Denver's newest addition has the blueprint to become Denver’s next “Mr. Nugget”

Curtis Jones would be wise to follow the path of an older player to whom he’s drawn some recent comparisons: former Denver Nuggets point guard Monte Morris. 

Although the similarities stem largely from both Iowa State products wearing Nuggets colors immediately following their college careers, both ex-Cyclone guards can use the same successful blueprint, from two-way uncertainty to Mile High basketball celebrity. 

The Two-Way Grind

Like Morris before him, Jones will have to prove his worth through persistence on a two-way deal. 

Monte Morris’ Climb

Unlike Jones, the Nuggets drafted Morris 51st overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Despite setting the NCAA single-season record with a 5.17 assist-to-turnover ratio, Morris slipped to Denver in the second round. After averaging 9.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, a team-high 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in six games for the Nuggets’ 2017 Las Vegas Summer League squad, Denver signed him to a two-way contract. 

Morris spent almost all of his rookie 2017-18 season playing in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he dropped 18 points, grabbed 4.5 rebounds, dished 6.7 assists, and nabbed 1.8 steals per game in 37 appearances. Despite only logging 25 NBA minutes, the G League assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.51 supported his four-year career at Iowa State and signaled he might be ready for a larger role with the big-league team. 

With uncertainty facing the Nuggets’ backup point guard situation heading into 2018-19, the Nuggets converted Morris’ deal, and he made his move, effectively seizing the backup point guard role. In 82 regular-season games, Morris scored 10.4 points, pulled down 2.4 rebounds, distributed 3.6 assists, and earned almost one steal in 24 minutes per game, finishing ninth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. 

After registering the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA — 5.29 — between 2018-2020, Denver signed Morris to a multiyear contract extension in December 2020. In the wake of Jamal Murray’s ACL injury, Morris started a handful of games down the stretch of 2020-21 and 74 of the 75 games during the following season, helping Denver stay afloat in the rugged Western Conference despite injuries to Murray and Michael Porter Jr. 

Proving his value as a starting-caliber point guard in the NBA, Morris was dealt in the 2022 offseason by ex-general manager Calvin Booth to Washington, D.C., alongside Will Barton, for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, helping cement the Nuggets’ championship roster. 

Morris’ ascent from late-second-round pick to G League standout to reliable rotation player to eventual starter in the NBA (and the second “Mr. Nugget,” shout out to the DNVR fellas) is a career path most players would love to travel, Jones included.

Curtis Jones’ Launch Pad

An undrafted free agent out of Iowa State by way of the University at Buffalo, Jones excelled with the Nuggets’ summer squad in Vegas over the last couple of weeks. He led the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game despite only logging the team’s seventh-most minutes per game. He also added 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 47% from three.

A smooth scorer and excellent shooter from three, Jones also showed some playmaking chops working out of the pick and roll in Vegas: 

As a two-way player, Jones will travel between the Nuggets and their G-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, playing up to 50 NBA games. He’s not eligible for the playoffs, but he can convert to a full deal at any point during the year should the Nuggets opt to fill their final remaining open roster spot. 

The Nuggets have a solid track record of success for two-way players who stick around with the team. I mean, the last former Cyclone to be on a two-way contract for Denver played in the Mile High City for five years. Let’s hope Jones sees similar success regardless of divergent play styles. 

Two Skill Sets, One Possible Destination? 

The more traditional floor general, Morris earned the nickname “Count of Monte Assist/TO” for his historic assist-to-turnover ratio in college, excellent court vision, and great passing. A 6’2” point guard, Morris often played steady, mistake-free hoops for the Nuggets. A reliable culture-setter, Morris earned the “Mr. Nugget” moniker for always being the first Denver player to reach out and welcome new players to the city and organization. 

Heck, Morris even connected with Jones after the latter signed his summer league contract to tell him about his experience in Denver and with the Nuggets franchise. Skip to 1:52 of his July 8 postpractice media availability below for the quote on his relationship with Big Game Tae: 

"“He was like, ‘Great people, man. You going to have a good time.’”"

Curtis Jones on Monte Morris

Jones is a much more fluid player than Morris, with deeper range and more versatile scoring chops at multiple levels. An Associated Press and College Hoops Today second-team All-American, Lute Olson Award finalist, All-Big XII First-Teamer and College Hoops Today National Sixth Man of the Year, Jones averaged a team-best 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 30.6 minutes per game as a senior in Ames. 

Listed at 6-foot-6, 165 lbs., Jones is longer, leaner, and has more athletic upside than Morris, in my opinion, but he’ll likely also need to spend a year in the G League working on his body and his game. Yet given the backup point guard situation behind Murray, Jones has a golden opportunity in front of him this year. 

The Nuggets need various skill sets around Jokic, and Jones’ shooting could be more valuable in our current era of hoops than that of Jalen Pickett. I’d be surprised to see Jones play legitimate rotation minutes ahead of bench players like Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Pickett and even Julian Strawther, who all possess legitimate NBA experience handling the ball and distributing it to teammates. 

But the blueprint is in place. Morris proved the path from Iowa State to a two-way contract to NBA success. Jones seemingly has some of the tools — while different from those of Morris — to take advantage. But will he capitalize on the opportunity as did his Cyclone brother before him? 

Becoming the next “Mr. Nugget” is probably impossible. However, working one’s way from two-way guy to reliable role player offers an ideal trajectory for a player ready to follow in Monte Morris’ footsteps from Ames to altitude.