A media panel will vote on all of the WNBA's major awards, but ESPN's Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou and M.A. Voepel -- each of whom votes on the panel -- shared their picks Thursday with the regular season coming to a close.
Of course, the main focus was the MVP award -- seemingly a battle between the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson and the Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart -- but one Connecticut Sun player was chosen by all three for the Sixth Player of the Year award: Brionna Jones.
Jones is deserving of the award, coming off being named the 2021 WNBA Most Improved Player. She is a key piece of the Sun's efforts on both sides of the floor.
Jones has come off the bench in 28 of the 35 games she's played in this season, averaging 25.2 minutes per game. The 26-year-old is averaging 13.7 points per game, shooting 56.5% from the field and 84.8% from the charity stripe. The 6-foot-3 forward also is averaging 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals with just one regular-season game remaining for the Sun.
The three media panelists each explained their choices for the different honors and spoke highly of the two-time All-Star when discussing the Sixth Player of the Year award.
"She was so critical to the Sun's success when Jonquel Jones and (Alyssa) Thomas were out, and has continued to show her importance this year alongside them," Philippou wrote.
Jones was a starter for the Sun last season while Thomas was out with a torn Achilles. Her numbers are similar this season, even though she now comes off the bench. Jones averaged 14.7 points per game last season, compared to this year's 13.7.
" ... I agree that this has always been Brionna Jones' award to win as a rare reserve All-Star," Pelton added.
Jones clearly keeps the same mentality every game and has proven numerous times she can score through contact in the post.
"Brionna Jones is a player who will make the most of every minute she gets on court and doesn't play any different as a starter or reserve; she is just that mature and team-oriented," Voepel stated.
Jones' impact for Connecticut is easily recognizable, and she is such a hard worker on both sides of the court. That effort might soon be recognized with some hardware.
Jones and the Sun also will look to make a deep playoff run, beginning this month, after having already clinched a spot in the WNBA postseason.
