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Tre Jones was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He played five seasons with the Spurs and was very productive in two of those seasons. During the 2022-23 season, Jones started 65-of-68 games and averaged 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He only shot 28% from downtown, though. The following season, Jones started 48-of-77 games and averaged 10 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 33% from downtown.
For an undersized guard at 6’1″ and 185 pounds, Jones proved that he belonged in the league. The most important aspect of his game was that he rarely turned the ball over, as he averaged 1.6 and 1.5 turnovers per game in those two seasons.
Jones was then traded to the Chicago Bulls last season and started nine of 18 games, averaging 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 57% from the field and 50% from downtown. That efficiency is unsustainable, but the 0.8 turnovers and ability to make shots and guide an offense made quite the impression.
On the first day of free agency, the Bulls signed Jones to a three-year, $24 million deal, per ESPNs Shams Charania.
Josh Giddey and Coby White have the starting guard slots locked down, but Jones is a very good backup. Jones averaged 25.3 minutes per game last season and will likely average somewhere around 20 minutes a night this year.
It’s a good signing for the Bulls from a real-life perspective, as Jones can be a steadying presence for the second unit and step up if injuries hit, but it’s not great for fantasy.
