Mitch Johnson’s most talked-about lineup might be the one that made the strongest case for changing course.
In preseason game four against the Suns’ backup dancers, the Spurs finally gave fans a half-long look at the much-discussed guard-heavy group featuring De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama. It was enough to show both why the idea has appeal and why the concerns have been obvious from the start.
The rebounding issues were real. The shooting needed to be better.
And still, there were enough encouraging moments to keep the experiment alive for now.
First, the label needs fixing: Vassell isn’t really a forward in the traditional sense, which makes this a four-guard lineup, not a three-guard one. That distinction matters, even if only barely. The bigger point is that the Spurs are leaning into a setup that asks a lot of their perimeter talent while putting Wembanyama at the center of everything.
The first quarter made the spacing problem easy to see. Phoenix didn’t treat Fox or Harper like reliable shooters early, and that crowded the floor fast.
Fox went 2/2 from 3-point range and Harper hit 1/2, while Castle went 0/2 from deep. Even with those numbers, the Suns’ backups were willing to live with the shot and sit on driving lanes, and San Antonio opened 1-10 from the field.
There was a bright stretch late in the first half when the starters returned and finally started stringing together made baskets. The Spurs looked more connected, and the offense began to breathe a little. Whether that would have held up against Dillon Brooks and Devin Booker is impossible to know from this game alone, but the closing run at least showed what the group might look like when the pieces start to click.
The defense came out sharp, too. Phoenix didn’t score for the first two and a half minutes, and San Antonio’s activity stood out right away. The Spurs were aggressive in the passing lanes and active contesting shots, which gave the whole group some early juice.
The trouble started once the Suns settled in. Phoenix found ways to pull Wembanyama away from the rim, and when he stayed near the basket, they attacked him there as well. That approach isn’t something anyone expects to work consistently against the Alien, but it was effective enough in this setting to raise an eyebrow.
There was a bigger-picture takeaway once Fox sat out the second half in his first night of action and Harrison Barnes replaced him alongside the starters. That group looked the most comfortable all night. The Spurs pushed the lead to nearly 20 points, and the formula was simple: two ball handlers, two spacers, and Wembanyama in the middle.
That doesn’t mean the four-guard idea should be written off. New lineups take time.
But the Spurs also can’t afford to burn regular-season games while searching for the right mix. They’ve already made their ambitions clear, and if this team really intends to chase the number one seed with a guard-heavy starting five, the learning curve can’t drag on for long.
In Other News...
Spurs Camp Cuts Put New Focus On A Roster Battle To Watch
The Spurs trimmed their camp roster ahead of the 2026/27 season by waiving Taelon Peter, Malik Williams and Terry Taylor, part of the usual late-preseason sorting that comes with training camp competition. It is the kind of move that rarely grabs headlines on its own, but it does sharpen the focus on who is still standing as the Spurs continue to shape the back end of the roster.
Around the league, several other teams were making similar decisions, with the Hawks signing Giorgi Bezhanishvili to an Exhibit 10 deal, the Jazz adding Chance Moore and the Cavaliers waiving Jaxson Robinson. Cole Swider, DeAndre Williams and Steven Crowl were also let go by the Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets, respectively, underscoring how active this stretch can be as teams settle on their final looks before the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Be Seeing An Early Answer Behind Victor Wembanyama
The Spurs have spent the preseason looking for the kind of sturdy interior presence that can take some of the burden off Victor Wembanyama, and rookie center Tarris Reed Jr. has given them a promising early look. Reed has stood out for his work on the glass and around the rim, including a 17-rebound game against Utah and another strong showing against Phoenix, where he finished with three blocks and nine rebounds.
For a young big trying to earn trust in a crowded rotation, that sort of consistency matters as much as the headline numbers. Reed said he plans to keep bringing effort and persistence, and San Antonio will be watching to see whether that carries into a steady role as the season gets closer. The Spurs could use a reliable backup behind Wembanyama, and Reed has at least made that conversation worth having. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Already Have One Big Concern With This Wembanyama Experiment
The Spurs spent a preseason look against Phoenixs backups trying something ambitious, dropping DeAaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama into a guard-heavy lineup that was always going to be watched closely. It was the first time that group had played together, according to coach Mitch Johnson, and even in a small sample it hinted at both sides of the equation San Antonio is trying to balance: enough ballhandling and perimeter talent to pressure defenses, plus the kind of size and activity Wembanyama brings to everything around him.
What showed up quickly, though, was the downside. The group flashed defensive promise, but the spacing and shooting issues were apparent early, leaving the Spurs with a familiar preseason question as they keep sorting through rotations before the games start to count. The idea is intriguing enough to keep revisiting, but the early returns suggest there is still plenty to iron out before this kind of look can be counted on in regular-season minutes. [Read more 🡒]