Spencer Jones may think he’s just in the starting lineup for his defensive efforts, but Saturday night against Phoenix, he showed how complete his game is and can be for the Denver Nuggets. 

Jones, who has started four games this season due to the mounting injuries to starters the Nuggets have had to deal with as of late, scored 16 points in the team’s 130-112 win over the Suns. He shot 6-for-10 from the field, 4-for-6 from 3-point range and was just one rebound shy of a double-double, as he also grabbed nine rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

“I mean, it’s great just to get more and more trust from the guys, from [Nikola Jokić], from [Jamal Murray], the more I play with them and everything like that, get more comfortable offensively,” Jones said during a postgame interview. “‘Cause, I mean, everybody knows defense is the reason I’m out there, but now you got the trust, you build out the game a little bit like that.”

Jones went on to note how opponents are not as familiar with the offensive side of his game, which he said will assist the Nuggets moving forward. 

“And then the biggest thing is, look, teams don’t know I can shoot, so they’re sagging off, and that can stall our offense a little bit,” Jones added. “So a game like this where I can damage them when they do that, it’ll only bode well for us for the future.”

Spencer Jones' Season To This Point

Jones is averaging just 2.9 points per game, but with more starting opportunities likely on the horizon, especially with Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon’s longer-term injuries keeping them out of the lineup, he will get to increase that number. 

This contest against the Suns certainly felt like and was a breakout game for the second-year forward. His 16-point tally was not only a season high, but a career high. 

Jones only played in 20 games all last season, but has already played in 15 so far this year. Thus, this career high should only be the beginning of a campaign where he will have far more chances to put up buckets with several players out. 

The Nuggets’ next game is against the Dallas Mavericks, who sit at just 6-15 on the young season.

In the matchup, Denver will have to account for the presence of Anthony Davis, who was back in the lineup for Dallas against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 28 after missing nearly a month. 

The Nuggets and Mavericks will tip-off at 9 p.m. EST on Dec. 1 in Denver.