Tre Jones joins elite Bulls company, tying a throwback stat line from the 1990s and giving Chicago a spark off the bench in win over Cavaliers
The Chicago Bulls couldn’t have pulled off that stunner against the Cleveland Cavaliers without Tre Jones flipping the switch off the bench.
Jones walked in and instantly steadied the ship, giving Chicago a reminder of what it looked like early in the season. In just 24 minutes, he dropped 11 points, handed out 11 assists, and picked off three steals, impacting the game in all the little ways that win you nights like this. The Bulls won the margins.
On the bigger picture, it’s quietly been a strong year for Jones. He’s been averaging 12.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.7 steals in about 28 minutes per game. The long-term role may still be up for debate, but the assists-and-steals production is steady enough to keep him firmly on the radar.
After averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 assists across 18 games last season, Jones cashed in with a three-year, $24 million deal over the summer. Through 20 games this year, he’s bumped that production up to 12.4 points and 5.2 assists per night. It just goes on to prove that when he’s running the second unit, the Bulls’ engine hums a lot smoother.
Bottom line? Jones is making winning plays, bank and history
Tre Jones tallied 11 points, 11 assists, and three steals, joining Toni Kukoč as the only Bulls reserves in team history to tally 10+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 3+ steals in a game.
Kukoč notched the record on December 13, 1994, when the Bulls hosted the Detroit Pistons. While he remained on court for only 31 minutes, Kukoč managed 10 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals.
From 1993 to 2000, Toni Kukoč was one of the Chicago Bulls’ most versatile contributors, evolving from an elite sixth man into a primary offensive option. Over those nine seasons, Kukoč typically played between 26 and 32 minutes per game, averaging roughly 14–15 points, 4–5 rebounds, and 4–5 assists while functioning as a point-forward in Phil Jackson’s system. He was an efficient scorer early in his Bulls tenure, shooting near 50% from the field in multiple seasons and peaking at 15.7 points per game in 1994–95.
After Michael Jordan’s second retirement, Kukoč took on a heavier workload, logging over 36 minutes per game in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 while averaging 18.8 and 18.0 points, respectively. Although his shooting efficiency dipped during those high-usage years, his playmaking responsibilities increased, as reflected by assist averages consistently around 4–5 per game.
Across his Bulls run, Kukoč also contributed solid perimeter shooting, steady free-throw accuracy in the low-to-mid 70s, and reliable secondary rebounding, cementing his role as one of the most important complementary stars of Chicago’s second three-peat and immediate post-dynasty era.
As it stands, the Bulls roll into the matchup at 11–15, currently sitting 10th in the East, while the Cavaliers check in at 15–13 and eighth in the conference. Sadly, Jones' availability is a game-time decision. For now, he has been upgraded from questionable to probable.
The game is nigh. Now it’s about who’s healthy enough to take the claycourt.