You've heard it before. A 20-something prospect shows promising signs during summer-league play, carving up second-rate defenses like they're ice sculptures and subsequently becoming an exaggerated and oversized blip on league radar. Half of them disappear in short order, eventually lost among a galaxy of superior professional talent.
But Jonathan Simmons may be different.
That much is evidenced by the San Antonio Spurs' decision to offer him a two-year minimum contract amid his stint with the Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Summer League. The 25-year-old Houston native had spent two seasons with the Spurs' NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros, but San Antonio's pursuit still came as a surprise.