The Spurs’ problem has changed in a hurry. For years, the issue in San Antonio was simple: there wasn’t enough talent to make a real run. Now the roster has swung all the way to the other side, and Mitch Johnson is the one left sorting through the consequences.
That’s the strange new reality for a team that will head into the 2026-27 season with legitimate NBA players everywhere you look. The roster is deep enough that the hard part is no longer finding bodies.
It’s finding minutes. Johnson has an enviable group, but it also puts him in the middle of a nightly balancing act between winning games and keeping everyone engaged and ready.
A big part of that comes from the young core. Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are entering their second seasons after showing major growth during the year, and there’s reason to think another leap could be coming if they follow the same offseason path Stephon Castle did. The starting group already looks sturdy, though, and that’s where the pressure starts to build.
De’Aaron Fox, Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and Victor Wembanyama formed one of the league’s best units last season, whether you want to call them starters or not. Every one of them is young, every one of them belongs on the floor, and every one of them helps San Antonio win.
Then there’s the rest of the pileup. Tobias Harris, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Tarris Reed Jr., Luke Kornet, and Jayden Quaintance, once he comes back from rehabbing his knee, all sit in the mix as well. That’s a lot of players who can reasonably expect real run, and it’s why the minutes are going to get tight fast.
That’s the catch with being deep. It’s a lot better than the alternative, but it also means somebody who deserves more time is going to end up with less than he wants.
Players want to play, and on a roster this crowded, not everyone can get to 30 minutes a night. What makes one guy laugh can make another one grind his teeth.
Still, this is the kind of problem contenders want. The Spurs’ depth gives them fresher legs over an 82-game season, insurance when injuries hit, and the ability to throw different looks at different opponents. There won’t be a playoff matchup they shouldn’t be able to handle.
The lesson is pretty clear: talent alone only gets you so far. San Antonio learned that last month. Now the challenge is managing all of it, and if Johnson gets that part right, the Spurs could end up as the most adaptable team in basketball.
In Other News...
Chris Paul Still Cannot Believe What Wemby Went Through Before Spurs
Chris Paul spent part of his time in San Antonio doing more than just helping the Spurs on the floor. As a veteran voice in the locker room, he also served as a mentor for younger players, including Victor Wembanyama, and one of the most striking parts of that relationship was learning how different the French stars path to the NBA really was. Paul talked about the contrast between the American high school-to-college pipeline and the European academy system, where basketball development is built around a very different structure.
Wembanyama came up through that route in France with Nanterre 92s academy, which is a long way from the familiar U.S. model most NBA players know. For Paul, the broader lesson was less about basketball skill than about perspective, because Wembanyamas upbringing reflected a level of independence and a developmental track that simply does not exist for most young American prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Bleacher Report Ranking Spurs Sixth Is A Massive Snub
Bleacher Reports latest look at NBA starting fives gave the Spurs a spot that feels a little light for a team coming off a Western Conference title run. Even with the offseason shuffle around the league, San Antonios case is built on something a lot of contenders still have to prove: continuity. The group already knows how to play together, and compared with some of the teams slotted ahead of it, theres a strong argument that chemistry and health give the Spurs a cleaner foundation.
San Antonio also has a lineup that may not stay fixed for long, which only adds to the intrigue. Dylan Harper and Tobias Harris are both names to keep in mind as the season unfolds, and the Spurs have enough flexibility that performance could change the look of the starting five before long. For now, though, the bigger question is whether a team that just won the West really belongs chasing respect rather than setting the standard. [Read more 🡒]
The Spurs Are Becoming The Playoff Team Nobody Wants
The Spurs are starting to look like the kind of playoff opponent nobody in the West wants to see, because the roster gives them more than one way to beat you. Victor Wembanyama is already the obvious problem, a 7-foot-4 rim protector whose presence can warp a game plan, but the larger issue is how San Antonio can keep changing the terms of the matchup from one night to the next.
If teams load up on Wembanyama, the Spurs have downhill answers in Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, and if the series turns into a more physical grind, they can lean on size and depth with Luke Kornet, Tarris Reed Jr. and eventually Jayden Quaintance. That flexibility is what makes them so awkward to prepare for, because they can survive a defensive slog or turn it into a faster, more open game without giving opponents much comfort either way. [Read more 🡒]