Former Duke basketball standout gave North Carolina fans some horrid flashbacks.
It has been a while since former Duke basketball guard Tre Jones has taken the national spotlight on the court, but he’s showing out in the NBA Summer League.
Jones was unable to play in the Summer League before his rookie campaign due to the cancelation of the event after the delayed end of the 2019-20 season, as well as the delayed draft, because of complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Blue Devil played in 37 games for the San Antonio Spurs but averaged just 7.3 minutes and 2.5 points per game.
However, Tre Jones looks much more confident and comfortable as he took the court this month in his first Summer League, and he showed off his vintage clutch gene with a game-winner against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
With San Antonio trailing by one, 104-103, with under five seconds to go, Tre Jones took the ball to the rim and dropped in a stunning layup to give the Spurs the victory, 105-104.
TRE JONES GETS IT TO GO! #NBASummer on ESPNU pic.twitter.com/UkiNhTrqMU
— NBA (@NBA) August 12, 2021
Jones finished the game with 34 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists on 12-of-20 shooting from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
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The game-winning basket gave Duke fans some great memories, and North Carolina fans some awful memories, of Jones’ game-tying shot in the Dean Dome two years ago as the Blue Devils went on to win in overtime thanks to another buzzer-beater by Wendell Moore.
https://twitter.com/accmbb/status/1226960419392237568?s=20
Duke basketball guard trying to follow in his brother’s footsteps
Even though Tre Jones was not able to follow in his brother’s, Tyus Jones, footsteps at Duke with a National Championship, he is looking to follow in Tyus’ footsteps at the NBA Summer League.
Following his becoming a first-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015, Tyus Jones dominated the Summer League en route to being named as the league’s MVP.
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Given his current trajectory, Tre Jones could be the Summer League MVP if he continues to fill the stat sheet and dominate at the level he has through the first week of games.
Jones and the Spurs return to the court on Sunday, August 15 at 6:00pm EST against the Brooklyn Nets.