27 points. She followed up that stellar shooting display with 24 points scored in the championship round.
It was Jones’ first time ever competing in the three-point competition. For the regular season Jones has attempted 71 three-pointers and made 31 total. That trend has her shooting at a 43.7 percent clip, which ranks her sixth in three-point shooting percentage.
Her steadily improved three-point shooting has propelled Jones to become one of the league’s top five scorers. Trailing the Washington Mystics’ Tina Charles (26.3 points per game), Jones is the league’s second leading scorer with a career-high 21 points per game.
In unison with her scoring, Jones continues to be one of the WNBA’s most ravenous rebounders. She currently leads the league in that regard with 11.1 rebounds per night. She also averages a career-high in assists with 3.1 per game.
On the defensive end, Jones averages 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Although the All-Star game’s MVP honors went to the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale, who finished with 26 points, Jones’ versatility was on full display in Las Vegas.
She finished the game with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
With the Summer Olympics set to commence on July 23 in Tokyo, Japan, the WNBA will be on a month-long hiatus. Once the league returns to its regular schedule, the Jones and the Sun will take on the Dallas Wings on August 15.
At the break the Sun rank third in the league at 14-6, trailing the first place Seattle Storm (16-5) and the second place Las Vegas Aces (15-6).
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