The San Antonio Spurs are staring down their preseason opener against Atlanta on Thursday, and coach Mitch Johnson’s starting five is still a massive puzzle with two spots wide open. To make things even wilder, prized free-agent acquisition Tobias Harris is already sidelined, ruled out for the *entire* preseason with a left calf strain. This isn’t just a minor blip, it’s a huge question mark hanging over their early season plans, especially when you’re talking about a player ticketed for a starting job.
Two Spots Up For Grabs, But Nobody’s Sweating It (Much)
Look, everyone knows who the big guns are: All-Star center Victor Wembanyama, All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, and rising backcourt star Stephon Castle are locked in. Those three are cemented, no question. But beyond that, it’s a TBD situation, and it might just stay that way. Julian Champagnie, who might be one of those guys fighting for a spot, summed it up perfectly: “I don’t think it matters. We can have the same starting lineup all year or we could have five different ones. To me it doesn’t matter.” That’s the kind of team-first mentality you want to hear, especially when Keldon Johnson, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, is echoing it: “We just want to win. We’re a pretty tight group. And whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, our main objective is to win as many games as possible.” The focus is clearly on winning, not just who gets the intro.
Harris’s Calf Strain Adds Another Layer to the Backcourt Puzzle
With Tobias Harris out for all of preseason, it makes figuring out those two open spots even more challenging for Coach Johnson. Champagnie, who started a bunch last season, is probably gonna step right back into a starting role, at least for now. He’s ready for it, telling reporters, “I trust in coach. Whatever he needs me to do is what I’m going to do. Whatever the team needs me to do is where I’m going to be at.” That’s a good attitude!
But the real drama might be brewing in the backcourt. Fox and Castle are returning starters, no shocker there. But then you’ve got Dylan Harper, this 20-year-old wunderkind sophomore who’s earned an elevated role and is primed to explode this season. Coach Johnson has vowed to get all three of them on the court together more often. Will he start all three? He hasn’t said yes, but he definitely hasn’t said no, either. He’s playing it cool, saying, “We just have to get more hours of on-the-job training and continue to see and feel what works and compliments each other. But they’re pretty talented and they’re good guys, so I don’t have too much concern.”
It’s going to be wild to see how Johnson juggles these pieces. The Spurs kick off their preseason against Atlanta on Thursday at the Frost Bank Center. Coach hasn’t even revealed how many regulars will play, so we might not get all the answers right away. But you can bet everyone’s watching closely to see what kind of lineup he rolls out, especially as they build toward that Oct. 20 season opener against Oklahoma City. This team’s got talent, but finding that perfect five out of the gate is a genuine challenge.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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