The Spurs may have a first-round pick in Jayden Quaintance, but the bigger question right now is when - or if - he’ll actually take the floor next season.
Quaintance had knee surgery earlier last month and could be sidelined for the next six months, which would put a possible return around January. Even so, plenty of Spurs fans are already bracing for the idea that he won’t play at all in his rookie year. Given that he’s had two surgeries in less than a year, that kind of caution wouldn’t come as a surprise.
That leaves San Antonio with a real decision to make: keep him out for the season and let the recovery continue, or bring him back midyear and start getting him game reps. It’s a major call for a team that has made injury management a point of emphasis over the years.
Will the Spurs have Jayden Quaintance redshirt his rookie year?
Maybe, but it doesn’t sound like the most likely outcome. The Spurs have a reputation for being careful, yet the expectation here is that they’ll probably find some way to get him involved if he’s medically cleared. That could mean time in the NBA G League and a few spot minutes in lopsided games rather than a full-time role.
That approach makes sense. The sooner Quaintance starts adjusting to NBA speed, the better. Sitting a full season would buy him more recovery time, but if he’s ready to play, there’s no reason to leave him idle just for the sake of patience.
He isn’t expected to matter in a big way next season anyway. The hope is that by Year 2, he’s in position to become a real piece for San Antonio.
There’s also a roster wrinkle here. The Spurs used two first-round picks on centers in the draft, which could create a temporary traffic jam at the position. Down the line, the second apron might force San Antonio to move Luke Kornet in a couple of seasons.
If that happens, Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. would still be cheap options in the middle. Reed Jr., in particular, looks like insurance for Quaintance. The Spurs got him from the Denver Nuggets on draft night knowing full well that Quaintance might not be the most durable player.
The comparison that keeps coming up is Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams, a player whose defensive talent was obvious whenever he was healthy, even if health was rarely on his side. Quaintance carries that same kind of appeal, with elite defensive upside and real injury questions attached.
That’s the bet San Antonio is making: Williams-level talent, but with a healthier path. If that works out, Quaintance could end up being a steal at No. 20 and a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber prospect with offensive upside.
If it doesn’t, the Spurs still have Wembanyama, Kornet and Reed Jr. on the roster.
So whether Quaintance is ready in a few months or needs a year or two, the Spurs can afford to wait. They clearly want him to become a difference-maker quickly, but everything starts with getting him healthy first.
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Victor Wembanyama keeps turning the spotlight into something bigger for San Antonio. Fresh off a season that saw him lead the Spurs to the NBA Finals, win Defensive Player of the Year and finish as an MVP finalist, he has now been named the cover athlete for the standard edition of NBA 2K27. Add in CBS Sports placing him No. 2 on its list of the leagues faces, behind only LeBron James, and the message is hard to miss: the Spurs star is no longer just a building block, he is becoming one of the leagues defining names.
For Spurs fans, the appeal goes beyond the accolades and the marketing. Wembanyama already has the rsum of a franchise centerpiece, but the conversation around him is starting to sound like something larger, the kind of status reserved for players who shape the leagues image as much as its standings. San Antonio has spent years waiting for a player who could restore that kind of gravitational pull, and Wembanyamas latest honors only sharpen the question of how far this rise can go. [Read more 🡒]