The Denver Nuggets live to fight another day, escaping playoff elimination with a 125-113 beating of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Spencer Jones turned a lot of heads, proving once more his potential to be a two-way force and a functional stand-in for the injured Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson. He may have played his way into a hefty raise this summer, and the Nuggets, despite their salary cap troubles, should probably do everything they can to bring him back.
Jones supplied the Nuggets with the energy they had been missing
Before discussing Jones' future in the Mile High City, let's look at the present first. With the Nuggets on the brink of elimination and seemingly dealing with a depth issue, the undrafted forward out of Stanford University was exactly the spark they needed to take one step toward climbing out of a 3-1 hole.
On offense, he lit up the Wolves for 20 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and 4-5 from three. He did most of his damage in the third quarter, where he connected on all four of his field goals, three of which were from downtown, to score 11 points. It wasn't a coincidence that the Nuggets started pulling away during that period.
Aside from his surprising offensive contributions, Jones also made his mark on defense. He logged three steals and three blocks to join Hakeem Olajuwon and Shawn Marion as the only players to put up a stat line of 20 points, three steals, and three blocks on at least 75 percent shooting in a playoff contest. Not too shabby for someone who had been on a two-way deal until February and who posts regularly on LinkedIn to build his network in case his professional basketball career crashes early.
Jones can play his way out of Denver this summer
Based on his performance on Monday, the Kansas native might not have to worry about whether he can play at least several more years in the NBA. His skill set and ability to play multiple positions should make him a coveted free agent in the coming offseason.
And if Jones is able to continue being productive and help Denver mount a successful comeback from a 3-1 deficit, he could command multi-year offers once he enters free agency.
The Nuggets should certainly look to re-sign him. He appears to be an ideal fit alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and provides the veteran-laden team with the youthful energy it needs. The question is whether the organization can afford to keep him.
It is quite a conundrum for the Nuggets. On one hand, they need Jones to maintain his level of play in the playoffs, especially if Gordon and Watson can't recover quickly enough from their respective injuries. However, that could result in a steep spike in his value.
Then again, that is a problem the Nuggets should probably not concern themselves about until the summer.
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