The Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox decision isn’t really about one player beating out another. It’s about whether San Antonio can make a three-guard setup actually function.
A lot of the chatter around Fox has circled the same two ideas: that Dylan Harper is simply the better option and should take over, or that Fox’s NBA Finals issues should push the Spurs toward an exit. The bigger issue, though, is more practical than that.
Harper and Stephon Castle are already in the building, both talented enough to demand real minutes, and Fox still has enough skill to belong in the mix. The question for Mitch Johnson is whether all three can share the floor in a way that makes sense.
So far, that hasn’t been the case. The Spurs barely used the trio together last season, and when they did, the group finished with a -26.9 net rating.
That’s not nothing, but it also comes with a possible explanation: Fox didn’t have a normal offseason last summer, which may have slowed the chemistry process. With more time together, San Antonio has to find out whether the fit can improve.
There’s a blueprint for how this could work. Manu Ginobili spent much of his career coming off the bench, but he still played close to 30 minutes a night.
In his Sixth Man of the Year and All-NBA seasons, he was on the floor for 30-31 MPG because he was too valuable to sit, and because he fit alongside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. That’s the kind of role Harper can have.
He can come off the bench and still get near 30 minutes, but that only happens if he’s regularly sharing the court with Fox and Castle instead of just rotating in for one of them.
The shooting piece is what makes or breaks it. Indiana’s three-guard lineups during its 2025 NBA Finals run worked because those players could catch and shoot.
That matters for San Antonio, too. With Victor Wembanyama on the floor, the Spurs can survive defensively.
The offense is where things can jam up, especially if the shooting isn’t there and defenders start collapsing into the paint.
If this doesn’t work, the reason should be basketball, not noise. It shouldn’t be about rushing Harper or overreacting to Fox’s postseason resume.
It should be about whether the fit is real. And if it isn’t, then moving on from Fox becomes a fair basketball decision.
That’s the crux of it: the Spurs have good players, and that’s usually a problem every team wants. But if the title window is open now, there’s no point in spending it on lineups that don’t click. If Fox, Harper, and Castle can’t coexist this season, San Antonio would have every right to end the experiment early.
In Other News...
Stephon Castle Is Showing The Spurs Something Fans Have Been Craving
Stephon Castles second NBA season has given the Spurs something they have been building toward for a while: a young guard who is starting to look like more than just a defender with upside. The 2025 Rookie of the Year has taken on real responsibility as a primary ball handler in 2025-26, and the difference has shown up in the way he is creating offense while still bringing the defensive presence that made him so intriguing in the first place.
What makes the growth interesting for San Antonio is not just that Castle is producing, but how he is doing it. His development path has started to draw the kind of comparisons that only come up when a player looks like he might be moving from valuable piece to centerpiece, and the Spurs have to be encouraged by the way his playmaking and scoring are coming along together. If that progression keeps going, the conversation around Castle will not be about whether he fits into the future, but how quickly he can become one of the faces of it. [Read more 🡒]
Victor Wembanyama Is Becoming The Rival Fans Love To Hate
Victor Wembanyamas rise has come with a sharper edge lately, and around the league, that has not gone unnoticed. Fans in Houston, Minnesota and Oklahoma City have already let him hear it after physical run-ins with players from those markets, a reminder that even a young star can pick up a reputation fast when the games get chippy and the spotlight gets brighter.
The latest wave of backlash has only added to the sense that Wembanyama is starting to draw the kind of reaction reserved for players opponents and crowds love to target. He has already said he is chasing greatness rather than approval, and for the Spurs, that is part of the package now: a franchise centerpiece who is becoming impossible to ignore, even when the noise around him turns hostile. [Read more 🡒]
Former Spurs Lottery Pick Just Took A Stunning Career Detour
Joshua Primos basketball path has taken another sharp turn, a reminder of how quickly things can change for a former lottery pick. The 23-year-old was once San Antonios first-round selection in 2021, going 12th overall, before the Spurs waived him following serious allegations and he spent time away from the NBA.
After a brief stop with the Los Angeles Clippers, Primo is now moving overseas to try to keep his career going. The latest stop is Russia, where he has signed a one-year deal with BC Parma, a move that underscores just how unconventional his route back into professional basketball has become. [Read more 🡒]