Tre Jones Cementing Himself as Point Guard of Spurs' Future
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When the San Antonio Spurs shipped Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks in June, there were questions about who would fill that void at the point guard position.
And for good reason, with Murray quickly emerging as the Spurs best player in his early 20's, while making his first All Star team and finishing as a runner-up in Most Improved Player race last season.
So who can fill the shoes of somebody who nearly averaged a triple-double a year ago?
Insert Tre Jones: a third-year second round pick who started just 12 games over his first two career seasons, while also splitting time in the G League.
But over the first 20 games of this year, the 22-year-old has ran the San Antonio offense seamlessly - ranking 13th in the league in assists per game (7.1) while leading the first unit in every game he's played.
"He's a skilled young player, for [Jones] it's a matter of confidence and understanding that he can use those skills," head coach Gregg Popovich said. "Just be aggressive all the time and he's starting to do that on offense for sure, he's got a great shot and I think he's starting to figure it out."
Despite a Saturday night loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, Jones finished with arguably his best game as a professional, posting 23 points while dishing out 13 dimes - both career-highs.
"He did an amazing job tonight," Spurs wing Keldon Johnson said following the loss. "He's a great leader and a great point guard. He's grown more and more each game, so I'm proud of him and I'm glad to see the growth."
San Antonio's record aside (6-15), it appears the team has a fantastic young core consisting off Jones, Johnson, Devin Vassell and newly acquired Jeremy Sochan and Charles Bassey - all under 24 years old.
Jones and the Spurs are back in action tomorrow night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard
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