Tre Jones

With Dejounte Murray being traded to Atlanta, a starting point guard spot has opened up in San Antonio. Jones appears to be the favorite to claim the job, and he could end up being a notable sleeper this season. Jones - the brother of Tyus - was selected with the 41st overall pick in 2020 out of Duke. He saw fringe NBA minutes as a rookie but excelled in the G League, where he was named to the 2020-21 All-G League Team. Last year, he was able to garner a consistent role as Murray's backup, averaging 6.0 points and 3.4 assists in 16.6 minutes. However, what fantasy managers should be interested in were his 11 starts. As a starter, Jones averaged 13.5 points on 48.8 percent shooting, 7.5 assists (1.1 turnovers!), 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.7 minutes. The turnovers need to be emphasized again. If you are in a nine-category league, Jones' lack of giveaways will be an absolutely massive factor in his fantasy value. One knock on his game is a lack of three-pointers. He averaged only 1.6 three-point attempts per 36 minutes last season and is a career 23.2 percent shooter from distance. There's potential there - he went 39-for-108 (36.1%) as a sophomore at Duke and shot 77.1 FT% as well - but he has yet to demonstrate it at the pro level. The positive is that with Jones living at the rim and floater range, his field-goal percentage stays high. He was prolific from floater range especially, going 64-for-126 (51%) from 4-14 feet. He shot 49.0 percent as a whole last year. It's understandable for fantasy managers to hesitate about drafting Jones inside the top 100, but the Spurs are without other suitable options at the position. Joshua Primo hasn't looked great, and he's also more of a shooting guard. Blake Wesley was selected with the No. 25 overall pick over the summer, but he may spend time in the G League. There should be a clear runway for Jones to be a 30-minute-per-game player with potential for semi-consistent 15-and-10 performances.