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Popovich: Drafting Duncan was 'all the luck we deserved for a long time'

Chris Covatta / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The San Antonio Spurs will enter the regular season with a depleted roster for the second year in a row.

Amid a recent streak of misfortune for Gregg Popovich and Co., the legendary head coach reminisced about benefiting from 19 seasons of Tim Duncan leading the franchise.

"There's so much junk in the world, you're better off if you look at the cup as half full," Popovich said, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. "I just say, drafting Tim Duncan was probably all the luck we deserved for a long time. Now it's going the other way."

Popovich made the comments after San Antonio lost Lonnie Walker (meniscus tear), Dejounte Murray (ACL tear), and Derrick White (ligament tear in heel) within the last week of preseason games.

"That's three of our youngest, most talented, fastest kids," Popovich continued. "We'll have to deal with it."

Walker was drafted No. 18 overall by the Spurs in June. The 6-foot-5 guard was expected to give Popovich a 3-and-D wing to mix with DeMar DeRozan on the perimeter, but he could now miss a couple months of the season. It's the same meniscus that Walker tore last summer before his lone collegiate season.

Murray's injury - which could be season-ending - came after he made the All-Defensive second team at 21 years old in 2017-18. The tenacious point guard was already beginning to fill the void left by Tony Parker, who signed with the Charlotte Hornets after 17 seasons in San Antonio.

Popovich then turned to White to replace Murray in the starting lineup for the Spurs' preseason contest against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. However, on Friday it was announced that White's expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with his heel injury.

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