The San Antonio Spurs have gotten out to an auspicious 9-4 record to start the new NBA season, which had them sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference coming into Tuesday. But they will have to huff and puff in order to maintain that type of winning percentage, as they have been hit hard by the injury bug.
They first lost rookie guard Dylan Harper, who has played well to start the year, to a left calf strain earlier this month. He’s expected to miss multiple weeks as a result. Then came the calf strain superstar center Victor Wembanyama sustained in Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, which is expected to sideline him for a few weeks.
On Sunday, San Antonio defeated the Sacramento Kings 123-110 when guard Stephon Castle, last season’s Rookie of the Year, had to exit because of a hip injury. It was unclear how and when the injury occurred, but now it is known how long he could be out as a result.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, he will be re-evaluated in one or two weeks.
Castle is a key part of a group of young players who are making the Spurs a team that could become contenders within the next few years. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and last season, he averaged 14.7 points and 4.1 assists a game and came on strong after the All-Star break.
So far this season, he has put up 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.7 steals a game while shooting 49.7% from the field.
Luckily for the Spurs, former All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox recently made his season debut after recovering from a hamstring injury. He’s a speedy backcourt player who is a capable scorer and a dangerous player come crunch time, and he has played strong basketball to start this campaign.
After San Antonio hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, 10 of its next 13 games will be on the road, and among those road games will be matchups against the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the defending world champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
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