The Old Man and the Three Spencer Jones on Playing with the Nuggets and the Life of a Two-Way Contract | The Old Man and the Three
Dec 30, 2025
Spencer Jones, a professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets and Stanford alumnus, shares insights from his unique journey. He talks about the challenges and excitement of living a two-way contract, balancing between the NBA and G League. Spencer discusses playing alongside stars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, emphasizing teamwork and adapting his game. He highlights the importance of his Stanford education, his LinkedIn networking strategy for future opportunities, and his ambitious plans beyond basketball.
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Earn Minutes Through Defense
- Do prioritize defense, effort, and willingness to guard top players to earn minutes and trust on a deep roster.
- Use physical defense and hustle plays as the primary path to steady playing time when competing for roster spots.
On-Call Two-Way Life
- Spencer describes being on-call as a two-way player and flying with little notice between Grand Rapids and Denver.
- He recounts getting a last-minute call to play significant minutes in Golden State after G-League games and immediately stepping in.
Keep Actions Transferable
- Keep your game actions similar between G-League and NBA by focusing on quick, high-efficiency plays like off-closeouts and two- to three-dribble opportunities.
- Show some additional skills in the G-League to display upside, but prioritize habits that transfer to NBA minutes.