San Antonio Spurs' Tre Jones Embracing Fluid Role: 'Everyone Can Push the Ball!'
When San Antonio Spurs point guard Tre Jones took the floor at Paycom Center for his first NBA preseason action of the season, it was a tryout of sorts.
Jones has already proven himself to the Spurs. He wasn't fighting for a spot on the team — especially not with a two-year extension in his back pocket — but he was working to establish himself as a first-rate starter on a San Antonio team with plenty of young talent, himself included.
Safe to say, Jones did well. As a true point guard at least.
His shooting splits may not show it, but Jones' performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder did play a large role in the Spurs being competitive with their newly established Western Conference rivals. He had 12 points, seven trips to the free throw line and six assists — the mark of a facilitator — in San Antonio's loss.
"There was definitely a good stretch that we had ... in the first quarter," Jones said. "It slowly dropped off from there, and we couldn't get it back. Lot of things [for us] to work both offensively and defensively."
Jones isn't exempt from said improvements. He didn't have a strong shooting performance in his first outing and his plus/minus sat at negative 15 for the night, but that isn't everything. In fact, according to the point guard himself, it's far from it.
Oct 9, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) moves the ball while defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second half at Paycom Center.
© Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
"There's so many different things you can do to impact the game," Jones said. "Just being able to move off the ball and help guys get to their spots. ... You don't have to have the ball in your hands to be able to set up the offense."
That kind of Spurs offense — which Malaki Branham described as "positionless" — is relatively new. With Victor Wembanyama now in the mix, San Antonio has had to make adjustments to run its offense through the 7-4 power forward, especially because of his unique skillset.
Wembanyama is obviously tall with rebounding ability like no other, but he also has a ball-handling package that has the potential to make him even more dangerous, and that's just one player playing multiple "positions."
"It's something that we've been adjusting to all offseason," Jones said. "That's carried over into training camp as well. We're just trying to allow everyone to push the ball. That's just kind of how the league is now, so it'll be big for us [to learn]."
While still looking for a spot in the starting lineup, Jones is displaying a level of leadership that sets him apart on a young Spurs team. Being willing to adjust and be fluid in different roles will tell the story of San Antonio's first season with Wembanyama, so it remains up to the players how they handle that.
And not only has Jones accepted his new role — or multiple roles — but he's embraced it. And according to him, that's the most important thing for the Spurs.
"We're going to have so many different lineups [this season]," Jones said. "We have a lot of guys that can contribute in so man different ways, so being able to build that chemistry [is important] right now. ... Getting on the same page as one another right now is the biggest key."
