Jones, Griner, Vandersloot Earn 2019 WNBA Peak Performer Nods

Jonquel Jones was one of three WNBA stars earning Peak Performance
Awards this week.

NEW YORK—Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, Connecticut Sun forward/center Jonquel Jones and Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot have won the 2019 WNBA Peak Performer Awards in scoring, rebounding and assists, respectively, the WNBA announced today. Griner, Jones and Vandersloot all earned the same awards in the 2017 season. The WNBA presents the Peak Performer Awards annually to the players who lead the league in each of those categories during the regular season. Each winner will receive a trophy crafted by Tiffany & Co. in honor of her accomplishments.

Scoring Average: Brittney Griner

Griner averaged 20.7 points in 31 games to earn her second scoring title.  She also led the WNBA in scoring in 2017 with 21.9 points per game. In addition, Griner tied Jones for the top spot in blocked shots this season (2.0 bpg).

A six-time All-Star, Griner scored in double figures in all but two games played this season. She recorded a season-high 34 points against the Sky on Aug. 25.

On Aug. 4 against the Washington Mystics, Griner finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four blocked shots to become the first player to reach those four totals in a WNBA game.

As the eighth seed in the 2019 WNBA Playoffs, Griner and the Mercury will visit Vandersloot and the fifth-seeded Sky in a first-round, single-elimination game on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Mystics forward/guard Elena Delle Donne ranked second in the WNBA in scoring with 19.5 points per game.  She was followed by Dallas Wings rookie guard Arike Ogunbowale (19.1 ppg), Seattle Storm forward Natasha Howard (18.1 ppg) and Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner (17.2 ppg).

Rebounding Average: Jonquel Jones

Jones averaged 9.7 rebounds in 34 games to secure her second rebounding title in four seasons. In 2017, she averaged a WNBA-leading 11.85 rebounds per game—the second-highest single-season mark in league history, behind Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles’ 11.88 rebounds last season.

This season, Jones grabbed 10 or more rebounds 16 times.  On May 31, the two-time All-Star set a WNBA season high and matched her career high with 22 rebounds against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Behind Jones, the Sun earned the No. 2 seed in the 2019 WNBA Playoffs and received a double bye into the Semifinals. Connecticut will open a best-of-five Semifinals series at home on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Indiana Fever rookie center Teaira McCowan finished second in rebounding with 9.0 per game.  Fowles ranked third with 8.9 rebounds per game.  Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike (8.8 rpg) and Mystics forward/guard Elena Delle Donne (8.3 rpg) rounded out the top five.

Assists Average: Courtney Vandersloot

With a record-setting season, Vandersloot earned her third consecutive Peak Performer Award for assists and her fourth overall (she also won in 2015).

Vandersloot averaged a WNBA-record 9.1 assists in 33 games, breaking her own record of 8.6 assists set last season.  She also set the WNBA single-season record for total assists with 300, shattering her own mark of 258 set in 2018. A two-time All-Star, Vandersloot recorded at least 10 assists 12 times this season. On July 21, she set the WNBA season high for assists with 14 against the Fever.

The Sparks’ Chelsea Gray ranked second in assists with 5.9 per game. Mystics guard Natasha Cloud (5.6 apg) was third, followed by Lynx guard Odyssey Sims (5.4 apg) and Storm guard Jordin Canada (5.2 apg).

—with staff reports