After starting 65 of the 68 games he played for the 5-29 San Antonio Spurs last season, Tre Jones didn't start his first game of 2023-2024 campaign until the New Year. You could say that, for the most part, he made up for last time.
Jones' 35 minutes of action tied Devin Vassell for the team lead in Thursday's close loss to a Milwaukee Bucks squad that ranks among the best in the NBA. Jones' six assists led the team outright and his 18 points were third behind Vassell and Spurs super rookie Victor Wembanayama. Five rebounds rounded out a busy stat line for the former Duke Blue Devil.
But more important than the impressive numbers was Jones' impact on a Spurs offense that went toe to toe with a championship contender.
“It's huge. Trey brings a different energy. When we're in transition, he's always looking up and just trying to find others. He knows when and where to find you – just a true point guard,” Vassell said after the game.
Tre Jones nearly sent Bucks game to overtime
The man who's been the Spurs primary backup point guard this season could've hit the game-tying shot in the waning seconds of the 125-121 loss, one that featured tons of great plays from both teams—especially Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo. With 1.8 seconds left on the clock and Milwaukee up 124-121, Jones missed a good look at a three-point attempt from the corner off a pass from Wembanyama.
“I got it, went to Tre, [Victor Wembanyama] was supposed to set a screen. They ended up switching it and kind of doubling it, so I passed it to Vic,” Vassell recalled of the Spurs' final possession. “It was like they stunted at Vic, and Tre was wide open in the corner. I've seen Tre knock down that shot multiple times. Told him to keep his head up, because at the end of the day, he's wide open so shoot the ball.”
“The design was to fake going for a pick-and-roll, but for actually going to a three for Devin and see what happens,” Wembanyama said, “But we had to put up a shot, and I think we put up [a shot] at the end of the possession; the best shot we could expect from a moment like this. Of course, the outcome isn't what we wanted, but it was the widest open shot, so it's positive. We're satisfied with the outcome of the play except the ball not going through the rim.”
The question for the Spurs now becomes whether they're satisfied with Jones as their starting point guard.
Spurs' point guard realities
After the team went with Jeremy Sochan at point guard to start things off in what coach Gregg Popovich termed “this season's experiment,” Malaki Branham has been holding those reins since mid-December. Cedi Osman started one game in between. All the while, Jones remained a backup until his 30th game of the season and the Spurs 34th.
It sounds like if Vassell has his way, he'd prefer that his fellow fourth-year guard, who's averaging 8.3 points and 4.9 assists per game this season, stays in the starting lineup.
“The energy he brings on both ends of the court is huge for us,” Vassell said of Jones. “I already knew he was going to have a good game so shout out to Tre.”
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