San Antonio Spurs' Tre Jones vs. Jeremy Sochan: Who's Starting at PG?

At Media Day, the San Antonio Spurs outlined an offense that will include Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones as primary ball handlers.

After adding the best sports prospect in recent memory, there are a lot of questions to be answered for the San Antonio Spurs. 

The most pressing: who will make up the starting five? At Media Day, the Spurs seemed to answer some of those questions, putting Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson front and center for the cameras. That only adds up to four, which means either Zach Collins or Tre Jones will be the last addition to the lineup.

When he took the podium, Tre Jones seemed to set the record straight. He will most likely be a ball handler for the first unit. However, he did stop short of saying he would be the primary floor general. He suggested that everyone in the NBA “1-4, in some cases 1-5” can handle the ball and shoot from anywhere. Even without the ball in his hands, he expects to be a leader on the court and even went as far as to say that he will be Popovich’s extension for the offense.

Interesting talking to Tre Jones on the idea of the point guard position.

He said a lot of people are gonna bring the ball up, and the game is becoming positionless. At the same time, he feels the PG position is important and wants to be an extension of Coach Pop on the floor.

— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) October 3, 2023

Jones did not mince words. He did say that the point guard position will always be important, even as the NBA transitions to a position-less play style. The Spurs seem to agree with him, as they signed him to a new two-year contract this summer. Obviously, the front office sees him as an important piece.

Tre Jones and his brother, Tyus, watch free-throws / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

After adding Jeremy Sochan, one of the NBA’s rare jack of all trades, the Spurs were faced with the possibility of running the floor with him as a 6-9 point guard. This would usually relegate Jones to the bench, and Pop hinted at the idea of Point Sochan.

Pop mentioned Sochan is unique in that he can play 1-4 and is one of the best passers on the team.

Also mentioned Sochan can be great controlling pace on the break.

He said, “the Sky is the limit for him.”

— Eric Salinas (@EricSal_7) October 2, 2023

The key point to that idea is that Sochan would be pushing the ball in the break, as Victor Wembanyama runs the floor and athletic wings Vassell and Johnson provide support. However, if the defense manages to beat the Spurs back, the ball will find Jones, and he will reset the offense. This offers a two point guard option for the Spurs. After grabbing a rebound, Wembanyama (who will be snagging most of the boards) can find Sochan and he can run a break, looking for the open man or driving to the hoop himself. After a bucket from the opposing team, however, Sochan can set up down low as a power forward while Jones runs a traditional offense.

On top of that, Johnson, Wemby, and Vassell are all comfortable with the ball. The Spurs have no slouches when it comes to creating for their teammates. Maybe 2023-24 will be too early, but it looks like the Spurs are returning to the “Beautiful Game” that got them a title in 2014.