October 25, 2016. Oakland, CA. Oracle Arena. The San Antonio Spurs are visiting the Golden State Warriors for the tip-off of the 2016-17 regular season. An atmosphere of excitement and expectation surround the arena as Kevin Durant is about to make his official debut as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
KD was expected to play the primary role in that scene, but he didn’t. In fact, the attention of the crowd was stolen by a 27-year-old whose journey to the league has been considered the greatest in the history of the NBA.
Jonathon Simmons went off for a strong 20 points for the Spurs in their win against Golden State, shooting 8/14 from the field, and 3/5 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also grabbed four rebounds, dropped three assists, and silenced the Oakland crowd with both a LeBron-like chase down block on Steph Curry and a poster dunk on JaVale McGee (these plays earned the #1 and #2 spot in the Top 10 of the Night).
A performance like that was much more than impressive. It was a statement. The NBA community was put on notice: in his second year in the NBA, Jonathon Simmons had found his dimension. Simmons is currently averaging 6.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 18.1 minutes. However, those numbers alone cannot explain his impact on games. He’s been playing a key role for the Spurs coming off the bench. He brings hard work, energy, and athleticism on the basketball court that the Spurs sometimes lack.
During the last season, Simmons had already shown Spurs fans his mindset and spark plug ability off the bench. Also, his athleticism was there and it allowed him to make the same Top 10-deserving plays. However, Jonathon Simmons is now experienced with a season under his belt. With that experience, his current season seems to be his breakout one, and it was proven by his making of the Team USA roster for the Rising Stars Challenge.
Simmons emerged as one of the most efficient players of Team USA in the loss against Team World. He scored 19 points in just 21 minutes of action, shooting 9/15 from the field. He also had four rebounds, two assists, one block and a couple of highlight dunks as well. Last but not least, he finished with a plus/minus of +10, even though his team lost by nine points.
Simmons’ participation in the Rising Stars Challenge isn’t just a simple achievement. This actually marks another huge step in a remarkable journey.
It all started in 2012. Simmons, a kid from Houston, decided to forgo his senior season in order to make the NBA jump. Simmons’ college career was nothing short of bizarre. During his time as a student, he played for three schools. He spent his freshman season playing for Paris Junior College, then transferred to Midland College for his sophomore season, and then finally played for the University of Houston as a junior.
He worked out for several NBA teams during his pre-draft process, but his name was never called during the 2012 NBA Draft. After that, he remained a free agent until January 2013, when he got selected by the Sugar Land Legends of the American Basketball League. Simmons went on to dominate the ABL like he was playing at a park back in Houston. He averaged 36.5 points per game during his run and clearly distinguished himself among the field.
Jonathon then set his sights on the League once again. In September 2013, he tried out with 59 other players at the Concordia University in Austin, Texas to try and make the San Antonio NBA D-League affiliate training camp roster.
For the record, Simmons paid a $150 registration fee to work out for that D-League franchise. In hindsight, that was a pretty sound investment.
He made the Austin Toros regular season roster and would play two seasons for the San Antonio Spurs’ affiliate team. After a decent 2013-14 season, he started to shine in 2014-15 as he averaged 15 points, four rebounds and almost four assists in 50 games played. He was also named to the D-League All-Defensive Third Team which was an obvious example of his improvement on the defensive end, and as a player overall.
His breakout season in the NBA D-League allowed Simmons to get a shot at playing in the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas for the San Antonio Spurs. He made the most of that experience, as he averaged 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists coming off the bench. Simmons capped off that Summer League run with a 23-point performance in the tournament championship game which earned him an MVP Award.
San Antonio had kept their eye on Simmons during his development process both in the D-League, and in the Summer League. Having seen enough of his play, they thought enough of him to give him a real chance at making something of himself in the NBA. So, Jonathon finally reached his ultimate goal and signed a well-deserved contract to play for one of the greatest organizations in the NBA.
With the Rising Stars Challenge game on his resume, his story keeps getting more and more interesting. To add to that excitement, once the 2016-17 season comes to an end, Simmons can make some noise in the Summer. San Antonio can opt to extend a qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent. Then, several teams will be expected to try to take his scoring ability, athleticism, and energy away from the city of San Antonio. That price may not be cheap as proven talents continue to gain value in the current League.
No one knows what will happen with Simmons in the summer. He could continue his current chapter and keep playing for the Spurs, or he could start blazing a new path in his career. One thing is for certain though, his story isn’t over.
“The Journey of Jonathon Simmons.” To be continued.
