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against Sophia Young of the Silver Stars. D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images |
The win appeared to give the Sun back the confidence that has come to be associated with the perennial East power, as they followed their Chicago triumph with a victory over Phoenix. Once again, Jones was the team's high scorer with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
It's clear Jones is thriving in her new role as starting power forward for the Sun, a position previously held by Taj McWilliams-Franklin before she was traded to Los Angeles during the offseason. And being part of a veteran core of players very familiar with each other no doubt has helped.
Still, why the sudden outburst? WNBA.com's Mark Bodenrader chatted with Jones to get her thoughts on her fast start and to find out where she and the Sun go from here.
Q: Congrats on being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Is this the best stretch of basketball you've played during your career?
JONES: "Definitely. I have never turned in a performance before that got me Player of the Week. I’ve been feeling pretty well these last couple of games, and it’s shown on the court."
Q: How about your 31-point performance in the OT win over Chicago? Was that the best game you've ever played?
JONES: "That was the best second half I’ve ever had. Going into halftime I had like five points or something, so I definitely didn’t know that the game was going to turn out that way for me. But in the second half, I think that was one of my better performances."
Q: After five games you're leading the Sun in rebounding and No. 2 in scoring and assists. How have you been able to make such a leap this year?
JONES: "I’ve really been doing the same things I did last year; I’ve just had more minutes to do it. If you come out every night and focus on playing defense and rebounding, the points come eventually."
Q: Prior to this year, the most games you started in a year was 10 with Washington in 2003 and you've been in the starting lineup for all five of Connecticut's games this season. So was it just a matter of getting the opportunity and the minutes to show what you could do?
JONES: "Since I’ve been in Connecticut I’ve been playing pretty well. But now, by being in the starting lineup everyone can see that, and it’s not just the other players that take the focus. So people just look at you more and pay more attention to you."
Q: Do you approach the game differently when you start as opposed to coming off the bench?
JONES: "No, I approach it pretty much the same and that’s why I’ve been playing well lately, because I try not to go back and forth. I have one mindset."
Q: Are you looking to score more this season to make up the loss of former teammate Taj McWilliams-Franklin?
JONES: "Last year, when I came into a game I was already looking to score. So, no, I don’t think it’s different this year at all."
Q: How does it feel to achieve this success in Connecticut where you starred for the Huskies in college?
JONES: "It’s great. These fans out here, they know me so they really appreciate it and appreciate me a lot more. Coming into the season I think they had high expectations for me, and that just puts the pressure on you to step up to the occasion."
Q: Are you pleased with the way the team has started the season? Is the team pleased?
JONES: "We’re pleased with how we are playing now. The first few games, they were tough. We were getting down by 20 points. But our last game, we came out and we were aggressive from the beginning, so we’re pleased with the direction we’re headed in right now."
Q: Did you expect the East to be so competitive this year with Detroit, New York and Indiana off to hot starts and Chicago surprising as well?
JONES: "Definitely. Just look at the moves everyone made. Every team has really improved. They weren’t afraid to lose big players to find the right players that they were looking for. Coming into the season we knew they were going to be tough. We’ve had a lot of success, but we know a lot of people are gunning for us."
