San Antonio Spurs: Derrick White out indefinitely with fracture in toe

The San Antonio Spurs were dealt another blow Monday in regard to Derrick White, as x-rays revealed a new injury to his second left toe.

Many predicted the San Antonio Spurs would finish their 2020-21 campaign in the basement of the Western Conference. After winning their first two games and narrowly missing out on a 3-0 start, the Spurs dropped their next four games, including a 21-point loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.

Monday night brought more bad news for Spurs fans when The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that guard Derrick White had suffered a minor fracture in his left toe.

This is a massive blow for the Spurs, who had just gotten Derrick White back from a foot injury on the same toe. White had missed the first four games of the season after getting the second toe on his left foot surgically repaired in the offseason.

Spurs guard Derrick White has suffered a minor fracture on a toe in his left foot and his return will be based on response to rehab, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 5, 2021

He played in one game this season, a six-point loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. White only played 23 minutes, scoring nine points. According to the Spurs, it was in that game that White injured his toe:

OFFICIAL: Derrick White has suffered a non-displaced fracture of the proximal phalanx of his left second toe. The injury occurred after White fell at the 3:33 mark in the second quarter of the Spurs-Lakers game on Jan. 1. pic.twitter.com/HHviduUiDh

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 5, 2021

The team also announced that, although it was the same toe he had previously injured, it was a new injury. Aside from the disappointment that we’ll have to wait an undisclosed amount of time to see White hit the floor again, it’s potentially concerning if it turns into a recurring issue.

There is still no timetable for his return, although he was able to play a basketball game about four months after his first surgery. White’s return will be based on his response to rehab, according to Shams Charania.

White earned himself a 4-year, $73M extension less than two weeks ago. The Colorado State alumnus enjoyed a career year in 2020, which was capped off by a stellar run in the Orlando Bubble, where he averaged 18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and five assists in seven games.

In his absence, the Spurs will continue to roll DeMar DeRozan, Keldon Johnson, Dejounte Murray, and Lonnie Walker IV out of the backcourt.