Liberty need Jonquel Jones to match her top five belief after All-Star break

CHICAGO — Jonquel Jones initially showed restraint.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.

Inside a room filled with 10 other WNBA All-Stars and dozens of reporters, cameras and iPhones Friday morning, Jones indulged in a reporter wondering how highly the Liberty center views herself.Jones “most definitely” believes she’s one of the best basketball players in the world.That’s without question.“Where would I put myself?” Jones pondered.“I don’t think I can answer it.”Jones had an answer, though.It was a matter of whether she wanted to vocalize it.She repeated the question again: “Where would I put myself?”Then, came her reply.“I’d probably say top five,” Jones said.There it was.Athletes don’t make it to the level Jones has without an overwhelming abundance of confidence mixed with a dash of delusion.But if the Liberty (15-12) are going to rewrite their season’s narrative after the All-Star break, they don’t just need Jones to believe she’s one of the five best players in the world.They need her to play like it night in and night out.New York knows what it’s getting out of the steady Breanna Stewart, who’s building a case for MVP votes come October.

Sabrina Ionescu has the ability to get hot at any minute, and she strains a defense whether the ball is in her hands or not.Jones, though, could be a catalyst for the Liberty’s success in the latter part of their season.When Jones is locked in at her best, everything changes.Offensively, she forces you to make impossible decisions.Leave her alone on the perimeter and she’ll knock down a 3-pointer.

Switch a small defender onto her and she’ll bury them in the paint.Send help and face the wrath of New York’s collection of shooters.Defensively, she can help clean up mistakes before it’s too late.

She has the power to control the glass and can eliminate second-chance opp...