San Antonio Spurs rising star Derrick White undergoes foot surgery

It was announced today that San Antonio Spurs combo guard Derrick White underwent surgery on his left foot to correct an issue with his toe.

Over the course of his amazing Orlando restart, San Antonio Spurs starting guard Derrick White took a beating. The 26-year-old chipped his tooth, suffered a knee contusion and dealt with an issue in his second toe on his left foot. It was announced this afternoon that White underwent surgery to correct the issue with his toe.

The severity of the issue wasn’t specified, but one would have to suspect that it’s not something that will impact him moving forward. White is extension-eligible this offseason and is likely to secure a four-year deal in the $50-$65 million range from the Spurs. Considering the offseason just began for the silver and black, White has lots of time before he has to worry about getting back into playing shape.

Unless this ends up being more serious than it seems, the rehabilitation period shouldn’t feed into next season.

San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White had surgery on the second toe of his left foot, sources tell ESPN. White averaged a career-best 11.3 points this season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 21, 2020

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During the Orlando restart, we saw a new version of White. In a starting role, he was fearless as a pull-up jump shooter and go-to scoring option for the silver and black. Before the game against New Orleans in which he injured his knee, White was averaging 21.8 points, 5.2 assists and five rebounds on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 45.2 percent from 3-point land.

The third-year guard is one of the best pick-and-roll operators in basketball, using his court vision and scoring threat to ensure buckets for the silver and black. His mobility is crucial to the Spurs on both ends of the floor, which is why getting his body right is so crucial. If White had any lingering issues because of this toe issue, it would severely hurt the Spurs’ chances of returning to the postseason next year.

White is one of three Spurs who will be returning from an operation. San Antonio’s starting frontcourt, Trey Lyles and LaMarcus Aldridge, also underwent surgery that left them out of the Orlando bubble from the start.

Returning three critical rotation players with fresh legs bodes well for the Spurs’ 2020-21 season.