Plays 72 minutes on the road with wins against Liberty and Sun
By Jim Fuller
When the season began, Haley Jones had the luxury of coming in and out of games without the expectations that the former Stanford star now faces.
Injuries to Danielle Robinson and Aari McDonald have left the Atlanta Dream dangerously thin at the point guard position.
What has resulted is Jones playing 72 minutes as the Dream went on the road and upset the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun.
It could be argued whether Atlanta wins the game at New York without Jones’ contributions. That is not up for debate when it comes to what transpired on Thursday in Connecticut.
Jones scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter or overtime as Atlanta came away with a 92-88 victory. She also had nine assists in the game before fouling out in overtime.
Her teammates have been telling Jones to trust her talent and just play the game.
Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon played with Jones on the United States team that won the 2021 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup so they know what Jones is capable of. They both said they are seeing the aggressive mindset from Jones that was so prevalent back in 2021.
It appears as if Jones was listening.
“It had to turn at some point,” Jones said. “I got tired of playing like that and I am sure my teammates were tired of me being nervous all the time. I was just trying to relax and trust that you are here for a reason and my teammates remind me of that.”
Over the last four games, Jones has averaged 8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while playing 34.3 minutes per game.
Jones has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time as a pro.
“Just take a deep breath and play the game,” Atlanta coach Tanisha Wright said was her message to Jones. “You are not going to be perfect. She has done a good job of taking her time, seeing things and just stepping up. I feel like what you are seeing now is Haley, we are down people and she is being needed very much.”