San Antonio Spurs' rookie Jayden Quaintance is coming off a torn ACL, but there are plenty of reasons for fans to remain optimistic about his role on the team.
The San Antonio Spurs are not expecting to see rookie Jayden Quaintance at all this summer. He's coming off a torn ACL and meniscus suffered while in college, and he only played in four games last season at Kentucky.
Doctors have made it clear that they think he will be perfectly fine after he recovers, but he is due to have surgery on his knee in order to make sure everything remains fine permanently.
Even with doctors' sign-offs and the Spurs' medical staff being all over him, hearing that a rookie won't make his debut until December can be daunting for fans. After all, he slid to 20th overall for a reason, right?
Well, at least one NBA source thinks his slide was due to his incomplete resume, not concerns about his long-term availability.
Jayden Quaintance Gets Medical Update, NBA Comp
The Spurs, either through trade or free agency, clearly need to shore up their frontcourt and rebounding effort around Victor Wembanyama.
Drafting Quaintance is a big step in the right direction. Before he missed much of his sophomore season, he was expected to be a lottery pick, so the most optimistic Spurs fans think San Antonio got incredible value with their selection.
Plus, he's already earned compariosns to an NBA All-Star.
“You see some Jalen Duren in him because he plays with that same kind of intensity," an NBA scout told Heavy's Sean Deveney. "The injury is there, but it is an ACL, and guys his age usually bounce back from that without a lot of added worry as long as the rest of the medicals are clean. That’s the big test.”
Fans hear "ACL" and think of the career-altering injuries suffered by Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and, recently, Jimmy Butler. It's a very serious injury with up to a 12-month recovery, although for younger players, it doesn't necessarily mean they will lose their pop or explosiveness.
Quaintance is only 18 years old. He was the youngest college player in the nation during his freshman season at Arizona State, so if anyone can bounce back from a torn ACL, it would be someone like him.
That doesn't mean it's all gravy. He will most likely miss the Summer League, so adjusting to the NBA pace and playstyle will reveal some growing pains.
All of that should be fixed by the end of his rookie season. As far as health concerns go, all signs point to him being good to go...eventually.
