Already missing the second overall pick in this summer's NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs announced they'd be without superstar Victor Wembanyama before they attempted to break a two-game losing streak in a match-up with the Sacramento Kings. A couple of hours later, they shelved their reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle.
The Spurs aren't offering detailed information about either, though their decision regarding Wemby appears grounded in precaution, while Castle's injury doesn't seem to be serious either.
“I think it was just something that he felt. I don't think there was a specific play,” head coach Mitch Johnson said about Wembanyama.
The Spurs headed into the Kings contest off two hard-fought games vs. the Golden State Warriors – both losses.
“Obviously, we've seen around this league recently, the calf tightness thing is not something you want to take lightly,” Johnson added. “So, just got to get some more information and don't want to push it there.”
The 7-foot-5 center's absence marked his first of the season. Asked if an afternoon tip-off following a later-than-usual start time two days prior played a role in the decision to keep their best player out, Johnson didn't hesitate.
“Probably not. Calf tightness, there's certain things that you don't want it to be a gateway thing or anything like that. So you just need to be clear on what's going on. So added precaution here.”
Mitch Johnson shares latest on Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper
Right as halftime vs. the Kings was coming to a close, the Spurs announced that Castle would not return because of a right hip issue. The former national champion at UConn stayed on the bench as opposed to heading to the locker room for the remainder of the afternoon.
“To be honest, I'm not sure. I believe it's his hip, but I don't know anything,” Johnson said afterward.
“I just was told that he wasn't coming back in the game. There was no drastic fall or big incident, I don't believe. Maybe there was a play, but I'm not sure.”
Castle played 16 minutes, scoring four points and dishing out five assists in the 123-110 victory. The second half represented the first action he's missed this season.
Dylan Harper, whom the Spurs took right after the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg in June, has not seen the court since a November 2 setback at the Phoenix Suns. Harper left that contest in the first half of a night that saw the Spurs lose their first game of the year.
“He's progressing. It's getting better. He's out the boot,” Johnson said, “And so again, you've just got to build that thing up. For every day that you are in the boot or off the court, you've probably got to hit it on the other side. It's getting better and it'll be good to have him back on the court ramping up here pretty soon.”
While Harper won't play in the Spurs next game, which comes two days after the Sacramento win, the jury is still out on Castle and Wembanyama.
“I have not got any more information since we talked pregame,” the Spurs first-year head coach said of Wemby during the presser afterward.
“But, again, I know he's chomping at the bit. He wanted to play 82 games,” Johnson elaborated. “Calf tightness, we'll see what that means and when we dive into it, but we're not gonna, we're not going to risk it.”
