Despite being one of 22 teams that will head to Orlando, Florida to resume the NBA season in July, the San Antonio Spurs aren’t expected to make any noise this year. The Spurs were already long shots to reach the playoffs, and now the team has announced that its best player won’t be available.

LaMarcus Aldridge underwent surgery on his right shoulder that will force him to miss the remainder of the 2019-2020 season. He missed six games with the injury before returning to score 24 points in a March 10 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The season was suspended indefinitely the next night when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

“Disappointed I won't get to finish the season with my teammates, but excited that I'll be fully ready to go next season and beyond,” Aldridge said in a statement.

The Spurs barely made the cut to continue their season. The top 13 Western Conference teams will compete at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. San Antonio is currently the No.12 seed in the West.

With a 27-36 record, the Spurs are four games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No.8 seed. Each team is scheduled to play eight games in Orlando.

If the No.8 and No.9 seed in a conference are separated by fewer than four games at the end of the regular season, they’ll play head-to-head with the final playoff berth on the line. In order to clinch a postseason spot, the No.8 seed would need to beat the No.9 seed once. The No.9 seed would need two victories.

The Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings stand in the way of San Antonio’s playoff hopes. All three of those teams are a half-game ahead of the Spurs in the standings.

San Antonio went 2-4 with Aldridge out of the lineup. The Spurs are 5-10 in their last 15 games.

When the players agreed to the 22-team format to eventually resume the season, FanDuel Sportsbook gave the Spurs 11/1 odds to make the playoffs. San Antonio’s odds have since dropped to 17/1.

Aldridge leads the Spurs with 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He’s second on the team with 18.9 points per game and a 19.89 PER.

Aldridge was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019. His scoring average, rebounds per game and shooting percentage is his worst since the 2016-2017 season.

The Spurs have made 22 straight playoff appearances. San Antonio went 48-34 last year and was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the conference quarterfinals.

LaMarcus Aldridge Spurs
Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs talks with LaMarcus Aldridge #12 during play against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Dec. 12, 2017 in Dallas. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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