San Antonio Spurs: What to expect from Rudy Gay’s preseason debut

Rudy Gay will make his San Antonio Spurs debut in Friday night’s preseason game. What can be expected out of him in his first game since January?

On Thursday, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, Gregg Popovich announced that Rudy Gay will make his San Antonio Spurs debut in Friday’s preseason game, against the Sacramento Kings at the AT&T Center. It comes four days after the first preseason game in Sacramento, where Gay last played basketball in January.

Wright noted the Spurs have been conservative with Gay’s minutes, which may come into play on Friday. That goes along with Popovich’s comments on wanting to be conservative with his use.

If that’s the case, then not much should be expected out of the 11-year pro in the home preseason opener.

Look for a limited amount of minutes for Gay on Friday, maybe between 10 and 15. It’s a light load for his first game back, especially in a meaningless game. The Spurs should not want to overwork him in an exhibition, so the fewer minutes he receives, the better.

Rudy Gay preseason revenge game!

— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) October 5, 2017

Popovich also needs to find Gay’s strength in the rotation, which will not happen overnight. He can be deployed at small forward or power forward, with the latter a unique role. It likely comes as a stretch four, something the UConn product hasn’t been for most of his career.

When the season arrives and Kawhi Leonard gets healthy, Gay could get most of his minutes at the stretch four. Time at the three will obviously be limited, since Leonard will take up between 30-35 minutes. So it could be an adjustment to start the season.