Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Monday rookie Jayden Quaintance is “doing great” rehabbing his right knee following offseason surgery.
Johnson gave the update after a reporter asked the coach before a home game against Utah if the team expected the 6-foot-10, 255-pound forward to play this season.
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Johnson didn’t answer the question directly, but his reply indicated the team is likely targeting the 2027-28 season for the 19-year-old Cleveland native’s debut.
“That’s one of those deals when a young man is going to have a road like that, you just want him to kind of get lost in the process of it,” Johnson said. “He’s done great with that while also being super engaged with his teammates and the staff. I have no expectation other than him just kind of (continuing) to pound the rock and being around the team as much as possible.”
The Spurs haven’t given a timetable for his recovery, but it seems likely that given the procedure and his age (19), 2026-27 will essentially be a redshirt season for Quaintance.
The Spurs selected Quaintance 20th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft knowing he would need a procedure to clean up damage to his meniscus. He suffered a torn ACL in February 2025 as a freshman at Arizona State before transferring to Kentucky. The injury required surgery and limited him to only four appearances last season.
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This article originally published at Spurs’ Quaintance ‘doing great’ in rehab from offseason knee surgery.
