SAN ANTONIO - Harrison Barnes knows what it looks like when a team starts to click.
For him, it was the NBA Cup when the Spurs first felt like a group with title-level potential, the point when the pieces started fitting together and the belief got real.
"I thought we were able to put some things together that gave the collective an idea of, 'OK, we can do this,'" Barnes said at shootaround on Wednesday, pointing back to a very different stretch from his first season in San Antonio, when the Spurs opened 6-8.
That earlier version is still fresh in his mind, too, and not in a way he wants to revisit.
"Those first 10 to 15 games, it was like, 'OK, there's a lot of growth and potential that we have,'" Barnes recalled, "'but we're not quite there as a unit yet.'"
Barnes lived through the long build. He was there for the 22-win season, the deep vein thrombosis diagnosis for Victor Wembanyama, the pinkie ligament damage for De'Aaron Fox and, as it turned out, the final full NBA season of Chris Paul's career. A year later, he got to enjoy the Spurs' first trip to the NBA Finals since 2014.
That doesn’t mean he sees preseason as a formality now. San Antonio’s 0-3 start to its five-game exhibition schedule has already reminded the roster that nothing carries over automatically.
"You still have to put in the work," Barnes said. "You still have to put in the collective time.
Sometimes, it can be a fallacy to just say, 'OK, cool, we'll just pick up with late-season execution and (we'll be) just right there on point.' You still have to build every step."
That message matters even more now, with the Spurs trying to sort through minor injuries, planned rest and the complications of bringing three rookies into the group. Wednesday night finally gives them a look at their three-guard starting lineup, but the preseason has made continuity hard to find.
The rookies are still learning how different the league feels. Tarris Reed Jr. put it plainly.
"Everybody's good here," Reed said. "That's been the biggest difference between here and in college.
(That) and the space. There's a lot more space in the NBA."
That learning curve leaves the Spurs with just two games left - including what should be a full "dress rehearsal" for Mitch Johnson's rotations - to build the kind of energy they want when the games count. San Antonio knows the next 96 minutes matter.
"That'll be a big thing for us," Barnes said. "Just making sure that we're starting off on the right foot.
Teams are going to obviously be physical, bring the pressure (and) be on point to start. We can't ease our way into games.
We have to start executing the right way."
So far, the preseason has offered a little of everything. Against the Hawks, the reserves couldn't survive a second-half push.
Against the Jazz, the starters didn't play at all. The game that likely stung most came on the road against Phoenix, and the Spurs want a better answer when they see the Suns again at home.
"They had great intensity," Barnes said. "They picked us up full court. They were disruptive."
Even with more of their starters available, San Antonio is still chasing its first preseason win. Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet and Julian Champagnie are next in line for planned rest, and the absences have not given the Spurs much room to settle in.
By next week, they hope to know more clearly what this team looks like. A year ago, they opened with a franchise-best 5-0 start, and while they’d love something sharper now, the broader goal is simpler: clean up the details before the season starts.
"The whole preseason," Johnson said. "There's just been some times where we've got to make sure that we are putting our energy in the right spots. Being simple as that can be."
Barnes put the goal even more directly.
"It's just a matter of (whether) we can put together a better 48 minutes than we've done in the first three games. That's what we're looking for tonight."
In Other News...
Mavericks Make Another Early Camp Cut As Roster Decisions Begin
Training camp decisions are starting to take shape around the league, and there has been movement that matters for teams trying to sort out the edges of their roster. The New Orleans Pelicans brought back center Hunter Dickinson on a non-guaranteed camp contract with Exhibit 10 language after waiving him from a two-way deal in August, while the Spurs added Kendall Brown on a training camp agreement and the Kings signed David Muoka on a similar one.
For San Antonio, the Brown addition fits into the broader early-camp churn that always comes with this part of the calendar, when teams are testing depth and looking for low-risk evaluations. Elsewhere in the West, the Mavericks have already started trimming their own group by requesting waivers on Jorge Diaz Graham after his recent preseason appearance, a reminder that more roster moves are likely to follow as camp jobs get sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Have More Riding On This Season Than Ever
The Western Conference is shaping up to be a moving target, and the Spurs are right in the middle of it. With Minnesota shaking up its roster, the Lakers resetting around Luka Doncic after LeBron James departure, and plenty of eyes on a crowded race of rising teams, San Antonio suddenly feels like a club with a lot more to prove than just progress. Even the Spurs coaching setup is part of the conversation, with Billy Donovan in the lead assistant role as the organization tries to turn its promise into something sturdier.
There is plenty of league-wide noise around individual breakouts and title expectations, from Cooper Flaggs All-NBA buzz to the possibility of Doncic chasing the scoring crown, but the Spurs own path may be the most interesting of all. The sense around the West is that Oklahoma City and San Antonio could be among the regular-season powers, yet the bigger question is whether that kind of rise actually translates when the games get tighter and the stakes get higher. For the Spurs, this season is starting to feel less like another step forward and more like a test of how real the climb actually is. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Have Found An Early Answer Behind Wembanyama
The Spurs went into the preseason looking for a little more certainty behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, and rookie Tarris Reed Jr. has given them a promising early look. Acquired in a trade after being drafted by the Nuggets, Reed has stood out with his rebounding and work on the defensive end, the kind of low-drama contributions that can quickly earn trust in San Antonio.
Devin Vassell has already noticed, and that matters for a young player trying to carve out a role before the games count. Reed appears to have the edge right now for the third big-man spot, especially with fellow rookie Jayden Quaintance still coming back from a knee procedure, but the Spurs will still have to decide how much of that preseason momentum turns into real minutes once the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]