Mitch Johnson has locked in the Spurs Starting Lineup for Tuesday’s opener against the Thunder, putting De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper on the floor together from the start. The decision keeps the same three-guard crew the Spurs used in a preseason win over the Phoenix Suns and makes opening night a test of whether talent can outweigh size.
The group’s first run came Wednesday, when Fox, Castle and Harper shared the court with Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama and finished plus-10 in 11 minutes. They also shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range as a unit in that win, while Wembanyama finished with the most total touches on the team at 24 and kept the offense moving through five possessions with the three guards around him.
Johnson’s choice is not a surprise so much as a declaration. The Spurs have spent the preseason showing how the alignment can work, and the coach made clear on Friday that he intends to keep the same crew in place when the season begins Tuesday. That matters because the lineup is built around guard creation first, with Fox, Castle and Harper sharing the ball and letting Wembanyama operate as the anchor rather than asking one of the guards to step aside.
There is still a reason for pause. Last season, Fox, Castle and Harper played 69 minutes together, including 25 in the NBA Finals, and opponents outscored them by 47 points in those minutes. The sample was small, but it was also real, and it showed the risk of running three guards at once when size becomes a problem. Even in the preseason win over the Suns, the Spurs went 2-for-9 from 3-point range while the three guards were on the floor, and Vassell and Wembanyama missed all six of their combined 3-point attempts.
At the same time, the pairings around the trio have already flashed enough to explain why Johnson is willing to try it again. Fox and Castle had a plus-9.4 net rating in the regular season, Fox and Harper were plus-6.2, and Harper and Castle were plus-11.0. That gives the Spurs a structure built on offense, spacing and pressure at the point of attack, even if the cost is giving up length against bigger lineups.
For now, the plan is set. The Spurs will open Tuesday with Fox, Castle, Harper, Vassell and Wembanyama, and the real question is no longer who starts, but how long Johnson sticks with the look if the size disadvantage starts to bite over a full game or a full season.
