The Spurs knew they were taking the long approach when they drafted Jayden Quaintance with the 20th overall pick. While he fits the exact big man prototype they were missing last season, he only played in four games for Kentucky this year after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in February of 2025 with Arizona State, never quite returning to his usual self and causing his slide from lottery prospect to the back of third of the first round despite being the top defensive prospect in the draft.
He confirmed Tuesday that he expects to undergo one more medical procedure to clean up his knee and get right once and for all. That may seem daunting, and such a procedure usually requires about a 6-month recovery period, so it’s very possible we don’t see him in a Spurs uniform until the 2027 portion of next season, if at all, but the good news is one well known NBA doctor told On3.com that the procedure would be a long-term solution, and once he recovers, that should be the end of any issue with that knee.
Dr. Riley Williams III — head team physician and orthopedic surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets and famous for performing surgery on Paul George’s gruesome open tibia-fibula fracture with USA Basketball in 2014 — gave a second opinion on Quaintance’s injured right knee that limited him to four games in Lexington and recommended a follow-up procedure that could keep him off the floor for six months. The 6-foot-11 prospect’s ACL remains fully intact and his knee can be maintained at its current state, but a clean-up is preferred for a permanent resolution.
…This procedure could lead to a delayed start to his rookie season, but the long-term reward of a healthy 15-year career in the NBA is the prize on the table. It kept teams in the lottery and late teens intrigued, despite rumors of a potential fall to the second round. Sources close to Quaintance felt San Antonio at No. 20 was a backstop for the talented forward going into draft night, an educated hunch that proved to be accurate.
This may sound familiar to some Spurs fans. Back in 2000, Tim Duncan tore his meniscus late in the regular season. He felt he could play through it, but the Spurs decided to sacrifice those playoffs and the defense of their 1999 title for the sake of his long-term career and forced him to get surgery then and there (much to his chagrin at the time). Had he not done the surgery or delayed it for the playoffs but caused even more damage to his knee, it’s quite possible we aren’t talking about an all-time top 10 player and five championships across what would become a 19-year career.
While we obviously aren’t giving Quaintance Duncan-level expectations (that’s Victor Wembanyama’s job), Timmy is a shining example of what taking care of yourself early to avoid long-term impact can lead to, even if your young body thinks you can handle it.
The Spurs already knew they could afford be patient and let Quaintance get healthy, and without the pressure that the lottery brings of choosing THE right guy, they showed they were willing to take a chance on a player with extremely high upside if he can get healthy. Assuming he does, he should end up being well worth the risk. If not, they added an insurance policy by trading up to the 26th pick to select Tarris Reed, another defensive minded big man who is NBA-ready and can help fill the gaps behind Wemby and Luke Kornet on day 1.
