Marquee free agent acquisition Tobias Harris needs more practice time before he's ready to make his debut with the Spurs, coach Mitch Johnson said Monday.
Harris missed all five preseason games after suffering a left calf strain in the first week of training camp. The Spurs signed the 15-year veteran to a two-year, $31 million contract in the offseason to strengthen their front court.
The Spurs listed Harris as questionable for the opener shortly after he suffered the injury, but Johnson ruled him out ahead of the release of the official injury report for the game against Oklahoma City on Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center.
"He's ramping up, he's improving, he's progressing," Johnson said after practice. "But I would say he still needs some more progression on the court. You get on the court (coming off an injury) and there's quite a bit of layers you have to work through, whether that's how many people are on the floor (with you), the amount of contact, the amount of activity, distance, speed, etcetera.
Victor Wembanyama spoke on the season finally getting underway against a quality opponent in the Thunder on Tuesday https://t.co/1bkM3iAK8q
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"So he's progressing well. We feel really good about it. He is ready to go and really wants to be out there, and I think he's right where he needs to be."
Outside of Harris, the Spurs are in good health for the opener, Johnson said. As for the Thunder, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell are ready to go after recovering fully from injuries that plagued them in last season's Western Conference finals, which the Spurs won in seven games.
Williams played in only three games in the series due to an ailing hamstring and was limited to an average of just nine minutes in two of the games he played. Mitchell missed the final four games with an injured calf.
"That's the way it should be," Spurs guard Stephon Castle said of both teams enjoying good health for the opener. "Injuries are the worst part of the game. You want everybody on the court to compete at a high level and make the game fun, so I think it will be a fun one tomorrow.
Daigneault praises Donovan: Thunder coach Mark Daigneault applauded the decision by his mentor, Billy Donovan, to take an assistant's job with the Spurs after 11 seasons as an NBA head coach and 21 years as a college head coach, including 19 seasons at Florida.
"There's a reason he's doing it," said Daigneault, who served as an assistant under Donovan at Florida and Oklahoma City, told reporters. "He loves to coach. He loves basketball. He loves competing. He loves being around it."
Daigneault said the move also reflects Donovan's humility.
"I don't know how many people, if I'm being honest, are humble enough to go in the (Naismith) Hall of Fame in September (2025) and then take an assistant coaching job in (July 2026). But he's one of them. He's a unique, original guy. That's just the latest example of it."
Johnson said everyone in the organization is all ears when Donovan speaks.
"He's been a head coach for three decades," the Spurs coach said. "He's a two-time national champion (at Florida). He's in the Hall of Fame. When he's ready to talk, everybody should be ready to listen."
Donovan's wealth of experience is beneficial to a Spurs team trying a new starting lineup this season that will feature the three-guard look of De'Aaron Fox, Castle and Dylan Harper.
"He's had some tremendous experience in this league coaching different kinds of players," Johnson said, "and he's been able to find an impact for them in different ways. From the amount of lineups and combinations we can play, his creativity is going to be really impactful for us and for myself specifically."
New lighting system: The Spurs are now one of several NBA teams, a list that includes the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, to play at home in an arena using a stage-lighting system.
"I definitely noticed it," Spurs center Luke Kornet said of the new look at the Frost Bank Center.
"It gives a different feel in the arena, for sure. And once you're playing the game, you're playing the game, but there's only a couple places that have the lighting like that and it always feels a little different. It's cool. It's something you definitely feel when you walk in and the darkness around the rest of the arena definitely puts a little more of a spotlight on the court."
At least one player said he hasn't noticed anything different at the Frost.
"Maybe I've just been too locked into the game," Castle said.
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There’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Spurs to open season without Tobias Harris.