San Antonio Spurs Injury Update: Derrick White probable to return

For the first time in the regular season, San Antonio Spurs point guard Derrick White is probable to return against Miami.

Buzz surrounding combo guard Derrick White came to fruition ahead of the 2018-19 NBA season following the young stud’s superb leadership en route to a G League Championship with the Austin Spurs.

After the season-ending ACL injury suffered by point guard Dejounte Murray in the preseason, White became the defacto starting point guard for the new-look San Antonio Spurs before going down with a heel injury of his own.

Derrick White has been upgraded to probable for Wednesday’s game in Miami.

Pau Gasol (right foot soreness), Rudy Gay, Murray, and Walker IV are all out.

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) November 7, 2018

Initial reports indicated that White would miss six-to-eight weeks to begin the season in San Antonio, but head coach Gregg Popovich asserted early on that White’s timetable to return was much more favorable than initially anticipated.

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The former Colorado Buffalo averaged 9.3 points and two assists in 20.2 minutes in four preseason games. His stats don’t necessarily jump off of the page, but the lengthy guard fills a need for 3-and-D offense at the point guard position.

White averaged a league-high 23 points while dishing out seven assists per contest in the Utah Summer League.

After a year spent developing and learning about the intricacies of pro basketball, White came out of the gates showcasing a higher basketball IQ and improved defensive effort. His enhanced all-around skill set caught Popovich’s attention, garnering a roster spot for the 2018-19 season.

If his preseason usage is any indication of how his regular season will play out, White has a good shot to reclaim the starting role from guard Bryn Forbes. Still, nothing in permanent in the Spurs’ rotation and Popovich will implement situation-based lineups over the course of the year.

Hopefully White’s return can help San Antonio bounce back from Monday night’s drubbing against the Orlando Magic.