Jonquel Jones expected to miss at least a month in Liberty crusher

SEATTLE — Liberty center Jonquel Jones is expected to be out for at least a month after she re-sprained her right ankle this week, the team announced Saturday. 

That means Jones could be sidelined until or through WNBA All-Star weekend, which is scheduled for July 18-19. 

Jones stayed back in New York to undergo more testing while the team traveled to Seattle on Friday. 

Further examination, including additional imaging, determined Jones avoided long-term injury, the team said. 

Still, Jones is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks with the ankle injury.

New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) drives to the basket as Phoenix Mercury forward Kathryn Westbeld (24) and guard Kitija Laksa (9) defend during the first half at Barclays Center on June 19. John Jones-Imagn Images

Jones went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter of Thursday’s 89-81 loss at Barclays Center. She exited the game at the 8:35 mark and immediately went to the team’s locker room. 

The 31-year-old was seen exiting the team’s locker room in a walking boot after the game. 

Jones had returned to game action only two days prior after she first sprained her ankle on June 5 against the Mystics.

This is obviously a significant loss for the Liberty, who’ve dropped two of their last three games and are on the precipice of a 10-day road trip, which starts Sunday against the Storm.

The Liberty are remarkably better, especially on defense, when Jones is on the court than when she’s off. 

The Liberty have had rebounding issues even when Jones was on the floor. 

Now, without their best rebounder, there should be even more of an emphasis on the entire group being more aggressive on the boards. 

Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) is expected to miss at least a month. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post

Expect Nyara Sabally to start with Jones out. 

Sabally was supposed to be with Leonie Fiebich at EuroBasket right now, but she ultimately decided to stay stateside after having a knee problem that caused her to miss six of the first eight games. 

In her four games back, Sabally has shown no signs of rust or residual issues. She’s averaging seven points and five rebounds while shooting 56.7 percent from the field in six games. 

The Liberty will also need to rely more on Isabelle Harrison. 

New York is scheduled to play nine games before the All-Star break.