Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance is reportedly “doing great” in rehab from his offseason right knee surgery, which is awesome news for the kid, but fans probably won’t see him rock the court this entire 2026-27 season. That’s the word coming straight from coach Mitch Johnson, even if he didn’t spell it out directly.
The 2026-27 Redshirt Season Is Real
Johnson gave the update Monday before the home game against Utah, telling reporters Quaintance is “doing great” with his recovery. But when asked if the 6-foot-10, 255-pound forward would play this season, Johnson’s answer was pretty telling. He didn’t say yes. Instead, his reply strongly indicated that the Spurs are targeting the 2027-28 season for the 19-year-old Cleveland native’s official debut. Johnson talked about wanting Quaintance to “get lost in the process” of rehab, to “pound the rock,” and just to stay “super engaged with his teammates and the staff” while being around the team as much as possible. Sounds like a long-term play, right? It totally does. The team hasn’t given any official recovery timetable, but with the specific procedure and his age, this 2026-27 season is almost certainly going to be a redshirt year for Quaintance.
A Known Issue Since Draft Day
Here’s the kicker: The Spurs selected Quaintance 20th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft already knowing he would need this procedure to clean up meniscus damage. This wasn’t some unexpected hit. It’s a continuation of a rough injury stretch for the young man, who actually tore his ACL way back in February 2025 when he was a freshman at Arizona State. That injury also needed surgery and limited him to just four appearances last season before he transferred to Kentucky. So, he’s been through it before, which hopefully means he knows the grind of rehab.
So, while it’s fantastic to hear Quaintance is hitting his rehab hard and “doing great,” it looks like we’re going to have to wait a while to see him in action. The Spurs are clearly playing the long game here, prioritizing his full recovery for a future impact. For now, it’s all about “pounding the rock” off the court. We’ll be watching to see how he continues to progress, because a healthy 6-foot-10 forward is definitely something to look forward to in 2027-28.
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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