Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper has been cleared to return to action following a 10-game injury absence and should be active on Wednesday as the team takes on Portland, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
The No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, Harper got off to an excellent start this fall, scoring double-digit points in each of his first six NBA games and averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 23.5 minutes per night, with a .500/.357/.833 shooting line.
However, playing in his sixth game of the season on November 2 in Phoenix, he exited early with a leg injury and was later diagnosed with a left calf strain. As McDonald writes, the diagnosis came as a relief to many within the Spurs organization, who were worried that the injury might have been more significant.
“When you get hurt, you get those thoughts of, ‘What if it’s the worst-case scenario?'” Harper said. “When they told me what it was, I was was like, ‘OK, I feel a little better now.'”
Harper’s return is a welcome development for the Spurs, who have been hit hard by the injury bug in recent weeks. Besides Harper, the team has also been missing a pair of former Rookies of the Year, Victor Wembanyama (calf strain) and Stephon Castle (hip flexor strain).
San Antonio is 1-1 in NBA Cup play so far but would remain very much in the mix for a quarterfinal spot with a win over the Trail Blazers tonight.