The San Antonio Spurs are already dealing with a serious gut punch before they even step on the court for the regular season. Their prized offseason acquisition, veteran forward Tobias Harris, is questionable for the October 20 opener against Oklahoma City, thanks to a left calf strain. This is a massive headache for a team gearing up to defend its Western Conference championship.
Calf Strain Hits Hard, Delays Crucial Prep Time
Harris, number 23 on the squad, reportedly picked up that left calf strain just last week during training camp. The Spurs dropped the news on Sunday, right before their annual Silver & Black Scrimmage at the Frost Bank Center, a game where Harris was obviously a no-show. This isn’t just some minor bump, either. The team announced he won’t even be reevaluated until *after* the entire five-game preseason schedule wraps up on October 16. That means he’s missing out on crucial ramp-up time for a squad with championship aspirations.
What Harris Brings, And What The Spurs Are Missing
This injury is a huge blow for the Spurs, who shelled out a two-year, $31 million contract for Harris precisely to beef up their frontcourt. The guy’s a total Swiss Army knife at 6-foot-8, 230 pounds. He can play either forward spot, post up smaller defenders, guard multiple positions, and snatch rebounds like it’s his job,because it is! He’s a career 15.6 points per game scorer. Even as the third option on a Detroit Pistons team that won 60 games and was the East’s top seed last season, he still put up 13.3 points, 5.1 boards, and 2.5 assists. Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox summed it up perfectly, saying Harris “has been in this league for a long time. He’s averaged 20 points on teams. He’s been in different types of roles. So I think being able to add somebody like him is big for us.” Yeah, it’s big, and now they might be without him to start the season.
Waiting Game Until Opener
So, the Spurs kick off their preseason Thursday with a home game against Atlanta, all while holding their breath on Harris’s recovery. That final preseason game is October 16 at the Frost, which is also the reevaluation date for their big man. Talk about walking a tightrope right out of the gate. We’ll be watching closely to see if he can get back on the floor for the October 20 showdown against OKC, because starting a championship defense without your prize offseason pickup? That’s just brutal.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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