Prior to their Thursday night game against the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich delivered some good news regarding Derrick White. Per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Small bit of positive news from Pop pregame tonight. Expectation is Derrick White could be back "pretty soon after the All-Star break."
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) February 8, 2019
White is recovering from plantar fasciitis in his right food. He hasn't played since February 2, and the Spurs have lost both of their two games in his absence.
Prior to the injury, the 24-year-old point guard was enjoying a breakout season. This year, he has averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
The Spurs took White with the 29th pick of the first round in the 2017 draft. White was selected as a senior out of Colorado, where he had starred in the 2016-17 season.




White's health will be essential for the Spurs, who are thin at point guard behind him. The team is currently occupying the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 32-24 record. ESPN's BPI Playoff Odds give the team a 96.1% chance of making the playoffs but only a 0.3% chance of winning the championship.
According to Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, San Antonio was trying hard to trade veteran Pau Gasol. But ultimately, the Spurs remained quiet prior to Thursday's trade deadline, not making any moves. However, the team could be active after the deadline, according to Jabari Young of The Athletic:
Now that the trade deadline has passed, #Spurs roaming the buyout market, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA … still searching to add a wing player if the price is right.
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) February 7, 2019
The Spurs are in Portland to take on the Trail Blazers Thursday night. The game begins at 10:30 PM EST and will be televised on TNT.