San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Jones making it a point to score
Spurs point guard Tre Jones began the season viewed primarily as an undersized playmaker destined for a career as a backup.
But just past the halfway point of his first year as a starter, Jones has emerged as something more than a facilitator, as his offensive production continues to surge with restricted free agency looming.
The third-year pro was a bright spot in the Spurs’ 144-113 loss to Golden State on Friday, finishing with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with five assists.
It was his fifth consecutive outing with at least 18 points and his third in five games with 20-plus.
Over that span, he’s averaging 20.8 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
“I’m continuing to just trust the work I put in, trying to just play my game and not get too hung up on if I am making shots, missing shots,” said Jones, who prides himself on how well he sets up his teammates. “I know what my role is on this team, and I continue to try to do that every single night and just let the rest take care of itself.”
The Spurs always have liked Jones’ competitiveness, leadership and basketball IQ, but there’s clearly more to his game now. Friday’s outing marked the fifth time this season he’s led the team in scoring, third behind Keldon Johnson (20) and Devin Vassell (15).
“As we all know, he’s a great
competitor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “But his skill package has gotten better as the months have gone by.”
Jones continues to work at his 3-point stroke, a key to his development as he strives to become a more complete player. He made both of his attempts from deep against the Warriors.
“He looks great,” Spurs forward Doug McDermott said. “He’s letting it go, continuing to build confidence each game . ... That’s his next step, being able to hit that 3 ball. He’s done a great job with it. We just need
him to keep shooting ’em.”
Jones’ 6-foot-1 size always will be something to overcome in a league that embraces bigger floor generals. But he clearly has made great strides since the Spurs selected him in the second round in 2020, posting better numbers than many of the players drafted ahead of him.
Jones, earning $1.78 million this season in the final year of his three-year, $4.2 million rookie contract, started his 41st game last week, locking him into a qualifying offer of $5,216,324 million next offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported.
“His confidence level has a lot to do with what we are seeing out of him,” Popovich said. “He feels pretty good.”
Pop sees beatings as valuable lessons
The Spurs’ two losses of 30-plus points to the Warriors this season are viewed in a positive light by Popovich.
“It was a great opportunity for our guys to learn and see what some things really look like in real time,” he said after Friday’s game. “When you see people who are doing what you try to do way better than you do it, it helps you learn. We will get a lot out of it for sure.”
The Warriors beat the Spurs 132-95 on Nov. 14 in San Francisco. The teams conclude their season series March 31 in San Francisco.
Vassell’s surgery declared a success
Popovich called the surgery Vassell underwent on his left knee Wednesday in New York a success.
“It really went well,” the coach said before Friday’s game.
The Spurs’ game against Sacramento on Sunday will mark the seventh in a row the third-year guard has missed. The club has not given a timeline for Vassell’s return, but Popovich said last week it likely will be after the All-Star break, which ends for the Spurs on Feb. 23 when they play at Dallas.
Wesley’s minutes are first in 3 months
Rookie guard Blake Wesley played the final 6:47 of Friday’s game, marking his first action with the Spurs in more than two months.
Wesley has been playing in the G League since returning from a knee injury he suffered against Minnesota on Oct. 30 when he banged knees with forward Jaden McDaniels.
The Notre Dame alumnus finished Friday’s game with two points and one rebound.