SEATTLE –The afternoon started with a Maya Moore three-pointer from the corner.
On the next play, all-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi hit nothing but net from
well beyond the arc. The familiar faces entertained the crowd like they have for
many years.
Both of those veterans would go on to have productive games – Moore won her
second straight All-Star MVP – but Saturday’s contest in Seattle was just as
much about the other end of the spectrum.
The future of the league was on display, and does it ever look bright. Jonquel
Jones, Breanna Stewart, Chelsea Gray and Elizabeth Williams were among the
first-time All-Stars putting on a show at KeyArena with one highlight-reel play
after another. The Eastern Conference alone had eight players making their
All-Star debuts.
“It’s fun right now in the East. There’s a lot of young talent,” East coach Curt
Miller said after the game, which the West won 130-121. “You look at the West,
and it’s kind of a tale of two stories. Some of the players are in the fourth
quarter of their career. But there are a lot of young faces in this league that
are poised to be the faces of the future, and a lot of those reside in the East
right now.”
The fans in Seattle know what Stewart, the reigning Rookie of the Year, can do
on a nightly basis. In watching Jones on Saturday, they witnessed a very similar
player nailing three-pointers, running the break like a point guard and even
throwing down a dunk.
They saw Gray dish a nifty behind-the-back pass, something she has done often
while averaging a career-high 4.3 assists as part of her breakout season. They
saw Williams – who ranks second in the league in blocks – rise for a monster
rejection late in the third quarter.
Out of all the young players on the court, however, it was Jones and her
versatility that stood out the most.
Anybody who watched that game would not be shocked if Jones becomes the best
player in the entire WNBA at some point. She had an MVP-caliber performance: 24
points, 10-of-15 shooting, 3-for-8 from three-point range and nine rebounds.
On numerous occasions, she grabbed a defensive board and just took it down the
court herself, flashing a handle that you simply don’t see from 6-foot-6
centers. Jones once ran the break and used a behind-the-back move to dribble
around a defender and kick out to an open teammate. Her one-handed dunk in the
final minute put the finishing touches on a breakout performance.
The Sun center received high praise from some of the WNBA’s all-time greats.
“Jonquel Jones is going to be a problem in this league for a long time,” Taurasi
said. “With her stature and the way she can handle the ball, shoot the ball, and
work so easy on the court, I just think she’s got a really bright future.”
“She’s somebody that is fun to watch come into her own,” Moore added. “She’s got
height, athleticism, and really her confidence is just increased with her
finishing ability. She knows where she likes the ball. She poses that threat as
a post that can shoot from the outside, similar to [Stewart]. …She’s definitely
one of those up-and-coming players that is more coming than up-and-coming, and
she’s proving that this season.”
After getting her feet wet as a rookie, Jones is now a leading candidate for
Most Improved Player.
At age 23, she averages 15.8 points, a league-high 11.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks
per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep.
Jones posted a pair of 20-rebound games early in the season.
Taurasi and Sue Bird had a conversation with Jones right after the game,
encouraging her to keep working hard and not take the unique talent she has for
granted.
When those veterans eventually decide to call it quits, the league will be in
good hands.
“I think she’s a fantastic player,” said Tina Charles, who started alongside
Jones in the East frontcourt. “With everything she’s been able to do for the
Connecticut Sun and her being in her second year, finding her niche in this
league, you don’t really see that happen that fast. …It’s going to inspire a lot
of young players when they get into the league and are thinking of when they are
going to turn the corner. They can look to someone like Jonquel Jones.”
