The Chicago Bulls’ 2025-26 season has been defined by struggles, injuries, and a roster reshaped by trades. With one of the league’s longest injury reports in recent memory—including key absences like Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith, Anfernee Simons, and Jaden Ivey—the team has endured a brutal stretch, including an 11-game losing skid before a brief respite. Wins have been scarce, often feeling counterintuitive in a year seemingly geared toward lottery positioning.
Yet amid the defeats, one player stands out as an unequivocal positive: Tre Jones.
In Thursday night’s road game against the Phoenix Suns on March 5, 2026, Jones delivered a performance that encapsulated his value. With the Bulls clinging to a slim lead in the final seconds, Nick Richards missed a crucial free throw that would have extended Chicago’s advantage to three points with just over 4.0 seconds remaining. The miss sparked a chaotic scramble. Suns players Ryan Dunn and Isaac Okoro battled for the rebound, sending the ball toward the baseline. Dunn dove to save it but flung it toward Tre Jones, who was teetering near the sideline.
Rather than force a risky pass back into play or step out of bounds and potentially leave time on the clock, Jones made a remarkably heady decision: he tossed the ball high into the air. The clock expired before the Suns could attempt a game-tying shot, sealing a shocking 105-103 victory for Chicago—their second win since late January.
“We really got hurt on the glass in the second half, so it’s amazing an offensive rebound won it for us. But the smartest thing by Tre, was ‘I’m about to fall out of bounds, so I’m just going to throw this thing up in the air.’ He’s got that. Just that awareness factor of how to impact winning and the little things. It’s just an incredible, heady smart play to throw it up like that,” Bulls coach Donovan said postgame.
Jones himself reflected on the split-second thinking: “Just knowing that there is only 4 seconds left and it just got touched. By that point, there was probably only about a second left, so I kind of just threw it up in the air … I’ve never really been in that position before. But my thought is, if I try to save it, it’s going toward their hoop. So if I threw it up in the air, time runs off and at worst it goes out of bounds.”
That kind of basketball IQ doesn’t happen by accident. Jones has spent the season reading the room, providing exactly what his undermanned team needs—whether it’s steady playmaking, aggressive drives, or smart decisions in crunch time.
Against the Suns, he finished with 21 points (9-15 FG, including 8-11 inside the paint), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in nearly 29 minutes. His downhill aggression exploited a Suns defense missing its primary rim protector, fueling Chicago’s success attacking the rim all night.
For the season, Jones has averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on an impressive 53.9 percent shooting since joining the Bulls. Acquired in the Zach LaVine trade (which also brought in pieces like Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, and eventual assets through flips), he signed a three-year, $24 million extension with $16 million guaranteed—proving to be one of the more cost-effective and impactful moves in Chicago’s recent roster overhaul.
Jones survived the 2026 trade deadline purge because he’s proven indispensable as a savvy backup and complementary piece, especially alongside the equally intelligent Josh Giddey when healthy. In a season where losses pile up and the future looks toward the draft lottery, players like Jones represent genuine wins—reliable contributors who elevate the floor, make winning plays, and embody the kind of awareness that turns chaos into closure.
The Bulls’ record may continue to suffer, but Tre Jones is building a case as one of the team’s most valuable—and smartest—assets moving forward. In a year full of setbacks, he’s the bright spot that refuses to fade.