During his pregame press conference before the San Antonio Spurs face the Houston Rockets in a preseason matchup Tuesday, Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich was asked about the injury status of Keldon Johnson (left foot) and Derrick White (left second toe), and when they could return to the lineup.
Popovich said Johnson might not be back “for the next couple of weeks” and he said White is further behind Johnson in returning.
Popovich said Johnson is able to participate in 3-on-3 workouts now, but White’s injury recovery has taken longer and he’s not even able to get on the court yet.
The Spurs will face the Rockets one more time Thursday for their final preseason game, and in that game, Popovich said the rotation could look like what the rotation might look like for opening night in Memphis next week on December 23.
If Johnson and White have to miss multiple weeks of the regular season, rookie Devin Vassell could get some real minutes at the wing positions, like he was able to do Saturday against the Thunder logging 25 minutes. For a Spurs rookie, getting real minutes early in a season doesn’t happen often.
