ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a craft that Tre Jones still takes a lot of pride in — a lost art that versatile bigs and high-paced offenses are pushing toward extinction.
So labeling Jones a “pure point guard” isn’t some sort of jab; he’s not being pigeonholed into it. Actually, the opposite is true. If that makes him a throwback, he’ll take it and, more important, 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. “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 has been the same player for at least the first two games this season, and that has been a good thing.
With Coby White sidelined with a strained right calf, Jones has gotten the starting nod, playing alongside Josh Giddey. He is averaging 12.5 points and 8.0 assists, has eight steals and is a plus-23.
Not bad for a guy who came over in the Zach LaVine trade last February and initially seemed to be a throw-in with no real staying power. Before the Spurs traded him, 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 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 loved my time in San Antonio,” Jones said. “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.
He and Giddey are a nice one-two punch in Donovan’s up-tempo offense, but when the defense is in a half-court set, Jones can 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.
It’s simply a pure point guard 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?”
