Dylan Harper’s rise is coming, and when it does, the Spurs will have a lineup decision on their hands. Someone is going to slide to the second unit. The real question is whether San Antonio can make that adjustment without pushing Devin Vassell out of the starting group.
That matters because Vassell has spent his Spurs career proving he can bend without breaking. He arrived as a polished scoring prospect, got as high as 19.5 points per game on .472/.372/.801 shooting in his fourth season, and then gradually gave up touches for the good of the team.
Now he looks like one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings. Vassell is hitting 38.4 percent from three, and Basketball Index has him in the 83rd percentile or better in ball screen navigation, off-ball chaser defense and perimeter isolation defense. He’s not just a spacer anymore; he’s the kind of player who steadies everything around him.
That’s exactly why he should stay in the starting five as Mitch Johnson sorts through lineups and tries to settle on a final group. Vassell simplifies the game for his teammates, brings relentless effort, and has a knack for showing up when the pressure rises.
The on-court numbers back that up. In 2025-26, all three of the Spurs’ top cornerstones were better with Vassell on the floor than when he sat, Harper included.
Harper and Vassell did not spend a ton of time together last season. Databallr says they shared just 638 minutes, which is enough to raise the question of whether they can fit cleanly side by side. But the minutes they did share were encouraging for Vassell’s case.
With Vassell alongside him, Harper’s production jumped by 2.3 points and 1.0 assist per 75 possessions, and his three-point percentage soared by 21.4 percent.
That pattern showed up elsewhere, too. Victor Wembanyama posted gains in points, assists and rebounds per 75 possessions with Vassell on the court, along with increases in true shooting percentage of +4.5 and three-point field goal percentage of +4.4.
Stephon Castle saw similar benefits. His numbers climbed in those same categories, including a huge +12.7 bump in true shooting percentage and a +5.0 rise in three-point field goal percentage.
Vassell’s value goes beyond the box score. He can defend positions 1 through 4, sits in the 92nd percentile in off-ball shot making efficiency, and has the kind of midrange touch that can matter in postseason games and series.
So while Harper’s move into the starting lineup feels inevitable, the Spurs should make sure Vassell remains part of that first group. The evidence says he’s helping the very players who define the team’s future.
In Other News...
Spurs Fans Just Got A Lonnie Walker Reunion They Didn't Expect
Lonnie Walker IV is back in the Western Conference mix, this time on a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets. For Spurs fans, it is another reminder of a player who once came through San Antonio as a draft pick and has since bounced around the league and overseas before landing in Denver, where he is expected to give the defending West powers a deeper bench.
Walkers path has always made him one of those names that can pop up anywhere and still feel familiar in San Antonio. The Nuggets are betting on him as reserve insurance and another source of perimeter depth, while Spurs supporters are left watching an old friend re-enter the conference in a role that could matter if Denvers second unit needs a lift. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Decision Could Shape Spurs' Long-Term Title Window
The conversation around rookie max extensions has shifted lately, and ESPNs Bobby Marks pointed to a possible new pattern after the recent trade involving Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas. For San Antonio, that matters because Stephon Castle has quickly become one of the most important young pieces on a roster already built around Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs have spent years establishing the kind of team culture that makes long-term planning feel intentional rather than reactive.
If Castle keeps developing at the expected pace, he could land in the same contract conversation, and the timing of that decision would carry real weight for the Spurs salary cap and their bigger championship picture. San Antonio has already set one precedent with Wembanyama, and what happens with Castle could help determine how tightly the franchise can hold together its core while keeping a clear path to a title window that is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Could Face A Brutal Devin Vassell Decision Soon
The Spurs are already staring at the kind of payroll squeeze that can arrive faster than a young team expects. With Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper all set to command bigger extensions down the line, San Antonio will have to map out how much money it can realistically commit around its core while the salary cap keeps climbing. Devin Vassell sits squarely in the middle of that conversation because his deal is part of the structure the front office now has to fit everything else around.
It is the sort of long-range planning that can force uncomfortable choices even when the basketball fit still makes sense. San Antonio would prefer to keep as much talent as possible, but the second apron is the type of line teams have learned to treat seriously, especially when one more hefty contract could tip the balance. For the Spurs, the question is not whether Vassell matters. It is how long they can keep the roster together before the math starts demanding a harder answer. [Read more 🡒]