Devin Vassell's 'Strange' Injury Should Slow Down the San Antonio Spurs

Before the preseason started, the San Antonio Spurs announced that shooting guard Devin Vassell would miss the entirety of the preseason, as well as the first five games of the regular season, at the very least. Last season, he missed the last eight games and needed surgery on his foot.

Vassell has played in 70 games only once in his career, and this newest injury doesn't help him shed the "injury-prone" label that has been slapped on him early in his career.

At the end of the 2023-24 season, when Vassell and Jeremy Sochan missed the final stretch, the general consensus was that the Spurs were preserving them. With the postseason out of grasp, the Spurs could play inexperienced players and tank for the best draft pick possible.

As more news comes out surrounding Vassell's injury, fans are quickly putting together that their initial prognoses were very, very wrong, and his injury is more serious than initially thought.

"It was a very strange injury," said Gregg Popovich. "We're told it was rare and has not been seen very often in any sport, if I got the correct information. So we really didn't know what would be a quick comeback or a slow comeback."

Vassell will be reevaluated on November 1, but Pop's update is a little concerning, and there is not much to suggest that he will return after the first five games of the season. However, it's not all doom and gloom, as Vassell appears to be close to doing full contact in practice.

Popovich explained that Vassell is doing everything right on the road to recovery.

"I know he's sick of being in the weight room and doing everything they're making him do in there. But he's at least running up and down the court now and hopefully, we'll get him back in this first part of the season at some point," the coach explained.

Related: Preseason Spurs vs. Magic: 3 Best Bets

Vassell has downplayed the injury, but the Spurs are taking all the necessary precautions, as Vassell remains incredibly important to the Spurs' rebuild and future success.