The Liberty have been waiting for Jonquel Jones’ sprained right ankle to heal, and it seems like it’s finally in a good place again.

The 6-6 center sat out the final game before the All-Star break, Wednesday night’s matchup against the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever at Barclays Center. That meant Jones was a spectator for the ninth straight game.

But she practiced Tuesday. And now she’s aiming to return for the Liberty’s first game back after the break. That will be a rematch at Barclays against the Fever, who had lost Clark Tuesday night to a groin injury against Connecticut.

The Liberty will sure be happy when they see that expected sight of Jones playing next Tuesday night.

“We have been able to explore without JJ,” coach Sandy Brondello said about using other options and about asking players to do different things, “but we’ll welcome JJ back after the All-Star [break].”

The Liberty were 14-6 overall and 4-4 in this stretch without the five-time All-Star and 2024 WNBA Finals MVP heading into this latest game.

“It would mean everything,” Brondello said of Jones’ return. “Every team goes through adversity with injuries, and we’re no different this year. I thought we managed it as well as we could, but I think we realized how important she is for how we play at both ends of the floor.”

Jones has only played in nine games due to two injuries, including one to her right hamstring. She’s averaging 12.1 points and 9.6 rebounds.

She reinjured the ankle early in the second quarter against Phoenix on June 19, her second game back after sitting out two with the same problem.

“In that meantime, [her absence] allowed Nyara [Sabally] to get some more minutes,” Brondello said. “Izzy Harrison has been really good for us when she’s given minutes, too.

“But no one compares to Jonquel Jones. I mean, she’ll go down as one of the greatest of all times. It will be great to inject her back into our team with a really busy schedule as we move forward to the rest of the season.”

The Liberty had split two games in Indiana. Jones delivered 26 points and 12 rebounds in their 90-88 win on May 24, then sat out in a 102-88 loss on June 14.

“I think there’s just a different emphasis in how they play [without Jones],” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “The ball moves around the perimeter more. They have more versatility. The actions that they run are a little bit different.”

But Jones has been missed. "She’s a facilitator," Brondello said. "She’s a shooter; she’s a post-up. She does a lot for us.”

Leonie Fiebich showed just how well she can shoot a basketball in Sunday’s 79-72 home win over Atlanta.

The 6-4 wing hit eight of her nine shots, including four of her five three-point tries, en route to 21 points, a career-best total in the regular season for her.

She arrived to play Indiana averaging 8.3 points and shooting 50% on her threes, making her the league leader. She nailed 21 of her 42 attempts.

Fiebich, who missed the last seven games in June while playing for Germany in the EuroBasket tournament, made her 40th career start, including the postseason. The Liberty were 33-6, giving the second-year WNBA player the most wins in league history through 39 starts.

“She’s great,” Brondello said. “You see she gets more and more comfortable. We’re putting her more and more in the action. We want her to be aggressive. And then it’s just about Leo being ready to take the moments when they’re there.”