Spencer Jones (basketball)

Last updated

Spencer Jones
No. 21Denver Nuggets
Position Small forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2001-06-14) June 14, 2001 (age 24)
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school Bishop Miege
(Roeland Park, Kansas)
College Stanford (2019–2024)
NBA draft 2024: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–present Denver Nuggets
2024–presentGrand Rapids Gold
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Spencer Keith Jones (born June 14, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. [1] He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. [2]

Contents

High school career

Jones attended Bishop Miege in Roeland Park, Kansas, emerging as a key contributor for one of the state’s most successful high school basketball programs during his tenure. In March 2018, Bishop Miege won the Kansas Class 4A Division I state championship, defeating McPherson 57–54 in the title game at Koch Arena in Wichita. Jones led all scorers with 23 points, while teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping fuel Bishop Miege’s comeback victory. [3]

As a senior, Jones led Bishop Miege in scoring (18.8 points per game), rebounds (8.0), steals (3.0) and blocks (2.5), and was regarded as a top national recruit in the class of 2019. [4] [5]

College career

Jones played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, where he appeared in 146 games in five seasons and averaged 11.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals all while shooting 43.9% from the field and 39.7% from the three point line in 28.3 minutes per game. [4] [6] In 2023, he made the All-Pac-12 second-team [7] and ended up his college career as the school's all-time leader in games played with 146 and three-pointers with 315. [4] [6] Across his five seasons at Stanford, Jones developed a reputation as a durable, low-usage wing with strong perimeter shooting, defensive versatility and leadership experience, traits that would later shape his transition to the professional level. [8]

Jones graduated from Stanford in 2024 with an undergraduate degree in Management Science and Engineering. [9]

Professional career

2024 season

After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Jones joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2024 NBA Summer League [10] and on July 30, he signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. [6] His production with Grand Rapids contrasted with a more limited NBA role, where he was primarily used in situational lineups rather than as a regular rotation player. [11]

2025 season

Jones returned to the Denver Nuggets for the 2025–26 season on a two-way contract, continuing to split time between Denver and its NBA G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. He entered the season primarily outside the regular rotation, with his role largely defined by situational defensive assignments and limited minutes. [12]

During an injury stretch in December 2025, Jones was used as a starter alongside Nikola Jokić and Peyton Watson as the Nuggets adjusted their lineup in the absence of Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. Despite the lineup’s temporary nature, Denver maintained one of the league’s most efficient offenses during that span, with Jones contributing through screening, floor spacing and off-ball movement rather than high-usage scoring. [13] On December 1, 2025, Jones put another career high in points against the Dallas Mavericks, where he scored 28 points in 39 minutes, he also had five rebounds to pair with his points. [14] Sports Illustrated cited Jones’ efficiency and impact while starting games during Denver’s injury-related rotation adjustments. [15]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
  Won an NBA championship  * Led the league

NBA

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2024–25 Denver 2006.3.324.0591.000.9.3.3.31.3
Career2006.3.324.0591.000.9.3.3.31.3

References

  1. "Spencer Jones, Nuggets player, launches nonprofit to support school education". The Denver Post. October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  2. "Spencer Jones Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. McDowell, Sam (March 21, 2018). "These five KC high schools won state basketball titles. Here's how they did it". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Spencer Jones – MEN'S BASKETBALL". GoStanford.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  5. Davidson, Bob (March 11, 2018). "Miege boys rally past McPherson". Salina Journal. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 "NUGGETS SIGN SPENCER JONES TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  7. Borba, Kevin (March 7, 2023). "Spencer Jones earns All-Pac-12 second team honors". SI.com. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  8. Kroner, Steve (April 12, 2023). "Spencer Jones returning to Stanford for 5th season: 'Unfinished business'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  9. Deeks, Mark (October 1, 2025). "Nuggets Forward's Bizarre Approach To LinkedIn". Heavy Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  10. "TRAIL BLAZERS ANNOUNCE NBA 2K25 SUMMER LEAGUE 2024 ROSTER". NBA . July 5, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  11. Durando, Bennett (November 11, 2025). "How 2-way player Spencer Jones has emerged as defensive specialist option for Nuggets". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  12. Durando, Bennett (November 11, 2025). "How 2-way player Spencer Jones has emerged as defensive specialist option for Nuggets". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  13. Durando, Bennett (December 14, 2025). "How Nuggets are navigating injuries to keep cooking on offense with Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones starting". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  14. "Anthony Davis scores season-high 32 points as Dallas Mavericks beat Denver Nuggets 131-121". CBS News . CBS News. December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  15. Struck, Logan (December 2025). "Nuggets Forward Earns Nod on ESPN's NBA All-Value Team". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 23, 2025.