With 3:27 left in regulation in their game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the San Antonio Spurs' Lonnie Walker left the game with an ankle injury.
Per Jared Greenberg of NBA TV, it was the same ankle which Walker injured in their game against the Utah Jazz.
Lonnie Walker has a sprained right ankle and will not return, it is the same ankle he injured during the UTA Summer League @spurs @NBATV #NBASummer
— Jared Greenberg (@JaredSGreenberg) July 13, 2018
Walker was the 18th overall pick by the Spurs in the recently concluded draft. In four Summer League Games, the 19-year-old had put on impressive numbers before going down with the injury. His tally is at 46 points on 18-of-53 from the field, including 3-of-11 from distance. Prior to leaving the game due to the injury, Walker had five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
An NBA executive praised Walker for his play:
“He's been the best player in Vegas,” an executive told Yahoo Sports' Jordan Schultz on Thursday. “He can score, he's a great athlete. Plus, he's strong, and he's aware. He knows what's going on out there. I think he's going to be a star.”
The Spurs have made a reputation of sneakily getting the best players in the draft. The likes of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and even Kawhi Leonard were not top picks yet developed into full-blown superstars.
Time will only tell if Walker will follow in their footsteps. But from what we're seeing and hearing from the young man, he's not taking the moment for granted. Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press via KSAT, Walker looked back on his past and shared some advice for his fellow dream-chasers :
“To any kid who is trying to become an NBA player or trying to become something in life, I've been through it all. You can't let adversity continue to knock you down. I just want to continue to motivate everyone and believe that they can be happy and be something special.”
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