Starting Tre Jones Could Improve San Antonio Spurs' Paint Presence

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the NBA's worst interior teams, and that can change before the season gets in full swing.

When the San Antonio Spurs drafted 7-4 Victor Wembanyama and paired him alongside fellow tall players Zach Collins and Jeremy Sochan, it was expected that the Spurs would own the paint this season.

They might not win many games, but at least their height would give them a competitive edge while their promising young core continues to develop. That has not been the case at all.

Through three games, the Spurs are the fourth-worst rebounding team in the league, averaging only 41.7 per night. They are seventh-worst when it comes to scoring in the paint, and don’t worry, they don’t really score from anywhere, as they are below average in points per game regardless of where on the court they shoot from.

On top of that, they allow the third-most rebounds out of any team and allow 62 points in the paint per game, second worst in the league. Wembanyama was advertised as an elite rim protector, and he has been just that through three games, but he seems to be the only one.

Victor Wembanyama records the second of two straight blocks against Jabari Smith Jr / © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Collins–who signed an extension this summer–is third on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game, tied with Sochan. Unsurprisingly, Wemby leads the way with 7.3.

With the direction of the franchise clearly set on building through the draft over the future, making a trade for help in the frontcourt makes little sense, as does spending money on a big-name free agent. That means the issue of failing to secure the paint needs to be addressed in-house.

One way to do that would be to swap Keldon Johnson out of the starting lineup in favor of Tre Jones. Yes, Johnson plays better than Jones down low, but Jones has the court vision to get the ball to Collins, Wemby, and Sochan down low. Plus, having Jones run point would take the duty away from Sochan, who would consequently find himself in the interior more often, without the ball in his hands. That means more offensive rebounds.

Jones has proven that he can delicately place the ball in Wembanyama’s hands in an advantageous position, and the two have showcased great chemistry together. Having a natural distributor on the floor would allow for easier looks down low, and it would allow rebounders to get down low earlier, instead of working primarily on the perimeter.

The Spurs have a long way to go before they make a deep playoff run, but the core that they do it with is set, and the outline for the core to improve has been set in stone. With the tallest player in the league on the roster, the paint should undoubtedly belong to San Antonio.