The San Antonio Spurs may be ready to change Devin Vassell’s place in the rotation this season, with a three-guard lineup that could push him out of the starting five. If that happens, the club would be leaning into a new look built around De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Harper, with Victor Wembanyama still anchoring the front end.
That is why Carter Bryant is part of the conversation now. Any shift in how San Antonio builds its lineup affects the same competition for minutes and touches, and a move that opens space for one group can tighten it for another. The Spurs are not locked into a final answer yet, but the idea of a three-guard setup is already being weighed against a more traditional starting five.
Vassell has spent most of his seven years with the Spurs as a starter, which is why a bench role would look unusual at first glance. But the smaller role he had last season worked, and it did not mute his offense. He is a streaky shooter, the kind who can swing a game in a short burst, and San Antonio has seen that firsthand when he drilled seven threes and scored 35 points on the road against the Denver Nuggets in an NBA Cup tournament game. He later did it again on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, hitting seven threes and scoring 28 points.
That history is part of the case for the move. Billy Donovan has plenty of experience using three-guard lineups, and San Antonio could eventually pair that guard group with Tobias Harris or Julian Champagnie and Victor Wembanyama. The wrinkle is that Harper may not start game one, so the opening-night alignment is still unsettled even as the broader plan takes shape.
For Vassell, the question is less whether he can handle a reduced role than whether San Antonio is willing to use one of its most established scorers in a way that maximizes the whole group. If the Spurs go that direction, his scoring bursts may matter even more coming off the bench than they ever did starting.
