Liberty’s Jonquel Jones’ play style has roots in beloved Pistons team

Jonquel Jones grew up a fan of the Detroit Pistons.

Their success during the early 2000s, known as the franchise’s “Goin’ to Work” era, inspired a young Jones.

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The Pistons, anchored by Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben and Rasheed Wallace, went to six consecutive Eastern Conference finals from 2003-2008.

They went to back-to-back NBA Finals, winning it all in 2004.

But it wasn’t just the results that drew Jones in. It was the way the Pistons produced those results.

“I loved the way that they played,” Jones said Friday after shootaround. “I feel like it was a very different style for what was really popular back then.”

Center Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty dribbles the ball up court during the second half against the Portland Fire at Moda Center on May 12, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers had Kobe Bryant. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James in 2004.

The Pistons didn’t have an obvious individual superstar. But together, they shined.

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Detroit relied on their chemistry and togetherness.

“I just felt like the Pistons were, to me they looked like a basketball team through and through,” Jones said. “They played that way and they all were rewarded for that, like, going to the All-Star game and being able to start the All-Star game with their starters, and I don’t know, just being a really successful team, Eastern Conference Finals, championships, all that stuff and they just played the right way, they moved the ball and they relied on each other and you saw it.”

With the Liberty’s lineup acting like a revolving door, Jones has gone back to what made that Pistons team she admired when she was a pre-teen.

Chris Webber, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons talk during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals…

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Publish date : 2026-05-29 23:25:00

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