Jonquel Jones getting the recognition she deserves this season with WNBA Finals MVP

The New York Liberty finished off an astonishing season Sunday night by taking home the franchise's first-ever WNBA Finals championship.

This season has been highlighted mainly by the duo of Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu. However, the glue of this Liberty team has not received recognition for how much she has lifted this team to the success they received. That player is Jonquel Jones.

During the regular season Jones averaged 14.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game as the most consistent player on the Liberty. In her seventh season in the league, she proved that her MVP season in 2021 wasn't the only season she would thrive. Born in the Grand Bahamas and then playing college basketball at George Washington University, her story is unique, but the 2017 Most Improved Player and 2018 Sixth Woman of the Year has made herself one of the most feared forwards in the league.

In games where Stewart or Ionescu couldn't get going on either end of the court, the Liberty always found hope in Jones as she would step up consistently in big games. Standing at 6-foot-6 she is always ready to pass the ball, short rolling to the basket, knocking down mid-range shots, and she can absolutely drill the three ball.

Jones has a unique skill set as a center. She shows the core skills of many forwards but also gives a glimpse of guard-like prowess on the court. As a highly versatile and dominant player, she has excellent post moves, using her footwork and length to score over defenders. This season, she used her face-up game against some of the best defenders in the league and showed it against Napheesa Collier during the finals. Jones was comfortable driving against Collier and finished at the rim quickly, making it a problematic matchup all series long. Through transition, she can finish fast breaks or trail behind for open shots, contributing to the Liberty's pace and scoring opportunities.

In 2019, Jones experienced a loss in the finals when she was on the Connecticut Sun. But this time around, she came out on top. Averaging 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in a five-game series, Jones was the top player on the court for New York. In a series with two overtime games, Jones consistently was the go-to player for the Liberty in crucial minutes.

Players in WNBA history to average 10+ points per game on 50/40/90 shooting in a championship run are Jones and Leonie Fiebich in this finals run. Jones' 17 points led New York on Sunday as did her 21 points in Game 4.

So while media outlets can shout out Ionescu and Stewart for their performances all season long and bash them for inconsistent performances in the finals, they can praise Jones. The unsung hero of the entire Liberty series can add Finals MVP hardware to her collection.