The San Antonio Spurs made a move to bolster their forward talent in the offseason when they brought aboard Tobias Harris from the Detroit Pistons.
Harris, though, isn’t going to be able to show what he can do right away. When the Spurs begin their season on Tuesday night in a high-octane clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harris won’t be playing.
It’s not expected to be a super long-term absence, but it does put a bit of a damper on things in the immediate picture, because it was going to be exciting to see how Harris could fit in with Victor Wembanyama and the explosive Spurs’ guards.
That’ll come eventually, but if you’re watching Tuesday night, you’ll see Harris only on the sideline, not in the game.
Why Isn’t Tobias Harris Playing Tonight?
Harris isn’t playing in the Spurs’ season opener 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.
Harris’ absence does force the Spurs to make a change to their projected starting lineup.
It seems they were going to go with the three-guard look of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper regardless of the status of Harris.
But the power forward spot is now open. Among their options are Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes and Carter Bryant.
It’ll be less relevant who starts there compared to who gets most of the minutes. Harris’ absence does give the Spurs a chance to experiment with different lineups and see how they do.
When is Tobias Harris Coming Back?
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.”
As mentioned above, the Spurs likely won’t rush a calf injury for Harris even a little bit. It’s too delicate a part on the body to hurry him back.
It’s a long season, and the Spurs will believe in their chances of securing a strong Western Conference seed regardless of how much time Harris has to miss.
With that in mind, San Antonio can play the long game with its newly acquired veteran. They got Harris to play in the big games at the end of the season. Missing a few at the start won’t be the end of the world.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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