Injured point guard Tony Parker, currently forecast to return from a quadriceps injury in January, could be returning to action sooner than previously anticipated, Jeff Garcia of News 4 San Antonio writes.
Citing Spurs teammate Danny Green, who gave an interview with French publication LCI at an NBA 2K promotional event, Garcia relays that the guard could be back in the lineup earlier than anticipated.
In the one-on-one interview (conducted in English and subtitled for the French audience), Green speaks candidly about the 35-year-old’s recovery process thus far, not only suggesting that Parker’s rehab is on pace but that the guard could even be well ahead of schedule.
“He’s a couple months ahead of schedule, I don’t want to leak anything, but he might be playing a lot sooner than people think he might be playing. […] You’ll probably be seeing him playing a lot sooner than what most people are expecting him to be back by,” Green said.
As has been discussed since he went down in the second round of the playoffs last spring, any extended absence leaves the Spurs short at point guard. When the regular season tips off in October, it’s likely that a combination of Patty Mills and sophomore Dejounte Murray holds down the fort at the position until Parker can reclaim the reins.
If that comes “months sooner” than January, all the better for a Spurs team chasing the Warriors for Western Conference supremacy. Worth noting, however, is that despite Green’s optimistic outlook, Parker himself claimed to be four to five months away from returning to action as recently as last month.
When Parker is back and when he’s better than Mills may be two different dates. The switch in starting may have occured already. With an unchanged lineup the Spurs may not need Parker to put it all together.
I agree. See Parker transitioning to the offense off the bench in a ginobili role. Murray’s development will show how much we need him. Forbes, white, bertans, Murray and Paul all young. I see one of them grabbing major minutes.