Spurs guard Tre Jones on what it is prefer to play with Zion Williamson and Victor Wembanyama

SAN ANTONIO — When Victor Wembanyama and Zion Williamson sq. off on Friday evening, there will likely be a standard thread linking them past their standing as former No. 1 general picks with unbelievable spotlight reels.

That hyperlink is Tre Jones.

The San Antonio Spurs’ place to begin guard is the one participant who has began video games alongside each the New Orleans Pelicans’ Williamson and the Spurs’ Wembanyama — enjoying with Williamson throughout the 2018-19 season at Duke after which this season with Wembanyama. Spurs guard Devonte’ Graham has additionally performed with each gamers however has by no means been within the beginning lineup with both one, leaving Jones in a membership of his personal.

Jones, who’s in his fourth season with the Spurs, has had a front-row seat to see each Williamson and Wembanyama on the onset of their enjoying careers — Williamson as an 18-year-old at Duke and Wembanyama as a 19-year-old when he joined the Spurs this season.

“It is certainly one of one for each of them with the physique they’re given and the athletic potential, which is loopy,” Jones informed ESPN when requested to check the 2, “however I believe the factor that stands proud is that they need to win and that comes first.”

Friday’s recreation would be the third between the Pelicans and Spurs this season, however simply the second assembly between Williamson and Wembanyama, who sat out the Dec. 1 matchup on the second finish of a back-to-back. When the 2 did sq. off on Dec. 17, Wembanyama outscored Williamson 17-15 and racked up 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, however Williamson’s Pelicans got here away with a 146-110 win, tied for his or her largest margin of victory this season.

Williamson, who’s listed as questionable for Friday’s recreation with a left foot damage, and the Pelicans are preventing for a spot within the Western Convention playoffs, whereas the Spurs are caught within the basement. However Jones sees how simple each of them make issues look on the court docket and may see them having battles for years to return.

“They each suppose the sport at an actual excessive stage, and I believe [it] simply comes from them being aggressive and desirous to win,” Jones stated. “They know that they will dominate the sport in so many various methods and simply the truth that they’re capable of type of defer to others at occasions as a result of how the groups are enjoying them and the quantity of consideration they convey on the court docket or the double-teams that they convey as a substitute of forcing it, they’re nonetheless capable of make the suitable basketball play on the finish of the day to place our group in the very best place to win.”

Himself a five-star recruit, Jones was part of a stellar recruiting class at Duke that had commitments from future NBA lottery picks RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish earlier than Williamson even introduced he can be becoming a member of them in Durham, North Carolina.

Nonetheless, Jones remembers precisely the place he was when he came upon Williamson can be becoming a member of them.

“I used to be at my brother’s recreation, a Timberwolves recreation,” Jones stated. “I used to be sitting in our season ticket seats, simply chilling there.”

Jones’ brother Tyus was in the midst of his third season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and he felt a murmur flowing via the group after Williamson’s choice. He stated folks have been stopping him with pleasure about how he would get to play with Williamson the subsequent season.

Jones was rehabbing an damage when he arrived at Duke that summer time, so he did not get to make it onto the court docket immediately with Williamson, however he did get to look at. And he knew immediately it was going to be one thing enjoyable.

“The quickness that he had, the explosiveness… a few of the performs he was making have been loopy and it was in all probability even crazier than a few of the ones that we have seen that he made within the video games of his freshman 12 months,” Jones stated. “It was simply freakish. You’ll be able to’t even actually clarify what he was doing on the market. It was simply his athletic potential and simply his power and every little thing multi function.”

Whereas Jones was surrounded by 1000’s of individuals when he came upon about Williamson’s dedication, circumstances have been a bit completely different when he came upon he was going to get to play with Wembanyama.

“I used to be simply chilling at house, clearly coronary heart racing a bit bit pondering what might be if we get him,” Jones stated.

“Simply watching the lottery unfold, clearly not likely realizing all the chances with the pingpong balls being rolled out and every little thing, however then when it received right down to it, clearly that No. 2 choose received introduced and we knew that we have been getting the No. 1 choose.”

Jones knew one thing was particular about Wembanyama from the beginning of the early follow classes in the summertime, very like he’d felt with Williamson. Nonetheless, Jones stated Wembanyama has come so removed from these moments to now.

“I believe the factor that caught out to me essentially the most was simply the way in which he thought the sport,” Jones stated. “You may give him the ball wherever on the court docket. He was studying the court docket rather well. He was seeing cuts, he was seeing open guys, he was seeing the double-team come immediately. He was simply pondering the sport at a really excessive stage, though the sport’s a bit bit completely different, he was capable of nonetheless suppose the sport at such a excessive stage.”

Wembanyama and Williamson have vastly completely different frames. Williamson stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 285 kilos. Wembanyama is sort of a foot taller at 7-foot-4 however carries simply 210 kilos on his physique. Nonetheless, Jones stated their video games have one distinct similarity: There wasn’t a lob he might throw that they could not get to.

“I do not suppose I ever threw one which he did not get at Duke, whether or not it was follow or video games,” Jones stated about Williamson. “It was just like Victor. Clearly, he’s not 7-foot-whatever, however simply his potential to simply find the ball within the air and simply go get it irrespective of the place it was, irrespective of who was round, he’ll get the lob a technique or one other.”

There is a little bit of a special catch radius in terms of throwing lobs to Wembanyama, together with one of many first in-game ones they related on again within the preseason.

On Oct. 13 in a preseason recreation in opposition to the Miami Warmth, Jones set a ball display screen for Wembanyama, who handed the ball to Jones on the suitable wing. Wembanyama then lower to the basket and Jones instantly let a go fly as Wembanyama was simply crossing the 3-point line.

It became an alley-oop.

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Victor Wembanyama takes flight on give-and-go alley-oop jam

Victor Wembanyama does a give-and-go with Tre Jones resulting in a high-flying dunk.

“And he nonetheless appeared prefer it might have been thrown increased or additional behind him or one thing,” Jones stated. “It nonetheless regarded like such a simple play, a routine play for him, though he was on the 3-point line when the ball was within the air, and he caught it previous the center of the lane. It’s loopy and he makes it look really easy, so nonchalant, simply so routine. … It isn’t something we have ever seen earlier than.”

However for all of the highlight-reel dunks the 2 No. 1 picks have racked up — Wembanyama ranks fourth within the NBA this season with 100 dunks, whereas Williamson is tied for thirty third with 50 — the performs that stand out essentially the most in Jones’ thoughts are a pair of blocks.

Whereas a number of performs stood out at Duke — a coast-to-coast rebound to dunk in opposition to Virginia at house over the Cavaliers’ 7-foot-1 heart Jay Huff or the sport when Williamson returned from the shoe blowout within the ACC Match in opposition to Syracuse and had 29 factors and 14 rebounds on 13-of-13 taking pictures — the primary one occurred on Feb. 9 in opposition to Virginia as properly.

That is when Williamson took off from the paint and was capable of block a 3-point try within the nook from De’Andre Hunter, who went No. 4 within the 2019 draft.

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Zion elevates for vicious block

Zion Williamson reveals off his athleticism as he hustles again to a wide-open Virginia participant and flies for a nasty block.

“It wasn’t prefer it was some 5-10 child that we have been enjoying in an exhibition recreation,” Jones stated. “It was a top-10 choose, top-five choose even, and he is making freakish performs.”

Jones stated it was exhausting to slim down what play stood out from Wembanyama this season, however the no-look block he had in opposition to Tre’s brother Tyus on Jan. 20 stood out.

“He is catching lobs that he is dunking backwards and 360 and within the air however yeah, the no-look block that needs to be up there,” Jones stated. “He did not know the place his man was, so he rotated to seek out him after which he did not know the place the shot was going up, put his hand up, however he was nonetheless capable of block it from the opposite aspect of the paint too. We have by no means seen that earlier than.”