The Spurs’ biggest lineup puzzle is no longer a problem they can punt down the road. It’s here, it’s real, and San Antonio already started testing the answer.
On Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, Mitch Johnson put De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle on the floor together for a meaningful stretch, giving fans a first look at what a three-guard setup could look like with this team. The trio delivered 39 points across 68 minutes, a clear sign the Spurs are willing to lean into a smaller look if it means keeping their best players involved.
That’s the central issue now: too much guard talent, not enough obvious compromise. Harper’s rise last season changed the equation. He was one of San Antonio’s best players in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, even though he mostly came off the bench, and that role clearly isn’t something he wants repeated.
"What's the political answer here?" Harper told GQ in September.
"I'm going to do whatever the team needs me to do, man. If that's come off the bench…That's crazy.
F*** no. I ain't coming off no bench."
Johnson didn’t dodge the reality of it. He knows the conversation around the lineup, but he keeps landing on the same point: the Spurs’ best players deserve the floor, even if that means reworking the shape of the roster on the fly.
"I understand the narrative around it. I always land on the same reasoning at the very end of it," he said, via ESPN.
"They're three of our better players. I know the majority of their lives, maybe their highlight tape is typically with the basketball in their hands."
The coach also pointed out that all three have spent time without the ball in different stages of their careers. And while the regular season didn’t feature this grouping often, the playoffs showed the Spurs there’s value in using it more.
"Obviously, when we were in the Finals, and just throughout the playoffs, there were times where we all three played together, a lot more than we did throughout the regular season," Fox said. "But we knew there was a chance that we'd all be starting or at least sharing the court together. We're all excited for it."
The starting picture is where things get crowded. Fox started 72 games last season, Castle 68, and Harper just four in his rookie year before his development made a bigger role feel inevitable. Harper also made his stance clear in the offseason that he wants to start.
That leaves San Antonio deciding who gets squeezed out if the Spurs roll with Fox, Castle, Harper and Victor Wembanyama among the starting group. Harrison Barnes, Julina Champagnie and Devin Vassell all started at least 52 games last season, but only one of them can likely hold onto a spot if the new guard-heavy look sticks. Vassell was the one in that role on Wednesday night.
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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 🡒]