Jonquel Jones Injury Update: Liberty suffer massive blow after latest update on reigning WNBA Finals MVP

The New York Liberty have suffered a rough week featuring many setbacks. After going unbeaten in their first nine games, they suffered two defeats in three matchups and crashed out of the Commissioner's Cup. This, coupled with Jonquel Jones' latest injury, has backed the Liberty into a tight corner.

The reigning WNBA Finals MVP left the game against the Mercury on Thursday with 8:35 left in the second quarter, as New York succumbed to a 89-81 loss. According to reports on Saturday, Jones suffered from an ankle injury and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

This is a massive blow for the Liberty as Jones is an instrumental piece of their starting five. However, this isn't the center's first injury this season. She missed her team's games against the Fever and the Mystics with a similar injury and was out for a game in May with a hamstring issue.

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The injury sustained on Thursday is believed to be a re-aggravation of her previous ankle injury, which kept her out for two games. This injury could see her miss six games, which includes the Liberty's four away games to the Storm, Valkyries, Mercury and Dream.

In her absence, the Liberty will lean on Nyara Sabally, Kennedy Burke and Isabelle Harrison to fill her spot as the WNBA season enters a crucial stage. The Liberty (10-2) lead the Eastern Conference and will need to hold the fort without their star center. They travel to Seattle on Sunday to face the Storm at the Climate Pledge Arena.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello asks her players to find ways to rebound in Jonquel Jones' absence

Both of New York Liberty's losses this season have come in the absence of Jonquel Jones. The center is a key part of the reigning champions' frontcourt and was severely missed during the loss to the Phoenix Mercury.

Coach Sandy Brondello highlighted this after her team's defeat and urged her players to find ways to rebound in Jones' absence. Speaking to the media during the post-game conference, Brondello expressed:

"We lose JJ, that obviously takes a little bit of the energy away from us for a bit. That's normal, but we've got to find a way to rebound, you know, we just can't just put it all on her ... These are things we can fix, that's just a mindset we've got to flip" (From: 2:25 onwards)

The NY Liberty have struggled in the paint in Jones' absence and will need to find a quick solution if they are to return to winning ways on Sunday.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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Edited by John Maxwell