Sandy Brondello will be looking to get her New York Liberty team back on track when the Las Vegas Aces visit the Big Apple on Tuesday. After starting the season with an immaculate 9-0 record, the Liberty have lost six of their last nine games and dropped out of the top two spots for the first time this year.
New York finds itself in the midst of a concerning mid-season slump, and a big reason for their slide has been a lengthy injury list. Isabelle Harrison and Sabrina Ionescu have both missed time with nagging injuries, but the real concern is Jonquel Jones, who has already missed a chunk of the campaign.
Liberty Will Look To Get Out of Slump Without Jonquel Jones
Jones suffered a right ankle injury during the second quarter against the Phoenix Mercury on June 19 and has not been back on the court since. The 31-year-old center is once again listed on the Liberty’s injury report and is not expected to return until after the All-Star break.
At the time of the injury, Jones was expected to miss 4-6 weeks of the season. Brondello was asked this week about Jones’ status, but the head coach was unwilling to provide a fixed return date.
“If we can get her back after [the] All-Star break, that’s still a win, isn’t it? Because it was supposed to be in August,” said Brondello, according to the New York Post’s Madeline Kenney.
Jones has been a staple in the Liberty lineup since being traded to New York from the Connecticut Sun in 2023. Over the last two seasons, the 6’6″ talent has missed just one regular-season game. In 2023, she was instrumental in the team’s run to the finals. Last season, Jones went one step further, putting together an All-Star caliber season to help the Liberty to their first-ever WNBA championship.
The Liberty have not looked the same since the five-time All-Star went down on June 19. Defensively, the team has struggled, giving up 89 or more points in six of their last nine games.
Jonquel Jones’ timeline to return remains up in the air.
Sandy Brondello doesn’t anticipate Jones to be back before All-Star break.
“If we can get her back after All-Star break, that’s still a win, isn’t it? B/c it was supposed to be in August.”
— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) July 5, 2025
Breanna Stewart and Ionescu remain the team’s most dangerous scoring threats, but Jones’ input on the defensive end cannot be overstated. Over nine games this season, she is averaging 9.6 rebounds per game, more than A’ja Wilson, Azura Stevens, and Aliyah Boston. Jones is also averaging over a block per game.
New York faces a tough run of games before the All-Star break with the Aces, Atlanta Dream, and Indiana Fever over the next eight days. They will have to maneuver through that tricky schedule without their star center.
