This is a dagger through Spurs nation’s heart. San Antonio is once again going through the same fears as when Victor Wembanyama’s 2024-25 season ended prematurely. This time with Dylan Harper. The rookie left Sunday night’s game in the second quarter abruptly. In a devastating fashion too. He had a very concerning limp in his gait heading into the locker room. And then the sentence we didn’t want to receive came.

“Dylan Harper will not return due to a left calf injury via Spurs PR #PorVida,” was the official Spurs injury report. At that point, the Spurs are down 102-78 at the end of third quarter, threatening their undefeated 5-0 record.

There was 4:49 remaining in the second quarter when Harper was hurt. He grabbed his lower leg and grimaced before he exited the game. Losing him so early is having an enormous effect on the team. He had managed 12 points and 1 rebound (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT) in the 10 or so minutes he played. It was a lot more than Victor Wembanyama’s 4 points and 8 rebounds in the 30 minutes he’s had so far.

The team is so far hinging on Stephon Castle. The guard is matching Devin Booker on the other team, with 23 points for the Spurs so far. Yet that’s not enough to close the 20+ points score gap (111-90 with 8 minutes left in Q4). It’s starting to look like the Spurs are not only going to end their winning streak, but suffer a blowout without one of their best young players.

The severity of the 19-year-old’s injury is being assessed. Whether he’d play on Wednesday against the Lakers is yet to be determined. He’ll likely be monitored till an updated status is reported.

While the Spurs are still struggling in the fourth, spectators in PHX Arena spotted him come out of the locker room – brace yourselves – in a boot.

Dylan Harper’s miserable 2025 saga got extended

What’s baffling is how no one saw it happen. Harper seemingly had no collision, didn’t apparently land wrong, nothing that would explain the circumstances. He got tangled with Phoenix players and fell on his back when he managed to score two points. Another time he apparently dropped his left foot back harder than he should’ve. We won’t know what caused it until the team provides an update.

Till then, fans have their fingers crossed it is a strain. His hobbling didn’t make it seem minor. And after the streak of luck San Antonio has had with its star rookies, they’re terrified of losing Harper for more than one game.

It comes at the worst possible time. Dylan Harper and 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe had split the ROTY race for fan-favorite, Cooper Flagg. The young guard had been averaging 25 minutes per game and commanding 14.4 points with 4.6 rebounds and assists each.

This is giving flashbacks to his recent Rutgers season. A sprained ankle in January 2025 caused him to miss several games before his final college season. He’d also been sidelined by the flu for a while. The second overall draft pick underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his shooting hand in September 2025. Back then, no one thought he’d start his rookie season with such an impact. 2025 has obviously not been kind to him.

The boot now presents a terrifying picture for the Spurs. The difference his absence makes showed with the Spurs losing their undefeated tag with a 13–118 loss. They drop down to 5-1 now going into Wednesday’s game. Hopefully, with their star rookie.