Newly signed Spurs forward Rudy Gay was cleared to play this week following a left Achilles injury suffered on January 18 as a member of the Sacramento Kings. The 11-year man out of Connecticut will turn 31 before heading into the 2017-18 season, though age and injury are the last things on his mind. In an interview with ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, Gay said, “Looking at my career, it’s just time to win. That’s what it’s mostly about. I’ve been in this league for a little while now, and I haven’t gotten out of my career what I wanted. Coming to a place like San Antonio, it just seemed perfect for me.”

Despite the severity of Gay’s last season injury, the Spurs are among the NBA’s elite organizations concerning player rehabilitation and minute management. Coupled with ranking 7th in assists per game and the union of Gay and the Spurs should be fruitful, limiting Gay’s overuse while he provides time as a consistent secondary scoring option.

Furthermore, the Spurs recently renounced the rights to spark plug Jonathan Simmons who agreed to a contract in Orlando, which again bodes well for Gay’s opportunities in San Antonio. Also, without a timeline for Tony Parker’s return and a troublesome relationship with LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs were greatly in need of another potential scorer to maintain the offense during Leonard’s moments of respite.