Tre Jones was the afterthought of the afterthoughts in the trade that sent Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls to the Sacramento Kings.

From the Bulls’ perspective, the most important part of the deal was getting back their own first-round pick that was owed to the San Antonio Spurs and was top-10 protected in 2025 and top-eight protected in 2026 and 2027. Chicago now controls all its first-round picks as the franchise moves forward with its rebuild(ish).

The Bulls also got veteran sharpshooter Kevin Huerter via Sacramento to help replace some of LaVine’s floor spacing. Zach Collins came from San Antonio to help in the frontcourt. And then there was Jones, a career backup point guard who hadn’t started a game in 2024-25.

Since arriving in Chicago, though, Jones has become a critical piece of a team rising up the Eastern Conference standings and preparing to host a game in the Play-In Tournament. In 16 contests with the Bulls, seven of them starts, the 25-year-old is averaging 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals while turning the ball over less than once per game.

It’s no coincidence Chicago has become a better team since Jones arrived and began soaking up more minutes. The Bulls have also sneakily been one of the best teams in the NBA this year in terms of late-game comebacks, and it didn’t take long for Jones to discover why.

Bulls lead the NBA in fourth-quarter comebacks

Jones has started Chicago’s last seven games heading into the March 19th slate. During that span, the former Duke standout has averaged 15.3 points and 6.9 assists compared to just one turnover while shooting 56 percent from the field and hitting 7 of his 12 three-point attempts.

That efficiency has helped the team go 5-2 in that stretch, which includes a season-high four-game winning streak and multiple comeback victories. In fact, the Bulls lead the league with 12 fourth-quarter comebacks, an unexpected stat for a team that’s only won 29 games total.

Jones explained the simple reason behind his newest team’s late-game success, per Sam Smith of NBA.com:

““We’re staying with our identity, we’re playing fast. We’re getting stops, getting out and running and trying to wear teams out. We’ve seen it in most of our wins lately; third, fourth quarter we are wearing teams out and we’re able to chip away. … You can hear teams commenting on how fast we are playing, what type of shape we are in. Other teams guys’ hands on their knees when the whistle is blowing, things like that. We pick up on those cues and continue to wear teams out.””

Bulls guard Tre Jones

That identity has been, as Jones has quickly caught onto, playing fast, running in transition and spacing the floor. Lately, that spacing has morphed from emphasizing open three-point shots to getting downhill to the rim and the free-throw line.

The Bulls are closer to landing the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference (2.5 games) than missing the Play-In altogether (5.5). They have a legitimate chance at making the playoffs rather than just the Play-In.

Chicago’s strategy and stamina late in games is a massive reason why. So is Jones.