San Antonio Spurs: Loss of Derrick White will doom team’s play-in chances
Derrick White’s loss could be a knockout punch for San Antonio Spurs.
The San Antonio Spurs have flown under the radar for relatively all season long in the Western Conference. Despite missing the playoffs for the first time in more than two decades last year, the Spurs will have an opportunity to make a return to the postseason in a play-in tournament.
Short of absolutely collapsing over the team’s last 11 games in the regular season, the Spurs are projected to finish 9th or 10th in the West standings. As unlikely as it may seem, the Spurs will have at least an outside chance at making the postseason.
Or, at least, that’s the expectation. Though, after a recent injury to Derrick White, I’m not so sure that the Spurs will have that great of an opportunity to win a play-in tournament to qualify for the postseason.
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White is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury he suffered earlier this week and that certainly won’t help the team’s chances in a play-in tournament.
Loss of White could kill the San Antonio Spurs’ playoff chances
While White may not be a household name in the NBA, he’s certainly a player that has been a part of San Antonio’s success this season. White, in his fourth season in the league, was having the best season of his career thus far.
His fourth season concludes after he averaged 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds per game. White is the Spurs’ third-leading scorer, behind DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray, and has started nearly every game he’s played in this year.
White has struggled this season with multiple injuries and even battled a stint of being out due to health and safety protocol. Despite all that, he still managed to turn in another solid year of development and has given San Antonio another young piece to their rebuilding puzzle.
The loss of White hurts this team’s depth even more and they lose a key part of their offense. The true impact of the loss of White remains to be seen, but you can’t help but wonder if this loss all but eliminates the Spurs’ chances at winning a play-in tournament.
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The Spurs head into the final stretch of the season with still a shot at making the playoffs, but this latest loss due to injury might be the final straw to break their postseason back.