The Spurs didn’t just need points and possessions after their NBA Finals loss to the Knicks. They needed steady voices.
That’s where De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes stepped in. For a young group still carrying the weight of a five-game defeat to New York, the two veterans became emotional anchors during the offseason, helping a team led by Victor Wembanyama keep moving instead of getting stuck in the aftermath.
Wembanyama has been open about how hard the loss hit him. Jared Weiss of The Athletic reported that the setback even affected his sleep.
“It’s been hard to fall asleep sometimes. Hard emotions.
But there is a point where you accept that you have to go through it. You have to feel all of it.
We don’t want to hide from anything,” the Spurs superstar declared.
Barnes understood exactly what that kind of hurt looks like. At NBA Media Day, he leaned into the kind of perspective only a veteran can offer.
“It’s okay to lose sleep over it. You can take a nap.
But the biggest thing is having that frame of reference. We’re not trying to accelerate or get anywhere quicker than what’s in front of us,” the Spurs veteran declared.
That message carries real weight coming from Barnes. He lived through the rise of the mid-2010s Golden State Warriors, including the 2015 title run and the following season, when Golden State won 73 games before losing a 3-1 Finals lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
Fox brought a different kind of example. He was one of the Spurs players under the microscope after the Finals loss to the Knicks, but he didn’t hide from it or lean on his ankle sprain as an excuse. Instead, he answered directly and took ownership.
“I was able to play through, and I played. I wish I played better, but I didn’t. feel like I have a gift of being able to move on, and I’ve moved on from it," Fox declared.
That response fits the Spurs’ culture as described in the source material, one shaped by Gregg Popovich and carried forward by Mitch Johnson: vulnerability, accountability, and the ability to deal with hard moments without running from them.
Johnson now has a roster full of young talent, including Carter Bryant, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, and the Spurs will need more than talent if they want to get past the sting of the Finals. Barnes and Fox may matter most not only for what they do on the floor, but for how they steady the room when the frustration starts to build.
Wembanyama remains the center of everything for San Antonio. But after a collapse that left the group wrestling with grief, the Spurs also know they’ve got two veterans who can help carry the emotional load.
In Other News...
Spurs Title Hopes Now Ride On Stephon Castle Becoming More
The Spurs did not spend the summer tearing up a roster that reached the NBA Finals, so the next step in San Antonio is supposed to come from inside the building. A lot of that burden lands on Stephon Castle, whose second NBA season brought visible growth as a shooter, defender and playmaker, enough progress to make him look like a player the Spurs can trust in bigger moments.
What they need now is more offense, and more often, from a young guard the team believes can rise to an All-Star level. If Castle makes that leap, it would give San Antonio another layer alongside De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama, and make the Spurs less dependent on any one route to scoring when the games tighten in the spring. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Vassell Has A Big New Role In The Spurs Next Step
At Spurs media day, the mood around Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and rookie Carter Bryant leaned playful, but the conversation also pointed to something more important for San Antonios next step. Bryant, who was drafted in 2026, has already drawn attention inside the building for his work ethic and long-term upside, and he has been soaking up what he can from Vassell as he adjusts to the NBA level.
For Vassell, entering his seventh season, the backdrop is different after the Spurs recent run to the NBA Finals. He is no longer just one of the young pieces in the room, but a player expected to help guide the next wave, and Bryants development is part of that picture as San Antonio tries to build on its latest breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Camp Could Force A Tough Back End Roster Decision
Tobias Harris has settled in with the Spurs as a veteran forward looking for one more run at the highest level, and the fit makes sense on paper. San Antonio sees a player who can bring steadiness, size and experience to a roster that is still trying to sort out its next step, while Harris landed in a place he believes can help him compete for the kind of finish he has in mind.
Around the division, the conversation keeps circling back to how much roster flexibility still matters this time of year. For the Spurs, Harriss arrival adds useful depth, but it also sharpens the competition at the back end of the roster, where every spot has to be justified and every practice matters. With training camp shaping up to be more revealing than usual, San Antonio may soon have to make one of those uncomfortable decisions that comes with trying to balance present value against long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]