ORLANDO – It’s a craft that Tre Jones still takes a lot of pride in.
A lost art that versatile bigs and high-paced offenses continue to try and make extinct in today’s modern NBA game.
So labeling Jones a “pure point guard” isn’t some sort of jab that he’s being pigeonholed into. Quite the opposite. If that makes him a throwback in some way, he’ll take it, and more importantly so will the Bulls.
“I knew right away, and I said it last year about Tre, he’s got an ‘it’ factor, there’s no question about it,” coach Billy Donovan said about his guard. “He’s a total winner, and he’s a great competitor. And he’s a great human being, a great teammate. He’s great to be around. I mean look at that smile on his face, he’s the same guy every day.”
He’s been the same player for at least the first two games for the Bulls this season, and that’s been a good thing.
With Coby White sidelined with a strained right calf, it’s been Jones that’s getting the call to the starting lineup, playing alongside fellow guard Josh Giddey. All he’s done is average 12.5 points and hand out eight assists per game, while also nabbing eight steals and sitting on a plus/minus total of pluis-23.
Not bad for a guy that came over in the Zach LaVine trade last February and initially seemed to be a throw-in to the deal with no real staying power. After all, before he was traded from the Spurs, his minutes were drying up in the rotation, and he seemed to be falling out of favor.
Why?
Call it opportunity.
“Listen, my career was not very long, so I’ll be the first one to admit that,” Donovan said of his one season as a New York Knick. “But the one thing I figured out really quickly when I was playing, the most important stat for any NBA player is minutes played per game because these guys are all really, really good, and if they get an opportunity, generally they’re going to show what they can do.
“I don’t know all the San Antonio stuff, but there are a lot of guys in the league that get into situations where maybe there’s a superstar in front of them. I look at a guy like (Aaron) Nesmith, who is a perfect example in Indiana. (Drafted by) Boston and the opportunity is just not there. Then he goes to Indiana … He was also a key component in helping Indiana get to the Finals, so sometimes the situations are just what they are.”
In other words, one team’s fading rotation player is another team’s key addition.
“I love my time in San Antonio,” Jones said, when asked about the change of scenery. “I love being in Chicago now. I wouldn’t talk down to San Antonio at all. They set me up to be successful here.”
And Jones is running with it.
Yes, he and Giddey are a nice one-two punch in Donovan’s up-tempo offense, but what Jones can also do when the defense is in a half-court set is pull the ball back out – like he did on several key possessions against the Magic – and move the pieces around on the chessboard to keep the offense efficient.
A pure point guard just going to work.
“The game is going positionless a little bit, but trying to keep the point guard spot alive, especially with the height that I have,” Jones said with a laugh. “I don’t think point guard will ever be out of the game completely. I think there will always be a spot for a point guard and that mentality.
“It’s something I’ve taken pride in my whole life. How could you not take pride in being called a ‘pure point guard?’ “
[](https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/joe-cowley)
Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Bulls reporter