The New York Liberty took off like a spaceship at the beginning of the season. They were looking to replicate their last season’s championship-winning exploits, but soon crashed back to the ground. The Liberty has had just one win in their last three games and is looking as disjointed as ever.
Jonquel Jones is an important piece in the puzzle for their 2024 title-winning run, being the finals MVP as well. She continued that form, leading Liberty’s unbeaten run to start the season. She provided clutch moments with 12.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. However, despite her early exploits, she was not selected as a starter for the 2025 All-Star, which left the Liberty camp disappointed. Now, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello has come out in defense of Jones following that snub.
Sandy Brondello said, “JJ, when you look at someone and if they’re an All-Star or not, you look at their impact on the team… She’s just a comfort blanket. For me, she’s an All-Star… she’s a really important player.”
Jones will miss out on the All-Star game with good reason; she has played a limited part this season with her recurring ankle injury. Jones was initially injured during a victory over the Mystics. She missed the following two games, and on her return, she played just one full game before re-aggravating her injury in the loss against the Phoenix Mercury. She was ruled out for another month, and her return is still awaited by the Liberty team.
Sandy Brondello on Jonquel Jones: “JJ, when you look at someone and if they’re an All-Star or not, you look at their impact on the team… She’s just a comfort blanket. For me, she’s an All-Star… she’s a really important player.” (Q: @ClassicJpow)
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) July 3, 2025
Jones herself expressed her disappointment at missing out on being an All-Star. “I’m pissed,” she said after practice Wednesday. “I’m not even gonna lie about it, I’m really upset about it.”
Jones has been named an All-Star in five of the last seven seasons, including in 2024. This year, she had one personal goal: to make it a sixth. That dream was cut short by injury, and the impact has been impossible to ignore. Her absence didn’t just leave a hole in the lineup. It shook the foundation of the Liberty.
The team’s losing streak began the night she went down, and they’ve been searching for answers ever since. Rebounding has collapsed. The Liberty is now 6th in the league, grabbing just 34.8 percent of available boards. Jones was the only consistent force on the hardwood, the only player averaging more than six rebounds a game.
Without her, New York has lost its edge, its physicality, and its balance on both ends of the floor. Brondello now needs to figure out how to solve these problems without their star center, as she is not coming back anytime soon.
New York Liberty not panicking despite struggles
The one thing the New York Liberty can’t afford to do is spiral from here. Considering the championship-winning experience and the caliber of that team, they are bound to bounce back anytime. The team just needs to have that one game or even that one moment that could push their train back on track. Fortunately, the team is not panicking and is looking forward to the coming season.
“It’s definitely been tough,” Sabrina Ionescu admitted at practice on Wednesday. “But I think everyone kind of sees big picture, and isn’t really panicking. I think it’s just that understanding of we need people to step up. We need people to continue to try and make up for the players that aren’t here, and those are really big shoes to fill, and so we just need to continue to chip away.”
With Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich both sidelined, the Liberty are being forced to adjust to the fly. Replacing their production will not come from one player; it has to be a full team effort. Without Jones anchoring the interior and Fiebich stretching the floor and crashing the boards, the Liberty’s pace has slowed, their spacing has shrunk, and their offense has lost its bite.
Moving on, Ionescu is now fully fit after having some neck issues in the past weeks. So their form could see a turnaround soon. It remains to be seen how they tactically solve these issues, but Brondello is experienced and tactically sound enough to come back from this. It is just a matter of when. While they could miss out on defending the title, this Liberty side won’t go down without a fight.
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