Tony Parker: Aiming for late-November return

It’s excellent news for Parker, who ruptured the tendon in a May 3 playoff game
against the Rockets and later underwent surgery. The expectation was that the
veteran would be sidelined until at least early January following the procedure,
but his rapid healing apparently has him on track to beat that estimated
timetable by nearly a month. The Spurs likely won’t issue an official timeline
for Parker until he resumes practicing again, and given that he turned 35 years
old in May, it’s possible the team errs on the side of caution and holds him out
until December. With that in mind, don’t count on Parker, who averaged 10.1
points in 25.2 minutes per game in 2016-17, his lowest marks since his rookie
campaign, to make an appearance in the first month of the season, and it’s quite
likely that he’ll see his role shrink further as he prepares for his 17th season
in San Antonio. Backups Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray will likely split time
running the offense while Parker is sidelined at the beginning of the season,
and should handle all the minutes at point guard in occasional contests to
follow due to coach Gregg Popovich’s tendency to periodically rest Parker.