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The San Antonio Spurs run to the NBA Finals put the team ahead of schedule, as their young core blossomed into one of the NBA's best groups. Now, they have to find a way to maintain that success with everyone involved.
Of all the Spurs in the playoffs last year, Dylan Harper impressed the most as one of the team's best players in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. However, Harper primarily came off the bench last season, but the second-year guard wants a bigger role this year.
"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."
Harper's emergence means head coach Mitch Johnson is tasked with finding a way to play his three best guards enough to satisfy them all. One way to do that is simply playing them together, which would mean a smaller lineup but also get the team's three best players on the court at once.
Johnson debuted the lineup in the Spurs' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, showing a glimpse of what's to come for the team. Here's what it looked like.
Spurs unveil a three-guard lineup
On Wednesday night, the Spurs played De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle on the floor for a considerable amount of time, a sign that the three should play more together this year. The trio combined for 39 points over 68 minutes in the game.
After Harper's breakout in the playoffs last year, San Antonio entered this season with a good problem to have of too many starting-caliber guards. Therefore, head coach Mitch Johnson had to figure out how to give the three guards the minutes they all deserve.
"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."
However, Johnson stressed that all three players have proven they can play off the ball at times in their various careers. Even though the Spurs didn't use this lineup much in the regular season, the playoffs showed it was necessary to increase its usage.
"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."
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During the 2025-26 season, Fox and Castle had 72 and 68 starts, respectively, while Harper started just four of his 69 games in his rookie season. As Harper developed, it became clear that he deserved a starting position, especially after Harper flatly stated in the offseason his desire to start.
The likely casualties, then, are Harrison Barnes, Julina Champagnie, or Devin Vassell, all of whom started at least 52 games last season. Only one can enter the starting lineup this year if the three guards and Victor Wembanyama take up four of those slots, with Vassell filling that role on Wednesday night.
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