The Spurs may have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, but that alone won’t be enough if they want to take down the Knicks.
San Antonio spent the summer reshaping its frontcourt, and the result is a group that looks far more equipped to handle a long season. Tobias Harris gives the Spurs another starting-caliber option at power forward alongside Julian Champagnie, while also sliding Harrison Barnes down to third on the depth chart.
Barnes showed obvious signs of decline last season and was eventually replaced in the starting five by Champagnie. He was better coming off the bench, but the reality is he doesn’t have as much left as Harris does, even if he can still help in a reserve role.
The Spurs also brought in Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr., who are set to replace a trio of veteran centers who were unplayable. That should strengthen the front line significantly. But if San Antonio is serious about beating New York in an NBA Finals rematch, the real answer has to come from the top of the roster.
The Spurs didn’t lose the Finals because they lacked depth. They lost because their stars didn’t deliver.
De'Aaron Fox had a rough series, capped by a disaster-class Game 4 fourth quarter. Victor Wembanyama played well overall during the NBA Finals, but he had a costly turnover in the final minute of Game 2 and then followed it with an inexplicable foul that sealed the Spurs’ fate.
He also faded late in Game 4 and couldn’t stop the Knicks’ comeback in Game 5. Put simply, Fox and Wembanyama needed to be better - and Fox in particular needed much more.
Fox has to bounce back from that showing. He was dealing with an injury, but even before the Finals he wasn’t performing at an all-star level through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
He averaged 18.8 points and 5.8 assists against the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, which is still well below the level he reached with the Sacramento Kings. San Antonio still has to figure out how to get the most out of him.
One obvious step would be putting the ball in his hands more at point guard and leaning harder into pick and roll with Wembanyama. As for Wembanyama, the issue in Game 4 was clear: he wore down after logging heavy minutes in the first three quarters. In Game 5, his scoring disappeared, and he couldn’t create the easy baskets the Spurs needed.
That points to a bigger need for San Antonio’s franchise center - a reliable go-to shot when the game tightens up. Better stamina would help too. Either way, the Spurs’ ceiling will be decided by their stars, not by how deep the bench looks on paper.
The depth is real. But if the Spurs want to topple the Knicks this season, their best players have to play like it.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Have A Tobias Harris Question That Actually Matters
Tobias Harris landed in San Antonio on a two-year, $31 million deal in July, giving the Spurs another veteran forward to plug into a roster trying to make the most of its recent run to the NBA Finals. At 34, Harris arrives after two seasons with Detroit, where he remained a steady scoring and rebounding presence and posted averages of 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season.
The fit matters because the Spurs are no longer just collecting talent around Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, they are trying to shape a rotation that can hold up in real games. Harris is expected to be part of that mix, and early offseason work has already started to show how the new pieces are being blended together, with the Spurs keeping a close eye on how a veteran like Harris meshes with familiar names and a group still figuring out its pecking order. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookie Fit Next To Wemby Suddenly Carries One Big Concern
Jayden Quaintance arrived with the kind of tools that can make Spurs fans dream about a long-term frontcourt pairing next to Victor Wembanyama. He is widely viewed as a promising defender with real athletic upside, and his profile makes sense for a team that always wants length, activity and switchability around its star. Even with the setbacks that have already followed him, the idea of what he could become in San Antonio is still easy to see.
The concern now is less about the fit and more about the timeline. Quaintance is expected to miss extended time this season because of knee injuries, which clouds when he can actually start building that case on the floor. And while the defensive potential is there, his offensive game remains a work in progress, so his eventual impact will depend not just on getting healthy, but on how much development he can show once he finally gets a run of consistent basketball. [Read more 🡒]
De'Aaron Fox Faces One Spurs Question That Could Change Everything
De'Aaron Fox arrives in San Antonio with the kind of reputation that can still shape a team's plans long after the headline move is over. The Spurs see him as part of their guard rotation and, for now, there is no expectation that they would move him during the season, especially with his contract situation and the reality that teams around the league are not exactly lining up to chase him right now.
The more interesting question is what happens if Fox looks more like himself again. A stronger stretch could change the way he is viewed, both inside the building and on the trade market, giving the Spurs a different kind of flexibility down the road. For now, the path is simple enough: keep him in place, let him settle in, and see whether his play starts creating options that do not exist today. [Read more 🡒]