Jonathon Simmons

Jonathon Simmons
No. 17 – San Antonio Spurs
Position Shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1989-09-14) September 14, 1989
Houston, Texas
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school Smiley (Houston, Texas)
College
NBA draft 2012 / Undrafted
Playing career 2013–present
Career history
2013 Sugar Land Legends
2013–2015 Austin Toros/Spurs
2015–present San Antonio Spurs
2015–2016 →Austin Spurs
Career highlights and awards

Jonathon Calvin Simmons (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of Division I college basketball for the University of Houston before a stint in the semi-professional American Basketball League (ABL) led to him joining the NBA D-League's Austin Toros in 2013. After two seasons playing in the D-League, Simmons signed with the San Antonio Spurs after he impressed during the 2015 NBA Summer League.

High school and college career

After earning co-Most Valuable Player honors for the district as a senior at M. B. Smiley High School of Houston in 2007–08, Simmons spent his college freshman season in 2008–09 playing for Paris Junior College, where he averaged 12.2 points and three rebounds per game, and earned all-conference honors. For his sophomore season, Simmons transferred to Midland College, where he was an all-conference and all-region selection in 2009–10, after averaging 13.3 points and four rebounds per game.[1]

On November 15, 2010, Simmons signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for the University of Houston.[2] However, he was required to sit out the 2010–11 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.[1]

As a junior at Houston in 2011–12, Simmons was named to the RAMADA All-College Classic All-Tournament Team and earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors on February 20, 2012. In 30 games (29 starts), he averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.[1]

On April 12, 2012, Simmons decided to forgo his senior season and declared for the NBA draft.[3]

Professional career

Sugar Land Legends

Despite receiving multiple pre-draft workouts with various NBA teams,[4] Simmons went undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft. In January 2013, he was selected in the first round of the inaugural American Basketball League (ABL) draft by the Sugar Land Legends,[5] and despite an interrupted season in the ABL because of the league's financial concerns, Simmons averaged 36.5 points in 16 games.[6]

Austin Toros/Spurs

In September 2013, Simmons tried out for the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League[7] and made the team's training camp roster.[8] He went on to make the Toros' opening night roster,[9] and in 44 games as a rookie in 2013–14, he averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[10]

Simmons returned to Austin in 2014–15, with the team's name having changed to the Spurs.[11] He improved his game in 2014–15 and subsequently scored a career-high 30 points against the Bakersfield Jam on January 9, 2015.[12] During his time in Austin, Simmons considered giving up on his basketball career, moving back home and working a 9-to-5 job to take care of his four daughters. He pushed on, however, and during his second season vaulted his way back onto the NBA radar. A move to point guard forced Simmons to see the court from a different perspective, a move that unlocked the rest of his game.[13] He helped carry Austin to the Western Conference Finals, and in 50 games on the season, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game,[10] and was named to the NBA D-League All-Defensive third team.[14]

San Antonio Spurs

On June 29, 2015, Simmons was named in the Brooklyn Nets' Summer League roster to compete in Orlando and Las Vegas.[15] After appearing in the Nets' first three games of the Orlando Summer League and averaging 12 points and five rebounds per game,[16] Simmons was invited to join the San Antonio Spurs Summer League team in Las Vegas. He immediately parted ways with the Nets and made his debut for the Spurs on July 11 against the New York Knicks.[17] On July 20, he scored 23 points in the Las Vegas Summer League Championship Game to help the Spurs win the title and earn himself the Championship Game MVP.[18] Two days later, he signed with the Spurs.[19]

Simmons was inactive for San Antonio's first five games to start the 2015–16 season. He was subsequently assigned to the Austin Spurs on November 7, returning to his former team.[20] On November 14, he was recalled by San Antonio,[21] and made his NBA debut later that night. In eight minutes of action, he recorded two points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 92–83 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[22] He was reassigned to Austin on November 16,[23] and recalled again on November 18.[24] On December 7, he had a then season-best game, scoring 14 points in 24 minutes off the bench in a 119–68 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[25] On January 4, he scored a then career-high 18 points in a 123–98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[26] He made a name for himself in Milwaukee after the Bucks' fan heckled him during the game with "Who are you?" chants while Simmons was shooting free throws early on in the contest.[27] On March 17, he was assigned to Austin to play in the D-League for the first time since November 17.[28] He was recalled on March 19,[29] reassigned on March 20,[30] and recalled again on March 22.[31] On March 26, he had a 17-point game off the bench in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[32] In the Spurs' regular season finale on April 13, Simmons scored a then career-high 19 points in a 96–91 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[33]

In July 2016, Simmons re-joined the Spurs for the 2016 NBA Summer League.[34] In the Spurs' season opener on October 25, 2016, Simmons scored a career-high 20 points in a 129–100 win over the Golden State Warriors.[35]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 San Antonio 55 2 14.8 .504 .383 .750 1.7 1.1 .4 .1 6.0
Career 55 2 14.8 .504 .383 .750 1.7 1.1 .4 .1 6.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016 San Antonio 3 0 8.7 .400 .667 .500 1.3 .7 .7 .0 3.7
Career 3 0 8.7 .400 .667 .500 1.3 .7 .7 .0 3.7

Personal

Simmons is the son of LaTonya Simmons, and has a younger brother and two sisters. Simmons has four daughters.[36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jonathon Simmons Bio". UHCougars.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Men's Hoops Signs Four during Early Period". UHCougars.com. November 15, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  3. ↑ Khan Jr, Sam (April 12, 2012). "UH junior guard Simmons declares for NBA draft". Chron.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Jonathon Simmons Biography". NBA.com. June 18, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Sugar Land Legends First Round Draft Pick". Facebook.com. January 15, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ Rodriguez, Ken (February 4, 2014). "From Nowhere to Now Here". NBA.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ Chan, Lorne (July 22, 2015). "Jonathon Simmons' Scenic Route". NBA.com. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Austin Toros Announce Trainig Camp Invitees". NBA.com. October 31, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Austin Toros Announce 2013-14 Opening Night Roster". NBA.com. November 22, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Jonathon Simmons D-League Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Austin Spurs Announce Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Highlights: Jonathan Simmons (30 points) vs. the Jam, 1/9/2015". YouTube.com. January 9, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ ""The Greatest Story in Basketball": Jonathon Simmons' Career Timeline". NBA.com. April 18, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  14. ↑ "NBA Development League Announces 2014-15 All-League Teams". NBA.com. April 22, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "BROOKLYN NETS ANNOUNCE SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER AND SCHEDULE". NBA.com. June 29, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Spurs Sign Jonathon Simmons To Two-Year Deal". RealGM.com. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Spurs guard Jonathan Simmons' posterizing dunk at Summer League!". YouTube.com. July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Recap: Spurs 93, Suns 90". NBA.com. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Spurs Sign Jonathon Simmons". NBA.com. July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  20. ↑ "SPURS ASSIGN JONATHON SIMMONS TO AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Spurs Recall Jonathon Simmons from Austin Spurs". NBA.com. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Aldridge's double-double lifts Spurs over 76ers". NBA.com. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  23. ↑ "SPURS ASSIGN JONATHON SIMMONS TO AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Spurs Recall Jonathon Simmons from Austin Spurs". NBA.com. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Spurs rest starters, still romp 119-68 past hapless 76ers". NBA.com. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Leonard scores 24, Spurs beat Bucks 123-98". NBA.com. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  27. ↑ McDonald, Jeff (January 4, 2016). "Simmons gives Spurs juice to blow by Bucks". ExpressNews.com. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  28. ↑ "SPURS ASSIGN JONATHON SIMMONS TO AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  29. ↑ "SPURS RECALL JONATHON SIMMONS FROM AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  30. ↑ "SPURS ASSIGN BOBAN MARJANOVIC & JONATHON SIMMONS TO AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  31. ↑ "SPURS RECALL BOBAN MARJANOVIC & JONATHON SIMMONS FROM AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Westbrook, Durant lead Thunder past short-handed Spurs". NBA.com. March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Spurs sit 4 starters, top Mavs; game ultimately meaningless". NBA.com. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  34. ↑ "SPURS ANNOUNCE 2016 UTAH SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER". NBA.com. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Leonard, Spurs spoil Durant's Warriors debut with blowout". ESPN.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  36. ↑ Chan, Lorne. "Improbable Path: Jonathon Simmons' Rise". NBA.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
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