UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White said she felt her team hit a wall leading into their last game in July, an 82-74 loss to the league-leading New York Liberty, so the WNBA’s three-week break during the Paris Olympics couldn’t have come at a better moment.

Sun guards Tyasha Harris and DiJonai Carrington are both first-time starters this season, and the sudden increase in workload took a bigger physical toll than either expected. Both are playing roughly 30 minutes per game and averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category.

“I just felt like my shots were going in and out. It was right there, in and out,” Harris said. “I think it was just fatigue and playing starting minutes, because this is my first time getting to have these minutes and this role … so it’s just a different feeling. It was good to get that break, and I took it. I worked out of course, but I definitely took time to just get off my feet and my legs and get my mental right.”

After the lengthy break the WNBA resumes with three games on Thursday and three more — including the Sun at the Dallas Wings — on Friday. Connecticut is 18-6 and 2 1/2 games behind the 21-4 Liberty.

The break also provided a critical reset for All-Star center Brionna Jones, who missed nearly all of the 2023 season after rupturing her Achilles tendon in mid-June. Jones began the 2024 season on a minutes restriction before ramping up to her full workload, and though she has consistently performed at the same elite level she did before the injury, Jones said the extra recovery time helped ease any lingering worries about her health.

“I really wanted to get that rest and recovery in at the beginning, just because it was such a back-to-back schedule coming off of injury, and there just wasn’t a lot of time to recover,” Jones said. “I’m feeling pretty good, like back to myself. I really don’t even think about my Achilles anymore.”

But even with several weeks to get right, Connecticut has plenty of questions entering the second half of the season that won’t be answered until they take the court for the first time since mid-July against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas on Aug. 16.

How much were Bonner, Thomas missed?

The Sun officially reported back to practice on Aug. 2, but they spent most of that time working with just eight players. Stars Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner made their return to practice Tuesday fresh off an international flight after Thomas helped Team USA to its eighth consecutive gold medal in women’s basketball at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Connecticut also made significant roster moves during the break, trading veterans Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson to the Chicago Sky in exchange for standout guard Marina Mabrey. It also signed free agent forward Caitlin Bickle to a seven-day contract. Thomas got a rest day at practice Tuesday coming off of the Olympics, so the team will have a maximum of two practices as a full roster before facing the Wings on the road

“You do (have to change things), but it gives players an opportunity to gain confidence,” White said. “I think particularly as a season went on, it’s like they kind of just stop and look to AT and DB to make plays. Well, now you’ve got to make plays, and that’s going to pay dividends for us down the road, because good teams aren’t going to let AT and DB make plays … This gives them an opportunity to build confidence in that, and I think more than anything just let their instincts kind of take over. They’re not hesitating, they’re not second guessing.”

Without Bonner and Thomas, who lead the team in minutes per game, the Sun had to get creative with their training. Still, Carrington said it was valuable for the less-established members of the squad to build rapport with each other and work in new scenarios.

“It’s going to be really different when they do come back, but I think it’s been good to be able to get reps and get reads with each other in 3-on-3 and stuff like that because there’s more space,” Carrington said. “You can kind of read people better in small groups like this, so that’s been good for us … and the coaches put stipulations on it like you only get three dribbles, or you can’t screen, or you have to get a post entry first, stuff like that just to challenge us.”

How to replace Banham?

Just days before she was sent to Chicago in the trade for Mabrey, Banham scored a franchise-record eight 3-pointers for 24 points in the Sun’s 96-69 win over the Phoenix Mercury. White described her after that performance as “the ultimate teammate,” and Carrington said Banham, “provides the energy for us every single day.” With the ninth-year veteran gone and two new faces in the locker room, her presence will not be an easy one to replace.

“It’s such a hard thing because it’s an intangible. It’s a personality trait, it’s a different kind of ‘it’ factor,” White said. “I think that Caitlin Bickle has an opportunity to do that … I think Veronica (Burton) is a player that can do that, too. I think it’s just finding her voice.”

Losing Banham’s leadership feels even more significant because Connecticut is also currently without Tiffany Mitchell, another veteran guard. Mitchell has not been with the team since the break with an undisclosed illness, and White said there isn’t a definite timeline on when she might return. She had 4.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in the first half of the season and was one of the primary contributors off the bench, averaging 16.1 minutes.

“Not having Tiff Mitchell certainly hurts, because she’s a veteran. She’s another player who gets opportunities for us downhill, but unfortunately she’s not able to get back and get some work in,” White said. “Most important thing is her health and wellness certainly, making sure that she’s taken care of and doing right by her, and then hopefully we can get her back as soon as possible.”

Where does Marina Mabrey fit?

Acquiring Mabrey — and her $208,000 contract — was a big swing for the Sun, signaling that the team is all in on trying to make a WNBA Championship run in 2024. The sixth-year guard started all 23 games in the first half of the season for Chicago and averaged 14 points, 4.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Connecticut desperately needs Mabrey as a 3-point sharpshooter, but the team also has a comfortable starting five that anchored them to the second-best record in the WNBA before the break.

“I’ve always loved Connecticut’s offense because they read and react, and that’s what I’m best at,” Mabrey said. “I think just the challenging part is understanding that you’re a dominant player and a dominant leader, but also knowing that you’re at a new place. You need to kind of work your way in, but also be invested and do what they need you to do, but also give people a chance to trust you and get to know you before you’re just full-on Marina. I’m just finding that balance.”

Her role will be significant, but it will likely come off the bench and include fewer minutes than she was used to in Chicago. Mabrey’s place in the rotation is a bit clearer without a top bench contributor in Mitchell, but it also means she won’t have the safety net of an established player to help ease the demands with a brand new team.

“Marina’s come along really well. I think the biggest thing is getting her familiar with our terminology, with our actions, the things that we want to do offensively and defensively,” White said. “There’s just some some different expectations from her in our system versus other systems that she’s been in. I think that she’s a really high IQ player. She understands the game, so it’s been a good transition.”

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