San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his knee and will be out indefinitely, the team announced on Thursday. Vassell's procedure is set to take place on Jan. 11 in New York City, and the team will issue updates on his status when appropriate.
Vassell, the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is in the midst of a breakout season for the Spurs. His 19.4 points -- good for second on the team behind Keldon Johnson -- four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game are all career-highs, as is his 40.4 percent mark from 3-point land.
The only negative has been lingering knee soreness that has forced Vassell to the sidelines at various points this season. He's missed nine games overall, including three of the Spurs' last four. "[The knee] has good days and bad days," Vassell said earlier this month. "That's all I would say about it."
Though he's tried to manage the soreness and continue playing, it eventually got to a point where it made more sense to get it scoped. This procedure will hopefully clean up whatever small issues have been bothering him before it gets worse and leads to a serious, long-term injury.
Plus, even if the Spurs won't admit it publicly, it makes sense for them to start looking ahead to the 2023 NBA Draft, which features potential franchise-changing prospects in Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. They already have the fourth-worst record in the league at 12-26, and shutting Vassell down for an indefinite period should help them sink even lower in the standings. If they finish with one of the three worst records, that will increase their odds for the No. 1 overall pick to a 14 percent chance.
