Spurs list Tony Parker as questionable for Tuesday

Cory Joseph's starting point guard audition ahead of restricted free agency this summer may be at its end.

For the first time since Christmas Day, Tony Parker may be able to suit up for the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday when the team takes on the Detroit Pistons. Head coach Gregg Popovich had previously said Parker may be able to play, and the team officially listed him as questionable on Monday.

The left hamstring strain that Parker has been struggling with has kept him out of five consecutive games and 14 games in total this season. The Spurs have gone 3-2 in this most recent stretch and 7-7 without him overall, causing a bit of a disappointing slide to seventh in the Western Conference at 21-14.

Parker's offensive creativity is nearly impossible to replicate, and while on-off court data is unfriendly to Parker over the course of this season and last, his absence is visibly notable. In the 21 games he has played, he's averaged 16.2 points and 5.2 assists in 31 minutes, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 62.1 percent from long range.

His absence has opened the door for Joseph to prove himself a capable starter, and the 23-year-old Canadian has taken advantage. In his 14 starts, Joseph is averaging 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent on threes and providing stellar defense. 

There's always the hope that an injury has a silver lining, and Joseph's play and improved reliability come playoff time could be just that in this case.