SAN ANTONIO — When Victor Wembanyama and Zion Williamson sq. off on Friday evening, there will likely be a typical 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 in the course of 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 considered one of one for each of them with the physique they’re given and the athletic potential, which is loopy,” Jones instructed 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.”
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Friday’s sport 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 sport with a left foot harm, and the Pelicans are combating 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 might 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 eager to win,” Jones mentioned. “They know that they’ll dominate the sport in so many alternative 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 correct basketball play on the finish of the day to place our workforce in the most effective 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 discovered Williamson can be becoming a member of them.
“I used to be at my brother’s sport, a Timberwolves sport,” Jones mentioned. “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 by the gang after Williamson’s resolution. He mentioned folks had been stopping him with pleasure about how he would get to play with Williamson the following season.
Jones was rehabbing an harm when he arrived at Duke that summer season, so he did not get to make it onto the court docket instantly with Williamson, however he did get to observe. And he knew instantly it was going to be one thing enjoyable.
“The quickness that he had, the explosiveness… a few of the performs he was making had 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 yr,” Jones mentioned. “It was simply freakish. You possibly can’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 functional.”
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Whereas Jones was surrounded by hundreds of individuals when he discovered about Williamson’s dedication, circumstances had been just a little totally different when he discovered he was going to get to play with Wembanyama.
“I used to be simply chilling at residence, clearly coronary heart racing just a little bit pondering what may very well be if we get him,” Jones mentioned.
“Simply watching the lottery unfold, clearly probably not realizing all the chances with the pingpong balls being rolled out and every little thing, however then when it acquired all the way down to it, clearly that No. 2 choose acquired introduced and we knew that we had been getting the No. 1 choose.”
Jones knew one thing was particular about Wembanyama from the beginning of the early observe classes in the summertime, very similar to he’d felt with Williamson. Nonetheless, Jones mentioned 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 mentioned. “You would 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 instantly. He was simply pondering the sport at a really excessive stage, though the sport’s just a little bit totally different, he was capable of nonetheless suppose the sport at such a excessive stage.”
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Wembanyama and Williamson have vastly totally 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 mentioned 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 observe or video games,” Jones mentioned 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 regardless of the place it was, regardless of who was round, he’ll get the lob a method or one other.”
There is a little bit of a unique catch radius relating to throwing lobs to Wembanyama, together with one of many first in-game ones they linked on again within the preseason.
On Oct. 13 in a preseason sport towards the Miami Warmth, Jones set a ball display for Wembanyama, who handed the ball to Jones on the correct wing. Wembanyama then lower to the basket and Jones instantly let a cross fly as Wembanyama was simply crossing the 3-point line.
It was 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 mentioned. “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 is not 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 just a few performs stood out at Duke — a coast-to-coast rebound to dunk towards Virginia at residence over the Cavaliers’ 7-foot-1 middle Jay Huff or the sport when Williamson returned from the shoe blowout within the ACC Match towards Syracuse and had 29 factors and 14 rebounds on 13-of-13 taking pictures — the primary one occurred on Feb. 9 towards Virginia as nicely.
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 exhibits 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 had been enjoying in an exhibition sport,” Jones mentioned. “It was a top-10 choose, top-five choose even, and he is making freakish performs.”
Jones mentioned it was onerous to slender down what play stood out from Wembanyama this season, however the no-look block he had towards 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 mentioned. “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.”
