Well, that certainly didn't take long. From his first play after checking in until he finally came out of the game, Spencer Jones made a huge impact for the Denver Nuggets in the best role-player way possible. And the Nuggets escaped their south-of-the-border trip to Mexico City to play the Indiana Pacers with a 114-102 win that could have turned out differently had it not been for Jones.
The Denver Nuggets had been without Spencer Jones for the first seven games of the season and the entire preseason, too. He had been rehabbing two injured hamstrings, but that's behind him now.
Jones made noise with an electric block as soon as he entered the game in the first quarter, but it was his sharpshooting from beyond the arc in the second quarter that really helped spark the Nuggets to a 37-point quarter and a 23-point halftime lead. Jones was 2-for-2 in the quarter and 3-for-3 in the game on his corner threes.
He finished his first game back with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field while pulling in 6 rebounds and finishing the game with a team-high +14 plus/minus in 21 minutes. So much for the limited action he was expected to see in his first game back.
Jones is a great role player for the Nuggets bench
One of the great things about Jones is that he never tries to do too much. He plays his role, and he plays it well. Finding his space in the corner and knocking down threes consistently is a big need for the Nuggets' bench in the aftermath of Julian Strawther's knee injury and Tim Hardaway Jr.'s departure.
Jones hit 39.6% of his three-pointers last season, and it was a big reason why he not only got promoted from a two-way to a standard contract, but it's also why the Nuggets felt comfortable matching the Oklahoma City Thunder's offer sheet of two years, $12 million this offseason.
But it's the hustle and defense that put Jones over the top as a bona fide key role player for the Nuggets. He'll chase down a loose ball, front a center down low in the post, or he'll stop a guard from getting into the paint off the perimeter. He's not going to wow you with style points, but the results are usually productive.
That was the case against the Pacers. Without his help anchoring that second-quarter run on both sides of the ball, the 12-point win could have been much closer, or been different altogether. Welcome back, Spencer!
Add us as a preferred source on Google