Bulls take yet another body blow to their guard depth, losing Tre Jones
LOS ANGELES – Billy Donovan doesn’t hand out terms like “it factor” lightly, but that’s exactly what he said about guard Tre Jones two weeks ago after a win in Miami.
The “it factor” is now sidelined, and possibly for the remainder of the regular season.
The Bulls announced on Saturday that Jones suffered a sprained left foot in the win over the Kings, and would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
That takes the Bulls to the weekend of April 5, and that’s just a re-evaluation. Jones would still need to show that he can practice on it, go through a few full-contact practices and make sure his conditioning is where it needs to be.
Considering the last regular-season game is on April 13 in Philadelphia, the runway could be a short one.
“The hope is he would be able to come back, but we’re probably not really going to know much until after that ramp up starts,” Donovan said. “He’s going to be in a boot for a while, it’s a pretty moderate sprain in his foot, and once he’s able to clear that hurdle the next part is going to be where is his pain at? How much can he ramp up and how soon he’ll be able to play? So we probably won’t know much until we get through those two weeks.”
Jones has been an instant favorite for the coach, not only because of his high-IQ at the point guard spot, but also his toughness on both sides of the floor.
Since Mar. 2, Jones has averaged 14.5 points and 7 assists per game, while shooting 57.1% from three-point range.
As far as how the Bulls will replace him? Donovan gave the usual answer of by committee.
“I think I’ve been pretty outspoken about what he’s been able to do since he’s been here,” Donovan said. “Anytime you lose a player like him or you lose Lonzo (Ball) or Josh (Giddey) for a period of time, lose Ayo (Dosunmu), guys that have made significant impacts for us, it creates opportunities for other guys, but it’s kind of the NBA. Everybody deals with it. We’ve kind of got to work through it.”
Three-ball corner pocket
One of the knocks on Giddey through his first three seasons with the Thunder was his inconsistency from three-point range. Guess who has been fixing it since changing teams?
After shooting a career-best 33.7% from three last year, Giddey entered Saturday’s game in Los Angeles at 37.8% from three this season, including a ridiculous 48.7% since Feb. 2.
His secret? There really isn’t one. His fundamentals on his shot are the same, but his mindset has definitely changed.
“I think it’s reps. I haven’t changed anything,” Giddey said. “I started to figure out the last two months, missed shot, made shot, move onto the next one. That mindset has kind of been drilled into me, and that’s helped a lot. Now I’m to the point that if I shoot 10 and miss, I shoot the 11th. A lot of shooting is between the ears, so structurally I haven’t changed anything.”
Getting closer?
Ball missed his 10th straight game with the injured right wrist, but Donovan was getting positive reports from back in Chicago, and now the hope is he could return next week during the two-game homestand.
“I think there’s a possibility that when we get back home that can happen,” Donovan said. “We have a practice day (Wednesday), and that’s going to be a big day for me in terms of can he get on the court? I do think the wrist feels better. It has improved gradually.”