Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images The Spurs did a phenomenal job in the final minutes against the Warriors, with Tre Jones in place of Chris Paul in the closing unit. The Spurs outscored the Warriors 16-4 in the last 4:34 minutes of the game, when the lineup of Tre Jones, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama took the floor. Did the coaching staff find something special with that unit? Marilyn Dubinski: It’s quite possible! It was somewhat surprising that Tre Jones closed over Chris Paul, but there was no reason to break up what was working, and it’s also both a reminder from the past and for the future that Jones is a good point guard. Overall, this lineup brings the correct balance between offense and defense at all three levels that are needed to close out games. Some individual pieces can be changed in and out depending on how the game is going for different players, but it’s definitely a blueprint to keep in mind going forward. Jesus Gomez: I feel like it’s less about finding a good closing unit with Tre Jones in it and more about relying on the best four-man lineup available, consisting of Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama. Those four have been excellent so far this season, outscoring opponents by 32 points per 100 possessions in an admittedly small sample size. That same group with Chris Paul in it, which is the new starting lineup, has posted a net rating of 30 points, which suggests it wasn’t Tre who turned that unit into a winner, it simply was one already. It is good to know that the team can close without Chris Paul, who has been great in the clutch, but now the question is, what will happen when Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan are available and the foursome that seems to work so well is potentially split? Bill Huan: It was definitely a pleasant surprise, but keep in mind that we’re dealing with a sample size of less than 5 minutes, and the Spurs were already making a comeback before this unit was trotted out. I’m positive that swapping Jones for CP3 would have been just as effective, if not more, given how vital he was in the game, but I also echo Jesus’ sentiment - it’s certainly a good sign that this team can close without the Point God. We’ll definitely need to see this lineup more before making any grand conclusions. More importantly, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when Vassell and Sochan return. I have more confidence that the former can seamlessly slot into any lineup due to his shooting, but there is a genuine question as to how the latter will fit if the Spurs continue finding success with floor-spacing units. Devon Birdsong: I don’t know that I’m willing to say anything definitive with such a small sample size and key players still out, but I have my doubts about this being a regular closing lineup. While it was nice to see Tre Jones keeping things running smoothly in Paul’s place, Chris Paul has been on the court for a lot of the Spurs’ closer wins and that’s no coincidence. Mitch Johnson’s substitution choices have been interesting so far, but I’m still getting the sense that the Spurs are more busy mixing and matching for experimentation purposes than hunting for specific lineups. That being said, based on the current performance arc, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Castle running the closing lineup over both Paul and Jones by the end of the season.