The Spurs are heading into next season with a roster puzzle that could define how far this group can go: how De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper fit together.
That’s the real test in San Antonio. Fox is locked into a massive contract moving forward, while Harper has already shown he’s ready to keep climbing.
If his rookie-year progress carries over, a starting role is coming for him. And once that happens, the Spurs are going to have to live with Fox and Harper as the one-two punch in the backcourt.
Last season didn’t give San Antonio much of a chance to see that partnership in full. Harper didn’t start often, but that’s expected to change. Next year should be the first real look at what it means to have both guards on the floor for heavy, consistent minutes every night.
Harper is already a core piece, and the Spurs know it. His rookie season made that clear, and now the organization has to keep putting him in position to succeed.
Fox matters just as much. Whatever happened in the Finals doesn’t erase why San Antonio made the move for him in the first place.
He’s an All-Star-caliber point guard, and he’s part of the team’s championship picture.
That doesn’t mean the Spurs have to move Fox just to clear the runway for Harper. What they do need is a clean answer on how both guards can thrive together in the starting group.
The shooting is part of the equation. Neither player is a great three-point shooter right now, but any improvement there would make life easier for both of them, especially if they’re going to spend time working off the ball.
In the best-case setup, San Antonio could start Fox, Harper and Stephon Castle together. From there, Mitch Johnson could stagger their minutes so each guard gets stretches as the primary creator with different lineups.
The talent is there. The Spurs have two starting-caliber guards, and both need to be in the lineup.
Now it comes down to Johnson and his staff figuring out the cleanest way to make it all fit. Next season will be the first chance to see whether this backcourt can really work, and that should tell the Spurs plenty about where it’s headed.
In Other News...
Tim Duncan Vs Steph Curry Should Not Even Be A Debate
The Tim Duncan-Steph Curry comparison always starts with style, because the two stars helped define very different eras of basketball. Duncan was the steady force of the Spurs machine, a two-way anchor whose presence translated into year-after-year contention and a trophy case filled with Finals hardware. Curry, meanwhile, changed the geometry of the game with his shooting and pushed the Warriors into a new offensive age, building a legacy that is just as unmistakable even if it looks nothing like Duncans.
Still, the debate gets sharper when the conversation turns from aesthetics to rsum. Duncans case is rooted in consistency, playoff reliability and the kind of championship equity that comes from being the constant in every run, while Currys case leans on revolutionary impact and the way his titles were shaped by a roster that kept evolving around him. For Spurs fans, the appeal is obvious: Duncans greatness never needed asterisk management, and that is exactly why this argument keeps circling back to him. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Looks Like A Spurs Cornerstone But One Debate Remains
Stephon Castle spent his first full run with the Spurs looking every bit like a player the franchise can build around. In 68 regular-season games, he was in the starting lineup almost every night, then carried that same role into the postseason while keeping his all-around production steady and his scoring on the rise.
The part that still hangs over his breakout is less about talent than control. Castles turnover total was a real issue, and the Spurs know that if he is going to keep growing as a lead option, his ball-handling has to become cleaner and more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Bleacher Report Just Validated What Spurs Fans Always Knew About Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan has always been the kind of player Spurs fans appreciated in the way only they could, with the quiet certainty that his value went far beyond the box score. Bleacher Reports latest defensive ranking only adds another layer to that long-held view, placing Duncan near the top of the all-time list and reinforcing the idea that his best work in San Antonio was often felt more than it was celebrated.
What makes the case even stronger is how complete Duncans defensive rsum really was across his 19-year career. He never won Defensive Player of the Year, yet he still set an NBA record with 15 All-Defensive First Team selections, a reminder that his impact on the Spurs identity was as foundational as his offense and maybe even more underrated than his reputation as a top-10 player suggests. [Read more 🡒]