The San Antonio Spurs made one notable acquisition this offseason, bringing Tobias Harris into the fold.
They came up short in the NBA Finals last year, and they wanted more help at the forward position. Harris is a proven NBA scorer who can add a new dimension to San Antonio.
That is, when Harris plays.
He missed the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder and will miss again on Friday night when the Spurs take on the Houston Rockets.
At this point, the Spurs will have to figure out how to play without Harris.
Only once he’s back will they get a chance to incorporate their new guy.
How Long is Tobias Harris Out?
There’s no official timeline on Harris yet.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson recently told reporters: “He’s ramping up. He’s progressing. He still needs some more progressing on the court.”
That’s pretty broad, though, so Spurs fans will just have to wait and see.
Why Isn’t Tobias Harris Playing?
Harris isn’t playing in the Spurs’ second game of the season due to injury.
He has a left calf strain that will keep him out of action.
Because of the calf’s close relation to the Achilles, NBA teams are particularly careful when there’s any kind of tweak to that area.
That also means the comeback trail might be a little longer than if it was an injury to a different part of the body. NBA teams won’t push it at all with the calf.
The Spurs did something a bit unexpected with their starting lineup in game one without Harris.
It was already expected that they’d go with a three-guard look of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
They then started Devin Vassell as the nominal power forward, even though he’s more of a 2-guard.
Victor Wembanyama started at center, as expected.
Players like Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes and Carter Bryant can all fill some of the minutes that Harris would otherwise get. Champagnie led the bench unit in minutes in the season opener.
How Long is Tobias Harris Out? Why Spurs’ New Star Isn’t Playing