Spurs Unveil Three-Guard Lineup With Fox, Castle, Harper

Mitch Johnson is dismantling the starting five that carried the San Antonio Spurs to last season’s NBA Finals. The head coach elevated 20-year-old rookie Dylan Harper into the opening lineup for Wednesday’s 123-103 preseason victory over the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center, creating a three-guard configuration alongside De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle that fundamentally alters how the team will attack defenses in 2026-27.

The experiment required just 44 combined minutes of shared floor time during last year’s playoff run and 25 minutes across the entire regular season. Johnson acknowledged the limited sample size but dismissed concerns about disrupting a championship-caliber rotation. His rationale centers on maximizing the roster’s highest-ceiling talent rather than preserving positional orthodoxy.

“They are three of our better players,” Johnson said. “I always land on the same reasoning at the very end of it.”

Deploying three guards simultaneously forces Devin Vassell, listed at 6-foot-5, to slide up to power forward. While undersized lineups have become increasingly viable across the league as pace accelerates, sacrificing frontcourt bulk invites rebounding vulnerabilities against traditional two-big sets. Vassell accepted the adjustment without hesitation, noting that the coaching staff intends to maintain the alignment even when 6-foot-8 forward Tobias Harris returns from the injured list ahead of next week’s regular-season opener against Oklahoma City.

The tactical shift reflects broader NBA trends favoring multi-handler offenses capable of generating paint pressure from multiple angles. Rather than relying solely on Fox — acquired in a blockbuster trade last February — to orchestrate the half-court, San Antonio now fields three distinct ball-dominant creators. Castle, who led the team with 18 points Wednesday by drawing constant contact at the rim, thrives as an attacking slasher. Harper provides secondary playmaking and perimeter shooting, while Fox operates as the primary initiator and transition threat.

Integration did not happen instantly. The new starting unit opened the game shooting 1-for-10, prompting Johnson to substitute Carter Bryant for Fox before the first quarter reached the seven-minute mark. By halftime, however, the trio had combined for 19 points and fueled an 11-point swing over the final three minutes of the second quarter. Fox capped his return from hip tightness — which sidelined him for San Antonio’s first three exhibition games — with a one-handed dunk over Suns forward Rasheer Fleming.

Victor Wembanyama anchored the defensive end behind the smaller backcourt. The 7-foot-4 center noted the early offensive stagnation but emphasized how quickly the rhythm shifted once the guards stopped hesitating. Wembanyama spent part of August organizing private workouts in Paris with Fox, Castle, and Harper, accelerating their off-court chemistry before training camp began.

Harper’s promotion marks a sharp departure from his rookie campaign, where conditioning issues restricted him to roughly 20 minutes per game during the first half of the schedule. Now fully integrated into the rotation, his presence allows Johnson to stagger Fox’s workload. The 28-year-old point guard remains subject to a minutes restriction early in the preseason, which prompted Harrison Barnes to open the second half in Fox’s place Wednesday.

San Antonio faces the Sacramento Kings on Friday at Frost Bank Center in its final tune-up before the regular season begins.