Rookie guard Dylan Harper is not expected to miss more than a couple of weeks of action with a calf strain, spelling good news for the San Antonio Spurs.
It was initially feared that Harper may have suffered a severe calf strain, or possibly even an Achilles-related injury, due to the non-contact nature of his injury that forced him to exit Sunday’s contest against the Phoenix Suns.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright explained why Harper’s diagnosis is “good news” for the Spurs, as there were genuine concerns about a more severe injury.
“Spurs dodged a bullet,” the Spurs beat writer wrote on X.
“Looked like a run-of-the-mill landing after Harper tried to defend a dunk. Initially looked like a minor ankle sprain. Good news for the Spurs.”
Dylan Harper Sidelined
Harper, averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists from 23.3 minutes off the bench, suffered the calf strain during the Spurs’ 130-118 loss to the Suns.
According to Wright, Harper appeared to injure his calf when he landed under the rim after a failed block attempt on Suns center Nick Richards. The rookie guard would wince before walking toward the bench and wouldn’t return to the court. Later, he was seen wearing a walking boot while sitting on the bench. He left the arena on crutches, as he was unable to put any weight on his left leg, per multiple Spurs beat writers.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama wished Harper the best, but also expressed optimism about the team getting back De’Aaron Fox (hamstring) and Jeremy Sochan (wrist) from their respective injury absences.
“Yeah, I hope the best for him, for sure,” Wemby said of Harper, via ESPN.
“We’ve seen great things from him. It’s actually been hard to believe how good he’s played. But it happens. We have to be able to deal with injuries. But at the same time, we’re going to get some guys back.”
Spurs Off to Best Start in Wemby Era
The Spurs (5-1) are off to their best start in the Victor Wembanyama era, going 5-0 for the first time in franchise history before Sunday’s loss in Phoenix.
The proud franchise missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons after making a record-setting 22 consecutive postseason appearances under Gregg Popovich. Many analysts feel Wemby, Harper and Co. are in the early stages of a new dynasty, comparing their rise to that of the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who endured several years in mediocrity before ascending to the top of the mountain.
On the latest NBA.com power rankings, the Spurs came in at No. 9, with John Schuhmann suggesting the team will only get better when Fox returns from injury.
“Fox’s eventual return should have the biggest effect on Stephon Castle, who ranks 12th in the league in time of possession at 6.3 minutes per game,” he wrote.
“The reigning Rookie of the Year has shot much better both inside the arc and from beyond, while also registering a free-throw rate of 62.2 attempts per 100 shots from the field, fifth highest among 137 players with at least 50 field goal attempts and up from 34.8 per 100 last season.”
The Spurs will try to get back to winning ways when they host the Lakers on Wednesday.
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