After their 2025-26 campaign was derailed by injuries, there was plenty of concern about a potential repeat when the Denver Nuggets started their 2026-27 season with multiple players sidelined. So far this season, Cameron Johnson, Spencer Jones, Julian Strawther, and Alpha Diallo have all dealt with injuries, but things are now trending in the right direction.

On Saturday afternoon against the Indiana Pacers in Mexico City, the Nuggets had every player available except for Strawther. Their lineup was headlined by Spencer Jones, who made his season debut after missing the first seven games while managing a hamstring injury.

The Nuggets obviously missed having the backup forward to start the season, and he immediately made an impact in his first game back. After the game, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic talked about how important it is to have Jones back in the lineup.

"He was really good shooting the ball. I think he had a couple of big rebounds. His defense was really aggressive and physical, and that's what we need from him," Jokic said. "Happy for him that he's back, and hopefully he can stay healthy."

Through eight games, the Nuggets have the 22nd-ranked defensive rating in the NBA and are making the sixth-fewest three-pointers per game while attempting the third-fewest. They also rank just 21st in total rebounds per game, so they have three obvious areas they need to improve. Fortunately, as Jokic mentions, Jones helps in all three of those areas.

Spencer Jones' impact in Denver

In his season debut, Jones finished with 13 points and six rebounds, shooting 5-6 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. Jones quickly reminded the Nuggets what they were missing in their first seven games without him, and they are obviously fortunate to have him back.

After the game, head coach David Adelman shared a similar sentiment, saying how Jones impacts the game and why they are happy to finally get him back in the lineup.

"Spencer, I mean, he's just the ultimate role player," Adelman said. "He makes threes, he blocks a shot, he screens in rotations, he communicates. It's just things that you have to teach players these days, and he just does them. There is a real thing to being a real professional basketball player, and he is one. So it was nice to get him back in the fold."

The Nuggets' bench unit was viewed as a weakness heading into the season, especially once key reserves like Jones and Strawther went down with injuries. Fortunately, they've had other guys step up, like rookies Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins, but they are likely eager to see what this revamped bench unit can do at full strength.

Jones brings a certain energy, high IQ, and overall skill set to both sides of the ball that the Nuggets desperately needed, and their bench unit should not be as much of a weakness moving forward.