Brionna Jones made her regular-season debut after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason when the Dream took on the Tempo. She was still on a minutes restriction, but put up 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the win.
Jones’s return solves a big Dream issue. Depth hasn’t been one of the team’s strengths, and Karl Smesko has had to ask a lot from his starters. With Jones back in the mix, the Dream now have another All-Star-level scorer and a strong bench presence—Jones for now and probably Naz Hillmon later on.
At the same time, however, her return creates a new problem: how can Jones and Angel Reese play together without getting in each other’s way? Last season, the Dream started a frontcourt of Jones and Brittney Griner at first. The spacing wasn’t great, and Griner eventually moved to the bench for Hillmon. Reese is a more versatile player than Griner at this point in her career, and she’s been working on her 3-point shot. Still, neither Jones nor Reese is a true floor spacer, and both thrive in the paint.
The Dream found ways to make it work against Toronto
Reese and Jones shared the court a bit against Toronto, and the offense actually worked out pretty well. Jones and Reese both move well without the ball, which helps exploit any space the defense gives them.
For example, about two minutes into the second quarter, the two worked very well together on a possession in the paint. Jordin Canada got Jones the ball in a post-up while Reese was on the other side of the key. Jones got into the paint and found Reese on a baseline cut. As soon as the ball left her hands, she spaced out to the free-throw line, where Reese found her for an open jumper that was good.
Later in the same quarter, Reese got the ball in the corner, not quite at the 3-point line. Jones cut diagonally to the high post on the same side, drawing the defense to the strong side and allowing Reese to make the skip pass to the weak side. A few passes and rotations from Jones later, Reese was wide open at the rim for an easy bucket.
On another possession, Jones was on the block with Reese at the 3-point line in the opposite corner, and Laura Juskaite spaced out just enough to give Canada an open cut through the paint for a layup.
Still, there were a few reminders of how important it will be for Reese to continue working on her 3-point shot. On the second offensive possession with her and Jones on the court together, the Dream ran an action that got Jones into a post-up and Reese wide open at the 3-point line. She took the shot but missed.
Seeing the two work well together on several possessions is an encouraging sign. However, they need to prove that it’s sustainable against better defenses and in longer stints.
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