Mohegan — Defense is important to Connecticut Sun coach Anne Donovan, so she appreciated Jasmine Thomas’ zealousness for it when she played point guard for the Atlanta Dream.

Donovan also liked her speed.

But the biggest reason why Donovan tried trading for Thomas last year had more to do with her people skills than her basketball skills.

“There are strong personalities on (Atlanta),” Donovan said. “Angel McCoughtry is one of the best players in the league, but she can be an emotional player. And watching how Jas coached Angel was really impressive to me. The ability to communicate with all kinds, with your quiet players, with your strong players, with your best players, and with your bench ... that communication skill is not a given at this level. It’s harder and harder to find.

“I really wished Jasmine hadn’t been around (Atlanta) because Angel would’ve stayed in an emotional state (during games). It seemed like Jasmine could really reach her. That kind of communicator is important to me.”

Thomas is helping lead the Sun this season. They take a seven-game winning streak into tonight’s game against the Indiana Fever at Mohegan Sun Arena at 7.

“I’m even-keeled,” Thomas said. “You don’t really know what’s going on (with me), whether things are going bad or if things are going bad.

“I’m able to adapt to different situations. How to talk to certain people. Who to approach, when to approach them, certain things like that are important because, in the heat of the game, if it’s a close game, a terrible call may have just been called, or some one didn’t get the call that they wanted. How, in an instant, can you turn it around because there’s under 30 seconds left and you have to make something happen.”

Thomas bounced around the WNBA through her first four seasons. The Seattle Storm selected her 12th overall (first round) in the 2011 draft and traded her weeks later to the Washington Mystics. She was shipped to Atlanta in Feb. 2013.

The Sun acquired Thomas during this April’s draft for guard Brittany Hrynko, who they selected 19th (second round). The Dream waived Hrynko two days into training camp.

Thomas has started all eight games for Connecticut (7-1), averaging 9.1 points and 3.1 assists. She’s also tied for sixth in the league in steals per game (1.75) and had seven in a June 7 win at Atlanta (75-70).

“If she’s going to hang her hat on anything, it’s going to be how well she defends,” Donovan said. “She’s passionate about it. That was key for me.”

Thomas said, “I’ve always loved to play defense. The thing is I just want the ball. I say I love to play defense, but I think I just love to have the ball. That includes playing defense, but I really just want to get it back.”

Thomas was also brought to Connecticut to be both a leader for a young team and a mentor to rookie point guard Chelsea Gray. Thomas has averaged 25 minutes and Gray 17.

“I think it’s cool,” Thomas said. “It’s nice not having to play 45 minutes a game. That’s no situation for anyone when you’re playing 34 (regular season) games plus playoffs.

“I’m trying to put pressure on the ball. I’m trying to be a big defensive force. It’s hard to do that for an entire game, so we help each other in that sense. I’m a quicker player, so I’m trying to stay in the paint and do whatever, and Chelsea is a shooter.”

• Connecticut celebrates “Pride Night” tonight and will give a special Sun rainbow bracelet to the first 4,000 fans in attendance. … Voting has begun for the WNBA All-Star game at wnba.com and fans may choose any player. Mohegan Sun Arena will host the game on July 25.

n.griffen@theday.com

Twitter:@MetalNED