Spencer Jones found out he was playing 90 minutes before tip-off and made the most of it

The Denver Nuggets’ 114-105 win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday was one of the team’s most impressive wins in the last five years. Without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun, the Nuggets got big performances from Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook, but also had important contributions from young guys like Spencer Jones.

Monday was the first time all season Jones got legitimate playing time and made the most of it. In 19 minutes, the rookie from Stanford made three of his four shots en route to six points while picking up a rebound, assist, steal and a block.

Spencer Jones forcing steals & scoring in transition? Cinema pic.twitter.com/DAdrK0uKEF

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 18, 2025

Are these numbers flattering? No, but the little things he did that didn’t show up on the box score are what mattered most. Jones cut at opportune times to take the defense’s attention, he ran out on transition to give his team a numbers advantage, he was in the right spots defensively — his execution of the little things were vital to Denver’s success in the bench minutes Monday.

“For me, it was just bringing the energy,” Jones said postgame. “You’re the young guy. You’ve got to come in and bring the energy, with defense especially. Applying ball pressure, getting pesky steals, stuff like that, and then finishing plays off of Russ[ell Westbrook]’s dimes.”

The previous few days have been a whirlwind for Jones. On Saturday, he had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Grand Rapids Gold in 30 minutes of action. On Sunday, he played another 38 minutes and put up 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets G League affiliate.

On Monday, the 6-foot-7 rookie woke up early in the morning in Michigan, flew to Minneapolis, had a layover, and then flew four hours across the country to San Francisco to join the Nuggets for Monday’s game. He went through his traditional pregame warmup when assistant coach Ryan Saunders came up to him and gave him the news that he was playing significant minutes.

“I thought he was messing with me, honestly. I had to ask him like three times about it. It was cool,” Jones said.

This was the first time Jones got to share the court with players that he grew up watching. It’s one thing to be with them in practice, it’s another to be with them in a game scenario.

“It’s astonishing to be on the court, you’re out there with Aaron Gordon, guys you watched coming up. Guarding Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry, it’s amazing, [an] amazing experience,” Jones said.

In the G League, Jones has been solid this season. In just over 30 minutes per game, he is averaging 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8% from the field. He’s only played in 21 games as he’s been bouncing back and forth between Grand Rapids and Denver, but has made an impact in those games.

For Jones, he’s not going to be in Michael Malone’s playoff rotation (unless something unfathomable happens), but Monday’s performance showed his potential as a rotation player down the road. Malone hasn’t given many minutes to rookies in recent years (besides Braun), but has shown a willingness to play guys in their second year if they continue to grow.