SAN ANTONIO — Carter Bryant left the Spurs’ second preseason game early after suffering an apparent ankle injury.
The second-year forward tweaked it in the second quarter of the Spurs’ 102-98 loss to the Suns on Saturday night in Phoenix, limping off the court and eventually to the locker room. His status for the remaining preseason games is now unclear.
Bryant was defending Suns guard Jalen Green when a screener approached on his right side. As Spurs wing Devin Vassell switched onto Green, Bryant planted his right foot onto Vassell’s left. Bryant came up hobbling and significantly favored his right leg for the remainder of the possession. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson immediately replaced Bryant with Stephon Castle, and Bryant’s night was done.
“I don’t know any details,” Johnson said after the game. “I don’t know if it was a contest or a rotation but he stepped on Devin’s foot, so hopefully he’s okay, but yeah, I’m not quite sure.”
Bryant had a quiet game before the injury, recording one block and one foul in 10 minutes of play. In the Spurs’ first preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, Bryant posted 11 points and five rebounds, shooting 2-5 from 3-point range.
Bryant averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game throughout his rookie season. He saw his playing time decrease as the Spurs ventured deep into the playoffs, but he still contributed 2.6 points on 8.5 minutes per game in the postseason run. Bryant’s defensive impact outweighs his offensive game and doesn’t often reveal itself on stat sheets.
“I want to be a matchup nightmare for anybody,” Bryant said before the preseason. “1 through 5, being able to guard multiple positions, contest shots at the rim, be a rim protector at the wing position, be able to pick up full court, turn guards. Just make life hard for anybody.”
Bryant will fight for playing time among a roster loaded with talent, enhanced by offseason addition Tobias Harris. The Spurs signed the 34-year-old veteran forward from the Detroit Pistons in the offseason, but fans will have to wait to see how Harris fits into the squad due to a strained left calf in training camp.
“It’s a calf strain. The seriousness is what it is,” Johnson said. “We won’t rush him at all. I guess the question will be is he ready for the season opener? Totally questionable, and we will not push that at all. So, we’ll take it slow.”
The Spurs are also missing veteran guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox sat out the Spurs’ first preseason game due to “general soreness” and the injury was narrowed down to “general tightness in his hip”, according to Johnson. Unlike Harris, Fox played in the Spurs Silver & Black Open Scrimmage, an intrasquad game on Sunday, Oct. 4.
“It is what it is. Injuries happen,” Fox said at Media Day, when asked about the high ankle sprain that hampered him in last year’s playoffs. “I was able to play through it and I played.”
While Harris has been confirmed out for the preseason, Fox is on a day-to-day basis as we eagerly await the debut of the three-guard starting lineup. The Spurs face the Utah Jazz on Monday at 8 p.m. in Utah.
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