There’s a lot of talk about how the San Antonio Spurs do things “the right way”. Whether it’s their coaching, their development of players or their style of play, San Antonio often receives praise. And for good reasons, as they’ve been one of the most consistent, competitive teams in the NBA over the last 20 years.
The 2016-17 season was going to be a transition period for the Spurs. First of all, Tim Duncan retired which is a big deal. Other established veterans such as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili don’t have much left in the tank. Kawhi Leonard has never been considered a leader, at least in a conventional way. And what’s going on with LaMarcus Aldridge and the trade rumors around him? Suddenly the Spurs didn’t look like the Western Conference powerhouse from recent years.
So of course, they did their thing and defeated the Golden State Warriors 129-100 on Opening Night. On the road. And they did this with the help of an undrafted player who had to survive a public tryout just to get a chance in the D-League. We’re talking about no other than Jonathon Simmons.
A scoring guard who spent years in the Spurs’ developmental system, Simmons got his chance in the season opener against Golden State and didn’t disappoint. He finished with 20 points (8-14 FG, 3-5 3PM), four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes, outscoring the Warriors’ bench and dominating on both ends of the course.
And if the numbers weren’t enough, we have this spectacular block on Steph Curry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRkjQupb9UE&w=854&h=480
And this ferocious poster dunk on JaVale McGee when the game was about to end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7YfiwfgqLI&w=854&h=480
Simmons didn’t have an easy road to the NBA, though. He didn’t even have a clear path to the D-League. The former Houston star went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft, and spent time with the Sugar Land Legends of the ABL where he averaged 36.5 points in 16 games. He wanted to play against higher competition, though, and made the training camp’s roster for the Austin Toros in September 2013. That would be the first step in his career.
In 44 games as a rookie, Simmons averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game for Austin. Even though he thought about quitting to take care of his four daughters after his rookie season, Simmons never gave up. And the coming months would prove he made the right decision.
He took another forward in his development in the 2014-15 season, and averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game while seeing time as a point guard. He was named to the NBA D-League All-Defensive third team, and slowly made his way back to the NBA radar.
Things wouldn’t be easy, though. Simmons spent the entire 2015-16 back and forth between Austin and San Antonio, but made his debut on November 14 where recorded two points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 92–83 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
He made a name for himself against the Milwaukee Bucks when a fan started shouting him “who are you?” while shooting free throws. And his best game of the season didn’t came until the final day of the regular season. He scored 19 points in a 96-91 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
Now he’s here, though. And if the first game of the year against the Warriors is a sign of things to come, then we know he’s not going to give away this chance. Not after all the hard work he did to get to where he is right now.