The Nuggets are really pushing their limit. The NBA has a deadline set for them to bring the roster to at least 14 players. They currently have 13 active players on the squad. Time is ticking, but they're still likely to convert Spencer Jones from two-way to standard contract and add him back to the active roster in time.
Jones and the Nuggets have been taking extra time with negotiations as he recovers from a concussion he sustained in a game in New York. Head coach David Adelman has recently said that they're working on a deal that's "fair for both sides."
Jones spent time in Los Angeles over the All-Star break, spending time with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. He was there as an ambassador to provide his experience from undrafted rookie to starting 34 games for the Nuggets this season.
However, assuming the Nuggets do convert his contract, he isn't likely to regain that starting spot. Jones was filling in for the Nuggets, who have been decimated by injuries this year. But the Nuggets are closer to full-strength than they have been in weeks, and only Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson remain sidelined.
Where does Jones fit in the rotation?
Cam Johnson and Christian Braun have returned to the starting lineup, and both have looked good. Julian Strawther would be the odds-on favorite to swap time with Jones in the interim before Gordon and Watson return.
However, Strawther's been playing great ball of his own lately, and he provides a better scoring spark than Jones does. Strawther scored 20, 19, and 11 in his three starts. Jones is averaging just 6 points a game. Strawther's likely to hold onto the spot for now.
And once the Nuggets are at full strength, it's also likely that Jones will become nothing more than a situational role player. That's because the Nuggets have so many options now; fitting their rotation together will be more like a riddle than a straightforward answer.
Locked into the rotation will surely be Denver's two All-Stars, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray. They'll be joined by Gordon, Johnson, Braun, Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Strawther, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. Situational at best is likely for Jones.
But we don't know what Coach Adelman will come up with. As the playoffs near and the rotation grows tighter, space for playing time will become more limited. Only the Nuggets coaching staff is best positioned to solve that riddle.