Dylan Harper, the San Antonio Spurs’ second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, injured his thumb badly enough to require surgery, which he elected to undergo two days ago in hopes of being ready for the start of the 2025-26 season, according to The Athletic (subscription required):
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper underwent successful surgery Friday to repair a partial tear of the collateral ligament in his left thumb, league sources told The Athletic.
The No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA Draft sustained
the injury in a workout Wednesday in San Antonio and elected to have surgery, in hopes of returning for the team’s opening-night matchup against No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 22, the sources said.
Harper, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Rutgers, joins an already robust backcourt led by guard De’Aaron Fox, who recently signed a four-year, $229 million max extension, and reigning rookie of the year Stephon Castle. Harper will most likely come off the bench for the Spurs, with Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama likely to fill out the rest of the starting lineup.
Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes shared that “this is most commonly the ulnar collateral ligament and average time lost following surgery is 54.3 days.” Being ready for the Oct. 22 season opener would give Harper just 47 from procedure to return. Former Blazers guard Anfernee Simons had surgery for the same injury but on his right thumb in 2023, returning on Dec. 6 from the Oct. 25 surgery, a return time of just 42 days.
LaMarcus Aldridge suffered a torn radial collateral ligament in his left thumb in 2015. After initial reporting that he would be out for 6-8 weeks, he sat two games before deciding against surgery and playing out the remainder of the season. Aldridge averaged 23.6 points on 47% shooting and 10.3 boards the rest of the season, nearly identical to his season averages, but only averaged 21.8 points on 33% shooting in a 5-game series loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs despite averaging over 41 minutes per game. Aldridge then left Portland in free agency to join the Spurs.
Harper averaged 16 points, 4 boards, and 2 dimes in his two 2025 Summer League games.
