In a very young 2026-27 NBA season that has been rife with injuries, the Spurs have mostly managed to stay above the fray, with Tobias Harris being the only rotation player to miss time with a strained calf suffered in training camp. (And even without him, the Spurs still have the same team that made the NBA Finals.) Tonight will be the first time they are missing a main rotation player, with starting wing Devin Vassell initially listed as questionable before being ruled out against the Suns with adductor
tightness.
Vassell joins Harris and Jayden Quaintance (knee surgery) on the injury report. Two-way players Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Maliq Brown are also away form the team with the Austin Spurs. Just like last season, Vassell has been an integral part of the Spurs’ starting line-up not by putting up big numbers, but by being a steadying presence and reliable relief valve who can get a shot up in the midrange when things break down on offense. He has also been solid on defense despite often having to defend taller players while playing next the three-guard line-up.
This will mark the first time this season the Spurs will have to change the starting line-up. The safe assumption for his replacement would be Julian Champagnie, who was the Spurs starting power forward last season before moving to a bench role this season after Dylan Harper joined the starters. Hopefully Vassell’s injury is nothing serious and he will return soon (the fact that he was initially questionable suggests it likely isn’t serious, but adductors can be stubborn).
There has been no timeline offered for Harris’ potential return, although Mitch Johnson has stated that they are being “very methodical” about it, especially considering the Spurs’ fast pace. With exponential rise in ruptured Achilles associated with playing on sore calves in recent years, who can blame them?
