Spurs' second overall pick undergoes surgery! Repairing partial tear in left thumb ligament, still expected to play in season opener

On September 6th Beijing time, ESPN reporter Shams revealed that sources told ESPN that San Antonio Spurs' second overall pick Dylan Harper had surgery on Friday local time to fix a partial tear in the ligament of his left thumb suffered during practice on Wednesday. Harper is anticipated to be prepared for the season opener scheduled for October 23rd in Dallas.

Harper appeared in just two Las Vegas Summer League games, averaging 22.1 minutes, contributing 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, but his shooting percentage was only 35.7%, with a three-point rate of 12.5%. Clearly, he still needs to better adjust to the pace of NBA competition.

The 19-year-old Harper, son of Bulls legend Ron Harper, stands 1.98 meters tall. In the 2024-25 NCAA season, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, shooting 48.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.

Although Harper has been troubled by injury, fortunately it is not severe and is not expected to sideline him for long. At present, he is likely to participate in the season opener. In contrast, Thunder’s 15th pick Sobe has had worse luck, suffering a torn ACL in his right knee during practice, and the Thunder have officially announced that Sobe will miss the entire 2025-26 season.