Tre Jones Enters Year Six Needing a Cleaner Role, Not a…

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Wednesday, September 30

Tre Jones logged 65 games and 27.0 minutes last season, shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 84.1 percent from the line while protecting the ball better than almost anyone on the roster. With Josh Giddey now the lead ball-handler and Buddy Hield added this month, Jones enters camp needing to define a role that fits a deeper backcourt rather than carry one.

Tre Jones of the Bulls — Tre Jones. Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Last year's workload. Jones played 65 games and averaged 27.0 minutes, 14.1 points, 5.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds for a team that traded away Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Kevin Huerter at the deadline. He ran point by default. This camp, with Giddey healthy and set as the primary ball-handler, that default no longer applies.

The efficiency. Jones shot 55.3 percent from the field and 84.1 percent from the line, good for a 63.7 true shooting mark, despite attempting just 2.0 threes a game at 31.5 percent. He turned the ball over 1.4 times a night. That combination of care and accuracy is the clearest argument for keeping him on the floor.

Reserve scoring streak. Last season Jones reached 20 points in four of his last five games as a reserve, a run that showed he can produce without the ball dominating the offense. Whether that workload returns depends on how Tiago Splitter divides minutes between him, Giddey and the newly arrived Hield.

The lineup numbers. Every common five-man unit with Jones last season finished in the red: Vucevic-Okoro-Jones-Giddey-Buzelis at minus-13.2, Yabusele-Okoro-Jones-Giddey-Buzelis at minus-9.9, Vucevic-Huerter-Okoro-Jones-Buzelis at minus-2.4. His individual net rating was minus-3.8. None of that was on Jones alone, but it is the hole this season needs to fill.

The contract. Jones is owed $8.0 million in 2026-27, with an $8.0 million team option attached for 2027-28. On a roster still finding its shape under Splitter, that is a modest price for a guard who protects the ball and shoots it well — a decision Chicago will make for itself next summer.

Health check. Jones is not on the injury report entering camp, a clean slate compared with Zach Collins, who is day-to-day on a toe issue and targeting an October 7 return. For a guard whose value is built on availability — 65 games last season — staying off that list matters.

The verdict. Jones does not need a bigger role this season. He needs a defined one: back up Giddey, keep turnovers near 1.4 a game, hit enough threes to stop sagging defenses, and make the team option an easy call for Chicago next summer.

On deck Preseason opens October 7 against the Suns, followed by the Grizzlies on October 9, the Nuggets on October 11 and the Bucks on October 14, before the regular season begins October 21 at Toronto.

What is Tre Jones' role with the Bulls entering 2026-27?

He is expected to back up Josh Giddey at the point after averaging 27.0 minutes and 14.1 points as a de facto starter last season.

Is Tre Jones injured heading into training camp?

No. He is not on the Bulls' injury report.