The NBA Summer League has come to an end (for the San Antonio Spurs, at least), which means we have officially hit the doldrums of summer. Unless a sudden and unexpected shakeup occurs (looking at you, Giannis Antetokounmpo), it should remain relatively quiet until training camp in September.
Even in this quiet period, there is one question on Spurs fans’ minds: What is going to happen with David Jones-Garcia?
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According to the latest SB Nation Reacts survey, 80% of readers believe DJG was the most
impressive summer Spur. There is good reason for that. The 23-year-old wing averaged 22.7 points while shooting 47.1% from three in the California Classic, and 21.3 points while shooting 50% from three in the Las Vegas Summer League. He turned heads with his confident scoring ability and solid defense, playing as a versatile wing/guard who succeeded on or off the ball.
The Spurs still have 2 open roster spots, and three open two-way slots, although it’s presumed that Harrison Ingram and Riley Minix will fill two of those. There is room to keep him in San Antonio or Austin if they choose to do so. They’ll have competition, though. According to Greek reporter Tolis Kotzias, the EuroLeague and GBL squad Olympiacos in Greece is discussing a contract with Jones-Garcia. Olympiacos currently has former NBA players Sasha Vezenkov and Evan Fournier on the roster, and could offer Jones-Garcia a nice contract and a steady role.
San Antonio could use another shooter, but there isn’t a realistic pathway to minutes for Jones-Garcia on the current roster. It’s hard to imagine him getting minutes over any of the Spurs’ valued guards or cracking the rotation over Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and Carter Bryant. It’s great to have a deep and talented organization, but players ultimately want to play, and DJG will likely be looking for the best opportunity to do that.
No matter what happens, this was one of the most memorable summer league runs for the Spurs in recent memory. It was right up there with the hype around Victor Wembanyama’s two summer contests. Jones-Garcia, along with Bryant and Dylan Harper, was a major part of that.
The summer league championship between the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets tips off tonight at 9 CT. You can bet on the game at https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba
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