Spencer Jones landed on the Nuggets' Friday injury report as day-to-day with a hamstring issue. He is expected back Oct. 4, which is the same day Denver opens the season against the Jazz.
What happened
Jones appeared on the Friday, Oct. 2 injury report at 11:22 p.m. ET, listed day-to-day with a hamstring issue in his leg. He had not shown up on a prior report. The report lists an expected return of Oct. 4. The report's comment says Jones should open the new year in a significant role for the Nuggets after Peyton Watson was dealt to the Cavaliers, tying his hamstring situation to a bigger opportunity as Denver's season gets underway.
What it means for the Nuggets
Denver opens the season Sunday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. ET against the Jazz on NBA TV, the same date Jones is expected to return. Last season he averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 22.1 minutes across 64 games. With Watson now in Cleveland, Denver's forward minutes thin out, and if Jones is held out, wing and forward reps would fall to Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown, all of whom logged 24 or more minutes a night last season. The Nuggets are 0-0 since the 2026-27 season has not started.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Jones is upgraded in time for the opener, since his expected return already lines up with Oct. 4 against the Jazz. No further games beyond the opener are set in this update. Trevon Brazile is also day-to-day for Denver with an undisclosed issue, so the team could have more than one name to track on the next report.
Is Spencer Jones playing vs the Jazz on Oct. 4?
Not officially confirmed yet. He is day-to-day with a hamstring issue as of the Friday, Oct. 2 report, but his expected return date is listed as Oct. 4, the same day as the opener.
When will Spencer Jones be back?
The injury report lists an expected return of Oct. 4, 2026, which is the date of Denver's season opener against the Jazz.