Devin Vassell's Adductor Injury Threatens to Slow Down the Surging Spurs
If you follow the NBA closely, you already know that the word "adductor" is basically a medical code for a lingering nightmare that will ruin your entire winter. So when Underdog NBA reported that San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell is questionable for Wednesday with an adductor issue, the collective groan from Texas was entirely justified.
The timing is a brutal speed bump for a team that has been absolutely rolling. San Antonio is sitting at 8-2 and holding down the third seed in the Western Conference. They just finished dismantling the 122-96 on Tuesday, but the relentless NBA schedule means the medical staff is officially on high alert.
Vassell already dealt with a left adductor strain earlier this calendar year that cost him 13 games. That makes this flare-up a giant flashing red light for the training staff. You do not mess around with a core muscle injury in November unless you want to spend April watching the playoffs in street clothes.
Before this setback, Vassell was logging heavy minutes for a surging squad. He is averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in over 30 minutes a night this season. Replacing that kind of reliable perimeter production on a random Wednesday is not exactly a plug-and-play situation for the coaching staff.
For anyone looking at the betting board or setting a fantasy lineup, Vassell's status is the ultimate swing factor. Missing a 30-minute-a-night wing completely changes the math on the Spurs' rotation and shifts the scoring burden heavily onto the rest of the starting five.
San Antonio heads to Chicago to play the Bulls on Wednesday night. Given his history with this exact injury, do not be shocked if the Spurs play it safe and keep Vassell in a premium courtside seat instead of a jersey.