But the explosion of Jones is no longer a secret to anyone.

Jones has grabbed the spotlight, and the reins of a championship series that was not supposed to go this way. It was — and may still be — Elena Delle Donne’s year, with her leading Washington to the W.N.B.A.’s best record and claiming her second league Most Valuable Player Award. But with Delle Donne ailing and the Sun looking at two straight home games, what seemed to many like a coronation for Delle Donne entering the series could well turn out to be the moment of ascension for Jones instead.

All that’s stood in her way to date has been an unselfishness that sometimes limits her in ways that opponents never could.

“One of the things that we’ve been very vocal about with our team, and a concerted effort down the stretch of the season and now into the playoffs, is getting J.J. touches,” Miller said. “Sometimes, we will get hung up on what that shot total looks like, but as long as we’re getting touches and playing through her, we know that adjustments are going to be made.”

Over the four seasons Jones has played in the W.N.B.A., her efficiency has not been in dispute. She is not merely tall, but a muscular presence inside, while her 3-point shooting is free and easy, a slingshot of a release that’s impossible to block, given her stature, and effectiveness — 38.5 percent from deep in her career. It all adds up to a career true shooting percentage of 61.1 percent, the fourth-highest in W.N.B.A. history.

And yet, for all this dominance, the Sun are built around sharing the ball and allowing different players to carry them offensively on different nights. This often manifests in unconventional ways, from Alyssa Thomas’s possessions that start with defensive rebounds and end with sleight of hand around the basket to the midrange stylings of the 5-foot-8 Courtney Williams, who makes up for her lack of height with a seemingly limitless vertical leap.