Jonathon Simmons soared, finishing off an alley-oop from Kawhi Leonard in Wednesday’s Spurs win against Milwaukee.
It was a high-flying play for the Spurs rookie, and there are thousands of fans up the road in Austin who have seen that before.
Simmons spent two seasons playing for the Austin Spurs in the NBA D-League, developing under the arm of the Spurs organization.
“He’s the epitome of the type of player you want to see come out of the D-League,” Spurs director of scouting Brian Pauga said. “He worked and listened to his coaches, and he’s an example of the work players and coaches put in when they’re in Austin.”
Simmons is one of six players on the current Spurs roster with D-League experience, and there’s an impressive roster in Austin looking to make the leap as well.
This season’s Austin Spurs are off to a 6-1 start, tied for the best record in the D-League. The roster includes two Spurs draft picks and more future stars.
San Antonians will have the chance to see the Austin Spurs on Dec. 29, when they play their first ever game at the AT&T Center. They’ll face the defending NBA D-League Champion Santa Cruz Warriors in a game presented by SWBC. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.
“It’s going to be a treat to get to see the future, to see the development process and players in our system,” said Tim Salier, SS&E Vice President of Franchise Business Operations. “Ideally, there’s another Jonathon Simmons or Kyle Anderson in the making.”
When they bought the Austin Spurs (then the Toros) in 2007, the Spurs became the second NBA team to own a D-League franchise. Now, there are 19 D-League teams with NBA affiliations, a number that will increase to 22 for the 2016-17 season.
A record 132 players with D-League experience were on NBA rosters at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.
One Austin Spurs player, Bryce Cotton, already received an NBA call-up when he signed with Phoenix last week.
“It’s an experience that’s essential to my development,” said rookie Austin Spurs guard Keifer Sykes. “I’m learning a lot by being on the floor every day and learning. I look at Bryce Cotton’s Austin Spurs experience or Cory Joseph’s, and those are guys that stuck with the process and took the feedback they get here to heart.”
As the D-League continues to grow, the Austin Spurs’ impact has reached further than the players.
Assistant coaches Earl Watson and Jason Fraser joined the Phoenix Suns staff over the offseason and a third assistant, Mike Miller, is now the head coach of the Westchester Knicks.
Westchester, led by Jimmer Fredette, faces Austin on Friday at the Cedar Park Center.
Austin fans have caught on as well, as the Austin Spurs’ season ticket base has doubled since the 2013-14 season, including a sellout of the Dahill Silver Circle of floor seats and tables at the Cedar Park Center.
The Austin Spurs have also expanded their partnership with the Central Texas Pain Center, with the Pain Center’s logo on the front of the jerseys.
“The Austin Spurs and the Spurs organization exemplifies teamwork and communication, and that translates to success on the court,” said Dr. Eric Miller, President of the Central Texas Pain Center, which has locations in Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, New Braunfels, Waco, Seguin and Killeen. “We strive to have the same principles in business.”
Meet the Austin Spurs
Cameron Bairstow, F, New Mexico/Australia
Assigned to the Austin Spurs from Chicago. A second round pick by the Bulls in the 2014 NBA Draft, Bairstow appeared in 18 NBA games as a rookie.
Jarell Eddie, F, Virginia Tech
Averaged 12.9 points with the Austin Spurs in 2014-15, making 127 of 281 3-pointers (45.2 percent). Won the 2015 D-League 3-point shooting contest. Signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2014-15 season and spent the 2015-16 training camp with the Golden State Warriors.
Orlando Johnson, G, California-Santa Barbara
One of Austin’s leading scorers in 2014-15, Johnson averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He also averaged 18.3 points in the playoffs, helping Austin reach the Western Conference Finals. Second round pick by Sacramento in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Cady Lalanne, C, Massachusetts
Selected by the Spurs in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft, 55th overall. At UMass in 2014-15, averaged 11.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.91 blocks in 29.0 minutes. Born in Haiti, Lalanne became one of three players in UMass history to record 1,000 points, 800 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career.
Demetri McCamey, G, Illinois
Austin’s second round pick in the 2015 D-League draft, McCamey spent the 2014-15 season playing playing in Japan. McCamey was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2009-10 at Illinois.
Youssou Ndoye, C, St. Bonaventure
Was named to the 2014-15 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team and garnered Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team honors. He was just one of two Atlantic 10 players to average a double-double, registering 11.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.60 blocks in his final season with the Bonnies.
Jean Nguidjol, C, Philippines
Austin’s first round pick in the 2015 D-League draft, Nguidjol most recently played for Lyceum of the Philippines University and has participated in the Luc Mbah a Moute Basketball Camp held in Cameroon.
Keifer Sykes, G, Wisconsin-Green Bay
Named Horizon League Player of the Year as a junior and senior (2014 and 2015) As a senior, averaged 18.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Playing with Cleveland in the 2015 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, averaged 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 18.4 minutes over five games.
Deshaun Thomas, F, Ohio State
Drafted by the Spurs in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft… Spent last season overseas playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Liga ACB and Euroleague, averaging 8.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 20.4 minutes in 43 Liga games.
Mfon Udofia, G, Georgia Tech
Appeared in 34 Austin Spurs games last season, averaging 2.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists…Started all but one game his last three seasons at Georgia Tech, making 97 career starts.
Julian Washburn, F, UTEP
Averaged 11.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34.2 minutes over 130 career games at UTEP. Fnished first in school history in total minutes (4,448), fourth in field goals (592) and sixth in scoring (1,526 points).
Keith Wright, F, Harvard
Averaged 5.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 46 games with Austin last season…Was the 2011 Ivy League Player of the Year as a junior at Harvard.