There is a lot of news surrounding the San Antonio Spurs, and none of it is particularly positive.
Gregg Popovich remains out and away from the team indefinitely due to an undisclosed health issue. However, something longtime San Antonio News Express columnist Mike Finger Tweeted put a different light on the situation.
Something we’ve tried to convey in our coverage of Popovich’s story is that this is being handled quite differently than his previous one- and two-game absences.
Still much unknown, where Spurs maintain a very tight circle. Probably wise not to take a quick return for granted.
– Mike Finger (@mikefinger) November 5, 2024
ESPN’s Shams Charania echoed that sentiment, saying on NBA Today, “There is a great level of concern around the situation.”
Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson was named interim head coach, a job he will hold indefinitely until Popovich is healthy enough to return. The concern now is that a comeback could be a long way off.
San Antonio will also be without forward Jeremy Sochan for likely a few months as he is scheduled to have surgery to repair a broken thumb suffered against the Clippers on Monday night. News that the surgery was required was broken by ESPN’s Charania. While the team didn’t give a timeline for a return, Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes — with his extensive database of previous injuries — predicts nearly two months.
Re: Jeremy Sochan: The thumb is made up of two bones, the proximal and distal phalanges. The proximal one is closer to the base of the thumb and is part of the MCP joint. The average time lost for thumb fractures that require surgery is ~21 games (~52 days).
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) November 5, 2024
Sochan took a step forward statistically this season averaging 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3 assists per game. However, he has yet to fully mesh with Victor Wembanyama, and by the eye test and statistically the Spurs have a -2 net rating when the two are on the court together (to be fair, that’s about the same as the team’s -2.6 net .rating overall this season, statistics by Cleaning the Glass).
