The NBA’s next injury solution might not come from a medical lab or a rules change — it might come from a role player’s notebook. As soft-tissue injuries continue to rise across the league, the league has quietly turned toward technology and biomechanics for answers. And in that search, commissioner Adam Silver ended up listening to an unlikely voice: Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones.

Jones isn’t a typical second-year player. The Stanford engineering graduate has quietly built a reputation inside league circles as someone who understands performance science as much as basketball. Through investments in sports-technology companies and participation in NBA business programs, he began interacting with founders, data specialists, and league strategists, a path that eventually led to a meeting with Silver.

“I had a personal meeting with Adam Silver just you know based off of the things I’ve been doing in the NBA. Obviously, a lot of the different sectors of you know growth and strategy and more importantly, player health and biomechanics. Those fields within the NBA league office kind of wanted to have meetings,” Spencer Jones told EssentiallySports in an exclusive interview.

Jones uses his knowledge as an investor in several companies. On his shoes, the Nuggets star fields the ‘Andiem Pivot 1.0’ sneakers. They are designed with particular attention to preventing ankle injuries. The 24-year-old is also invested in Plantiga. The company provides custom-made insoles to collect various data that drives performance and movement.

It’s all listed on his LinkedIn profile. Spencer Jones’ aim is to use his knowledge to create a breakthrough in sports technology and general wellness. His meeting with the commissioner gave him his much-awaited draft moment. He got a picture with Adam Silver. But the greater reason was to discuss his findings and provide options to tackle the ongoing injury plague.

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“Piggyback from that to here and obviously going to that NBA launchpad moment where it’s the NBA’s companies that they’re personally invested in kind of getting my insight on where things are going, what other kind of avenues or innovations we should be looking at from a player’s perspective, giving my own perspective in the companies that they’ve invested in that I’m also invested in and giving them my own perspective on you know what they’re doing well and you know, maybe what’s missing in there. And so, you know, and also kind of talking to the PA about, you know, there’s potential there of them wanting to start a fund and kind of getting my ideas about it,” Jones added.

Spencer Jones never thought he would be in the NBA. However, now that he is, his aim is to create an opportunity off the court. But that hasn’t changed his seriousness about his main job.

Spencer Jones is shining in the NBA

Jones’s credibility inside league meetings comes from staying on the floor himself. After starting on a two-way contract, he earned trust through reliability — the exact trait the NBA is trying to preserve league-wide. The Nuggets forward doesn’t have near the workload of a Nikola Jokic. Yet, he’s become a vital part of the Nuggets while averaging 5.9 points and shooting over 40% from beyond the arc.

It comes down to his defensive versatility. At 6’7”, Jones is open to doing the dirty work. He guards the opponents’ best players. He’s taken assignments to guard Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Chet Holmgren, and several other stars. In a team dominated by star power, Jones’ effort and highly efficient shooting set him apart.

He’s not indispensable just yet. However, Spencer Jones has earned the Nuggets’ trust to be a long-term player. The Nuggets recently converted his two-way deal into a standard contract, a clear signal they trust his reliability. In the big moments of the playoffs, the Nuggets want Jones’ energy and tenacity on the floor.

For somebody not dreaming about the NBA, Jones has worked his way up the ladder. In a league searching for ways to keep players healthier and careers longer, Spencer Jones occupies a rare space, part rotation wing, part problem-solver. His impact may never show up in a box score, but if the NBA finds answers to its injury crisis, a second-year role player might end up shaping the solution.