The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as the No. 2 team in the Western Conference standings this season without attracting much attention at all. In the franchise’s first season without Tim Duncan since 1996-97, head coach Gregg Popovich has managed to keep his always professional squad focused on piling up wins and staying among the ranks of the NBA’s top few contenders. So far, everything has proceeded as planned with no real hiccups.

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Now, though, the Spurs might now be faced with their first serious test of the season. The organization announced Thursday that starting center Pau Gasol fractured the fourth metacarpal in his left hand during warmups for that night’s game at the Denver Nuggets:

The lack of a timetable means it’s hard to judge exactly how much Gasol’s injury means to the Spurs. Whatever the case, it would not be a surprise to see him miss several weeks, a meaningful stretch of time given that San Antonio came into Thursday only one game up on the Houston Rockets for second-place in the conference.

However, the Spurs should be able to replace Gasol without major incident. LaMarcus Aldridge is not a traditional center and has balked at playing the position in the past, but he slid over to the spot on Thursday as veteran power forward David Lee replaced Gasol in the starting lineup. It would not be a surprise to see Aldridge hold down the pivot in Pau’s absence, and reserve center Dwayne Dedmon should see more time after serving as a pleasant surprise early this season.

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In a practical sense, the Spurs should be fine — they still have Kawhi Leonard, the best coach in the league, and lots of talented veterans. Even a worst-case scenario isn’t so bad, because the Spurs are good enough to make up whatever ground they lose against the Rockets or others later in the season. They’ll still be in good shape as long as they stay close to a top-three seed.

More generally, though, the news of a 36-year-old starter injuring himself is part of why it’s hard to banish all worries about the Spurs as they move towards the playoffs. While Leonard and Aldridge are clearly the most important players on the team, San Antonio still depends heavily on veterans like Gasol and Tony Parker, who also sat out Thursday’s game due to a left foot sprain. Gasol’s fracture shouldn’t derail the Spurs’ path to the postseason too much, but it serves as a reminder of the Spurs’ fragility compared to their younger competition.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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