The franchise's generational talent, Victor Wembanyama, calls San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones a “blessing.” One of San Antonio's key reserves simply says he likes playing with him. By any measure, Jones is among the favorite players on the team. By that same measure, he also blends in and gets lost in the shuffle of a tough year. But without Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson — Vassell and Sochan for the rest of the season because of injuries — Jones is filling a bigger role nicely.
“When we need stability on the court when we come down, we always go back to him,” Wemby says of the former Duke Blue Devil.
Spurs' Tre Jones stays true to who he is
Jones leads the Spurs with a modest 6.2 assists per game. He scores just under 10 points per contest. In recording this third career triple-double in Tuesday's 110-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the 2020 second-round pick didn't deviate too much from those numbers.
“Just continuing to try to play my game, always,” Jones said, alluding to his 10 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in Denver.
“My teammates do a great job of getting themselves open, knocking down shots. We keep playing how we've been playing and that's really all it is. Guys knocked down shots. We competed and that was the main thing. It sucks not to get the win, especially the way we were playing there. But, we'll definitely learn from it,” the fourth-year guard concluded.
As if on cue, Jones' performance went largely unnoticed by teammate Malaki Branham.
“I didn't even know it was a triple-double until the end of the game. He does so much for us. He pushes the pace of the offense, guards at a high level. Just an all-around solid, solid guard. I like playing with him,” the former Ohio State Buckeye said.
Jones draws praise from Wemby
Tre Jones is the closest any Spur on the roster comes to a traditional point guard — a notion that hasn't gone unnoticed by Victor Wembanyama.
“He's just a, from my side at least, a blessing to be able to play with a guy like this,” the 20-year-old phenom said.
“He's young but he's already got some years and a lot of experience. He knows the plays. The other day, the coach called the play and Tre said, ‘No, no we're doing this,' and coach said, ‘Oh yeah, you're right.' His mind, he's able to stay clear for long periods of time,” Wemby added.
In the mold of a classic point man, Jones prioritized more than the X's and O's.
“It's really something I've learned since a young age. It's one of those things that coaches at a young age instilled in us. It's something my mom was real big on being a good teammate as well, treating others like you want to be treated,” the 6-foot-1 guard said.
“Obviously, being a competitor, sometimes you're in the heat of the moment. You say things, do things that you just want the best out your teammates. It's not just always about being nice, it's about trying to bring out the best in everybody,” Jones pointed out. “Sometimes it's not always just being nice and smiling and everything, but having your teammates back.”
His teammates notice. How much the coaching staff does will probably determine how big a part of their plans he is going forward.
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