Bulls guard Tre Jones is very careful not to upset the basketball gods
In Tre Jones’ universe the basketball gods are just.
They don’t reward tanking or smile upon franchises that purposely try to lose games.
So while the point guard is very aware of many in the Bulls fan base, media, and maybe in his own building pulling for losses in order to help the organization’s draft lottery odds, he refuses to operate in that space.
“I approach every game the same: To win the game,” Jones said. “I don’t listen to outside noise, the draft lottery and all that stuff. The worst teams don’t get the best pick. Last year, Dallas got the best pick as the 10th worst team in the league.”
Jones was being kind.
The Mavericks were actually No. 11, moving up 10 spots to land Cooper Flagg. It was the largest jump in lottery history.
Meanwhile, Utah, who finished with the worst record, ended up picking No. 5.
“We approach it to win the game,” Jones said of his mentality. “We show up to do our job every single night. I hate losing more than anything. My wife can vouch for me. I’m not happy when I go home from these games. But I believe in the basketball gods rewarding certain things, and I believe if we continue to show up and do our jobs and put our best foot forward, every day we’ll be rewarded in the right way.”
It’s a nice thought. It’s just not good math.
Yes, Utah, Washington and Charlotte felt like the tanky-est teams of the 2024-25 campaign and neither hit in the top three, but they were all in the top six, leading to the Hornets (No. 4) getting Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel, the Jazz (No. 5) selecting Ace Bailey, and the Wizards (No. 6) picking Tre Johnson.
All three have had flashes this season, while Knueppel looks like a foundation piece that is changing the franchise.
The do-right Bulls?
They stayed at No. 12 and selected French project Noa Essengue, who looked physically overwhelmed at times before a shoulder injury ended his season by early December.
Fast forward to Thursday night and what was going on in two different locations in the NBA. While Jones and the Bulls were coming back from a 29-point deficit against Cleveland only to fall short of pulling off the miracle in the final minute, Milwaukee was playing in Utah in what could only be described as a stink contest.
The Jazz, who have already been fined $500,000 by the NBA this season for “conduct detrimental to the league,” only went eight deep, using two-way players and youngsters like Kyle Filipowski and Bailey. All Bailey did was score 33 points and grab nine rebounds in one of his best games of the year.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are still trying to convince former Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay away the rest of the season, and in his absence were blown out by Utah. No worry for the Jazz, who were still locked into the No. 5 spot of the lottery.
But for the Bucks it feels like it’s all hands-on deck to keep the ship sinking. They remained half a game behind the Bulls in lottery positioning but feel more determined to lose games.
All but confirmed with the way Jones was talking.
“As a fan, obviously, they want the best player in the upcoming draft and for that to happen they want us to lose,” Jones said. “So that’s their perspective on things. But when they show up to work, I’m sure they’re not trying to lose. So if they were in our shoes, I don’t think they’d be showing up and trying to lose.”