Appreciating the other side of the Wemby-Tre two-man game

The Spurs’ most productive connection this season isn’t all alley oops.

Victor Wembanyama’s NBA highlight reel already has something for everyone. It’s a montage that’s as expansive as anyone’s, spanning every inch of space from high above the rim to between opponents’ legs, on both ends of the floor; a menu from which each fan can pick their own favorite display of alienball.

Many of those have come via the Tre Jones to Wembanyama connection. Gaudy lob attempts, pinpoint hit-aheads and all the benefits of having a natural playmaker have made Jones an indispensable complement to the big fella, especially since his (re-)insertion into the starting five. Unsurprising even to the Point Sochan apologists among us, no Spur has assisted the French rookie more than Jones with 84, and the team has collectively benefited from their synergy. No rotation player has a better net rating alongside Wemby than Jones (+3.4).

But Wemby contains multitudes — and hey, I suppose Jones does, too. He and his 6-foot-1 counterpart have had almost as much success flipping roles, with Jones the recipient while rolling to the basket against a defense that’s hyperfocused on the 7-foot-4 dude handling the ball on the perimeter.

Compared to the statement dunks, stepback threes and his various improvisational forays, there’s something almost quaint about these plays. In other occasions he’s taking a chainsaw to a big slab of ice — here, he’s pruning a bonsai tree in real time, scanning the D, feeling it tense as his defender and Jones’ converge, sensing the three other sets of eyes lock in on him, before delicately dropping a pocket pass to, usually, the smallest guy on the floor. Maybe even with his off hand for good measure.

As much as he’s benefited from playing alongside the point guard, Wemby’s done a good job reciprocating, leading the team in assists on Jones baskets with 33. Devin Vassell is 2nd with 23. This is elegance on a smaller scale, boutique basketball, and yet just as deliberate as any other action the Spurs do to leverage the rookie’s myriad talents.

Here’s another jump pass.

Give credit to Jones for understanding the job and being such a good partner for the star rookie. Beyond feeding him whenever possible, he’s averaging 1.64 points as a roll man (97th percentile leaguewide), not a typical designation for an undersized guard but a function he’s excelled at.

For those that followed Wemby as a prospect, the idea of him running pick and rolls tantalized given his tools and bball IQ. And while his nearly 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio highlights his room for improvement, he’s already provided a proof of concept while adapting to the pace of the NBA game. This is the worst he’ll ever be at this stuff.

As with much of what Wemby does, it’s hard to project from here. We have no clue what his final form will be, or even what he’ll grow into in these early years as he finds his comfort spots and sets the team can call up whenever they need a bucket. We’re in the beta phase, identifying bugs and evaluating personnel. People get paid good money to watch this kind of stuff and figure out how to optimize it — we just have to watch and wonder.