Spurs hit with one-two punch of bad news on Monday

San Antonio Spurs fans were hit with two bits of news on Monday that will have both short and long-term implications.

Ahead of what's likely going to be a long season as the Spurs plunge head-first into a full rebuild, even the Summer League version of the team is already being stricken by bad news. After former Baylor star Jeremy Sochan was ruled out of the entire Summer League under post-COVID protocols, the healthy and safety bug hit San Antonio again on Monday.

Following a poor performance he undoubtedly would want to erase, Joshua Primo won't have a chance to, as it was announced he'd be missing the remainder of the Summer League following COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Against the Warriors over the weekend, the sophomore shot just 2-of-15 and committed three turnovers for the second game in a row.

While his health may have been a cause for his showing against Golden State, it's unfortunate that the 19-year-old won't have a chance to regain his confidence until the preseason. With his natural swagger, though, I'm not sure that'll be necessary. But the news is still unfortunate, considering COVID can sometimes still have effects that last for longer than one would hope.

Rumor suggests Spurs will lose a legendary staffer soon

Later on Monday, an even tougher pill to swallow was handed to Spurs fans courtesy of Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer.

According to Fischer, legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland, who's been with San Antonio since 2005, will be venturing elsewhere when his contract is up. For the uninitiated, Engelland is widely regarded as the best shooting coach in the league, having helped players such as Bruce Bowen, Tony Parker, and Kawhi Leonard develop their jump shoots during championship runs.

In 2014, Grantland did an in-depth piece titled The Shot Doctor about the importance of Engelland toward the Spurs' success for so many years. Naturally, his absence in the future will leave a massive hole in San Antonio's shooting department that will be hard to fill.

Fischer is the writer that first reported rumblings of Dejounte Murray being traded when others didn't believe it, so it's safe to say he's fairly reliable. What he didn't include yet is exactly when Chip's contract will run out and whether he'll plan to retire or go elsewhere. Engelland just turned 61 last May.

Prepare for a season focused more on development and future possibilities than wins, Spurs fans. But let's all cross our fingers that the bad news will take a break.