The Spurs already found something that worked, and that’s the biggest edge they can carry into 2025-26.
After a full season together, San Antonio no longer has to guess at its best combinations. The team has a real sample now, and the evidence points in one direction: the lineup built around De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and Victor Wembanyama was the one that clicked. Injuries forced the Spurs to shuffle early last season, but once they settled into that group in the second half, they struck gold.
That matters because the Spurs’ lineup choices for next season are suddenly very real. Dylan Harper and Tobias Harris are both in the mix as possible starters, but each path comes with a tradeoff.
Starting Harper would push San Antonio into a three-point-guard look, something the trio barely logged together last season. They shared the floor more in the playoffs, but not enough to draw strong conclusions.
The Harris option is different. He would replace Champagnie in the starting five, bringing size and a longer track record against physical forwards. He can also score in more ways, whether it’s from deep, in the mid-range, or in the post.
Champagnie, though, brings a different kind of value. He is elite as a catch-and-shoot threat and excels when the ball finds him wide open. For a Spurs team that still has spacing concerns, that skill set carries real weight.
Still, the cleanest answer may be the simplest one: don’t change the starting group at all.
Harper looks better suited to torching second units right now, and there’s a strong case for expanding his role without putting him in the opening five. That would make him the Spurs’ new Sixth Man, taking over the job from Keldon Johnson. Devin Vassell also showed he can thrive in a smaller role, but he can’t be expected to prop up the bench by himself.
And if the Spurs are choosing between Champagnie and Harris, Champagnie has the edge in the areas that matter most for this roster. He’s the better shooter, defender, and rebounder, and San Antonio was at its best with him in the lineup. That starting group posted a +18.5 net rating and was even stronger in the playoffs.
Keeping that five together to open next season could be the difference between another slow build and a fast start. The Spurs already know it works.
That kind of certainty is rare, and for a young team with real upside, it’s a major advantage. Harris would still give the bench a scoring boost, while Harper could take on more responsibility behind the starters.
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Holmgren did not name Wembanyama, but the timing and the backdrop made the post feel like another shot in a competition that has followed both players into the league. Their matchup has only grown bigger since the Spurs and Thunder met in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, and every little social media jab now gets read through that lens. For San Antonio, it is just another reminder that this rivalry is not going anywhere anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]