Spencer Jones's Return Date Lines Up With Denver's Best Preseason Chemistry
Denver split its first two preseason games, but the real swing factor is whether Spencer Jones's hamstring clears before the groups that worked last season get put back together.
Denver split its first two preseason games against the Jazz, a loss and a win four days apart, with Strawther and Gordon swapping the top scoring role. Spencer Jones, out with a hamstring and leg issue, has an estimated return of Oct. 11, the night Chicago visits.
A split that favored different players
Denver's first two preseason games went opposite ways: a 97-109 loss to the Jazz on Oct. 4, then a 117-106 win at Utah two nights later. Strawther scored 14 then 15; Gordon went from 12 to 18. Different leading scorers, same group forming around them - the point of preseason before anything counts.
Where the trust already lives
Last season, two of Denver's three most efficient five-man groups ran through both Jokic and Watson, and both included Spencer Jones. The Jokic-Murray-Johnson-Watson-Jones five outscored opponents by 20.1 points per 100 possessions in 171 minutes; swap in Hardaway Jr. for Johnson and the margin held at 14.8 over 85. Jones was the common fifth piece both times - exactly the fit a hamstring puts at risk.
The hamstring that decides it
Jones isn't cleared yet. The issue is a hamstring and leg injury, with an estimated return of Oct. 11 - the same date Chicago visits on ESPN. Last season, when a teammate was out, he picked up roughly 10 more minutes a night over a three-game stretch, proof Adelman already trusts him in these groups. Whether that trust survives the layoff is what Sunday will show.
What's left before it counts
Three preseason games remain: Chicago on Oct. 11 (ESPN), at the Clippers on Oct. 14 (NBA TV), at the Lakers on Oct. 16 (ESPN), before the regular-season opener at Oklahoma City on Oct. 22 (ESPN). None of it touches the record, still 0-0, but each game is a chance to put Jones back next to Jokic and Murray before the opener does. Does he play Sunday, and does Adelman start him there or bring him back through the second group.
Is Spencer Jones playing against the Bulls?
He isn't cleared yet. Denver's estimated return for his hamstring and leg issue is Oct. 11, the same night Chicago visits.
What is Denver's preseason record?
Denver split its first two games, losing 97-109 to the Jazz on Oct. 4 and winning 117-106 at Utah on Oct. 6.
