The Rookie of the Year campaign for Dylan Harper took a serious hit on Sunday night as he went down with a calf injury. It is uncertain as to how much time he will miss. Harper did not return against the Phoenix Suns after the halftime break and was quickly ruled out by the medical staff.
The San Antonio Spurs suffered more than their first loss Sunday night against the Phoenix Suns. They lost rookie Dylan Harper to a calf injury. His return time is uncertain, but he was spotted wearing a walking boot and using crutches leaving the arena.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Harper is to miss multiple weeks with the injury. The number of weeks is uncertain.
The injury looked like it was extremely egregious at the time of the incident. The Spurs could have lost Harper for the long run as he went down awkwardly and had to be assisted from the court. Harper's injury further depletes a guard unit that is getting thinner by the moment. He also provides a spark off the bench.
Harper, the second-pick in the recent NBA Draft, figured into coach Mitch Johnson's rotation from the get-go. The odds for him to win Rookie of the Year, insignificant to the Spurs but important to Harper, take a huge hit if he is forced to miss considerable time.
"There's two more days," Johnson said after the game. "Everybody is trending the right way, but one person's status won't affect anybody else's."
According to FanDuel, Harper is trailing Memphis Grizzlies’ Cedric Coward, Washington Wizards’ Tre Johnson, Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe, and the No.1 pick from the Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg.
Statistically, Harper was having a banner start to the season. He averaged 14.4 points on 48 percent shooting. He also shot 35 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 4.6 rebounds and the same amount of assists.
"We've seen great things from him," Victor Wembanyama said of Harper. "It's actually been hard to believe how good he's played."
The Spurs will face the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and it will be interesting to see who Johnson uses to replace Harper's minutes on the floor. The Spurs are also without De'Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan, Kelly Olynyk, Lindy Waters III and Luke Kornet due to various nagging injuries.
"We're missing a few, but we've competed and we've asked a lot of them physically," Johnson said. "Bumps and bruises come with that."
"We have to be able to deal with injuries," Wembanyama added.