During the 2025 NBA Summer League, now assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs Mike Noyes called David Jones-Garcia the best player in the entire competition. Right after Summer League, 'DJ' signed a two-way deal with the Spurs and just a few months later he is finally getting his opportunity on the big stage.
Jones-Garcia spent his rookie year, after going undrafted out of Memphis, bouncing in and out of two-way deals with the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz, and ended up playing with the Mexico City Capitanes in the NBA G League. After putting up big numbers in the development league, he put the entire NBA on notice that any team willing to take a chance on him was going to get, as Dylan Harper — No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — calls him, “a bucket getter.”
Bounce back
David finally made his NBA debut this season — fulfilling a promise he made to his late father before he passed away — of playing in the best basketball league in the world.
He had some good performances in preseason, including a 20-point, five-rebound and four-assist outing in the Spurs’ win against the Utah Jazz. However, after featuring in four NBA regular season games, his breakout came against the Atlanta Hawks, where he recorded 12 points off the bench to go with five rebounds and six assists.
“I’m proud of myself. I hope my dad is proud of me as well. And I was just having fun. Yeah, dream come true for sure,” Jones-Garcia said after this big performance vs Atlanta.
In only two games in the G League with the Austin Spurs this season, the second-year player from the Dominican Republic is averaging 24.5 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest. Due to the Spurs’ injury crisis featuring Stephon Castle, Víctor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper, Jones-Garcia is earning Head Coach Mitch Robinson’s trust and showing why he belongs in the NBA.