Potential Miami Heat Draft Choice Tre Jones Feels Ready to Make NBA Adjustment
When Tre Jones was in high school, he had the luxury of being able to watch the NBA up close and personal.
His older brother, Tyus, was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jones brothers grew up in nearby Apple Valley, Minn. The younger Jones, who is among the potential players the Miami Heat could draft at No. 20 next Wednesday, said the experience could ease his transition from college to the professional level.
“His first three years in Minnesota, I was still in high school there,” said Tre Jones, a 6-3 point guard. “You talk about advantage. I was able to go to almost all of his home games in person, watch that level of basketball in person. I was able to see what was working for him, what helped him get on the floor at a young age early in his career. I was seeing what things he needed to work on, what areas he needed to improve on to make sure he’s stuck in the league like he has.”
Jones played two seasons at Duke and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore. He was also chosen as the conference's top defender.
The Heat could use depth at point guard, even if they re-sign starter Goran Dragic. Jones said his time with his older brother Tyus, who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, makes him more NBA-ready than most rookies.
“That helped me get an advantage just because I see kind of how the offense are ran in the NBA, how the spacing is,” Jones said. “How the calling is different for the refs. There’s so many different things in the NBA compared to other levels of basketball I felt like I picked up on throughout those years in my high school career while I was able to watch my brother his first few years in the NBA.”
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