The Denver Nuggets finally got Spencer Jones back in the mix on Saturday, and the timing could hardly have been better.
After missing the first seven games with a hamstring injury, Jones made his season debut against the Indiana Pacers in Mexico City, giving Denver nearly a full lineup with only Julian Strawther still sidelined. For a team that has already had to navigate injuries to Cameron Johnson, Jones, Strawther, and Alpha Diallo this season, getting one of its key reserve forwards back mattered right away.
Jones didn’t waste time showing what the Nuggets had been missing. He finished with 13 points and six rebounds, going 5-6 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. That kind of clean, efficient production is exactly why Denver has been waiting for him to return.
After the game, Nikola Jokic made clear how much Jones helps in the areas Denver needs most.
"He was really good shooting the ball. I think he had a couple of big rebounds.
His defense was really aggressive and physical, and that's what we need from him," Jokic said. "Happy for him that he's back, and hopefully he can stay healthy."
The numbers back up the need. Through eight games, Denver ranks 22nd in defensive rating, 21st in total rebounds per game, and is among the league’s least aggressive teams from deep, sitting sixth-fewest in made threes per game and third-fewest in attempts. Jones fits into all three problem spots.
Head coach David Adelman echoed that view after the game, praising the way Jones fills a role that doesn’t always show up in flashy ways.
"Spencer, I mean, he's just the ultimate role player," Adelman said. "He makes threes, he blocks a shot, he screens in rotations, he communicates.
It's just things that you have to teach players these days, and he just does them. There is a real thing to being a real professional basketball player, and he is one.
So it was nice to get him back in the fold."
The Nuggets’ bench had already been a question mark before the injuries piled up, and losing Jones and Strawther only made that group thinner. Rookies Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins have helped steady things, but Denver is clearly hoping the second unit looks different now that Jones is back.
For a team looking to shore up its defense, add shooting, and get more on the glass, Jones gives them a piece they’ve been missing.
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