Tony Parker joins Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gay on injured list

Monday’s game vs. the Sacramento Kings saw yet another San Antonio Spurs player get injured. This time it was point guard Tony Parker.

Injuries took over the 2017-18 season, for the San Antonio Spurs, before it even started. Kawhi Leonard suffered a quad injury in the offseason that kept him out for two months. In-season ailments from Rudy Gay, Joffrey Lauvergne, Danny Green, Derrick White and others limited the team’s depth as well.

This forced players into replacement roles, such as Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes, who started more than a handful of games. It took away from the team’s bench. Although a 28-14 start is difficult to complain about, given everything that happened.

Well, in Monday’s game vs. the Sacramento Kings, the Spurs saw yet another player suffer an injury. This time it was point guard Tony Parker, who sprained his ankle in the win, according to ESPN.com.

“Just bad luck,” Parker told reporters after the Spurs’ 107-100 victory. “We’ll see.”

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It’s not the first time Parker was hurt this season. He missed the first six weeks due to a torn quad. This happened in the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, and forced him into injury rehab for the summer.

To not overwork the Frenchman, head coach Gregg Popovich gave him at least two days off between appearances, even if it meant a missed game or two. Together, it limited him to just 17 games, with 8.6 points and 4.1 assists on 50.8 percent shooting. He played a career-low 21.7 minutes per game.

In his absence, for however long it may be, look for Dejounte Murray to return to the starting lineup. He took Parker’s spot during the “return from injury management” games, which left Patty Mills’ scoring on the bench, something that was needed with Gay’s ongoing right heel ailment.

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As of this writing, the Spurs have not provided an official statement on Parker’s sprained ankle. So, a potential timetable remains to be seen. Either way, it’s the latest injury the team must overcome. At some point, though, will it be too much to handle? Games like Monday, when Davis Bertans played over his head, won’t happen every day. Given this “next man up” mentality, maybe it can.