![\"Dylan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2262589725-e1779166156509.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper controls the ball during his historic playoff performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1.<\/p>\n
The San Antonio Spurs<\/a> may already have their clearest early answer on Dylan Harper<\/a>\u2019s injury and it didn\u2019t come from the team.<\/p>\n Shortly after Harper exited Game 2<\/a> of the Western Conference finals with a right leg injury, sports physical therapist Dr. Evan Jeffries provided a real-time assessment that could shape expectations moving forward.<\/p>\n Dr. Evan Jeffries Identifies Potential Hamstring Strain<\/p>\n \u201cDylan Harper left tonight\u2019s game after grabbing his right \u2018hamstring,\u2019\u201d Jeffries wrote<\/a> on X. \u201cThe concern would be for a strain.\u201d<\/p>\n The Spurs ruled Harper out for the remainder of the game with a right leg injury but have not confirmed the exact diagnosis. Still, Jeffries\u2019 observation aligns with a common red flag \u2014 a player immediately reaching for the back of the leg, often signaling a soft-tissue issue.<\/p>\n Possible Injury Timeline Complicated by Playoff Schedule<\/p>\n Jeffries outlined a range of recovery timelines depending on severity:<\/p>\n Tightness: Day-to-day Those timelines carry added weight in the Western Conference finals, where games are played every other day. Even a minor strain could force Harper to miss multiple games in a tightly scheduled series, while a more significant injury could extend well beyond it.<\/p>\n Dylan Harper left tonight\u2019s game after grabbing his right \u201chamstring\u201d<\/p>\n The concern would be for a strain. Typical healing time <\/p>\n Tightness: day to day Dylan Harper Injury Leaves Spurs Thin at Point Guard<\/p>\n Before exiting, Harper had 12 points and three assists in 25 minutes, continuing his steady production in a critical role.<\/p>\n His absence compounds an already difficult situation for San Antonio, which is still monitoring All-Star guard De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a>\u00a0due to an ankle injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n With both Harper and Fox sidelined, the Spurs suddenly find themselves short-handed at point guard \u2014 a position central to controlling pace and initiating offense against a high-pressure Oklahoma City defense.<\/p>\n Stephon Castle Forced Into Expanded Role<\/p>\n That leaves Stephon Castle<\/a> \u2014 the reigning Rookie of the Year \u2014 in line for a significantly larger workload.<\/p>\n Castle has already established himself as a key piece in San Antonio\u2019s backcourt following his award-winning debut season, but the injuries now elevate his responsibilities to a primary playmaking role.<\/p>\n He is expected to handle extended minutes as the lead guard, tasked with orchestrating the offense, managing tempo and defending Oklahoma City\u2019s perimeter threats.<\/p>\n While Castle brings experience and composure, the sudden increase in responsibility comes at a critical juncture in the series.<\/p>\n Spurs Await Further Evaluation as Stakes Rise<\/p>\n The Spurs are expected to conduct further evaluation on Harper, but Jeffries\u2019 early analysis provides a framework for what could come next.<\/p>\n Hamstring injuries are notoriously unpredictable, and with limited recovery time between games, teams often proceed cautiously to avoid aggravation.<\/p>\n For San Antonio, the timing of Harper\u2019s injury adds another layer of uncertainty to an already evolving series.<\/p>\n And as Jeffries\u2019 breakdown suggests, the difference between tightness and a true strain could ultimately determine whether Harper returns quickly \u2014 or whether the Spurs must continue their playoff push without one of their emerging backcourt contributors.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper controls the ball during his historic playoff performance against the Oklahoma…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-452312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGrade I hamstring strain: 1\u20132 weeks
\nGrade II hamstring strain: 3\u20136 weeks<\/p>\n
\nGrade I: 1-2 weeks
\nGrade II: 3-6 weeks <\/p>\n