The NBA season hasn’t started yet but for the San Antonio Spurs it’s starting to look more and more gloom.
Injuries have found its way back to the Spurs. Point guard Dejounte Murray injured his knee in Sunday’s preseason game against the Houston Rockets. Murray drove into the lane between a few Rockets defenders when the injury occurred. Untouched, Murray was about to lift off when his right knee gave out and buckled underneath him.
Spurs medical staff gave Murray an MRI test on Monday confirming the tear in his knee. This is just days after Spurs rookie Lonnie Walker IV tore his meniscus in last Friday’s matchup with Detroit Pistons, the same knee he injured in college at Miami.
There were high hopes for a breakout year for Murray not only by the entire Spurs organization but also by the fan base. After a summer filled with Murray posting his constant workouts and progression across his social media, he looked to make a huge impact for the Spurs.
Now, he’ll have to sit out the entire season and the Spurs must now face a major issue not only in selecting a starter to replace him but also losing a major key player on defense. The Spurs no longer have veteran and former-Spur Tony Parker, so now, Patty Mills, Bryn Forbes and Derrick White are in the hot seat.
While being a veteran and former starter, Patty Mills seems the more logical choice, but Forbes and White may not be “bad” choices for the starting job. White proved his worth in the G-League last season winning G-League MVP and help the Austin Spurs win the G-League Championship. White also proved himself in the summer league. If he can repeat his play over the past 8 months and transition to the NBA, he may be the new starter.
For Forbes, although he’s technically a shooting guard, he’s quick, agile, and an underrated threat from the three point line. With great passing ability and exceptional shooting, if he can lessen his mistakes when rushing the offense, then Forbes could also be the next starter.
Ultimately it’s up to Coach Pop. A popular slogan amongst Spurs fans is “In Pop We Trust” as many always do. That’s going to have to be the case as the team’s future is in not just in his hands but the team itself. Murray’s injury could either lift the team, push them into something special, or it could result in tipping the iceberg.