Coaching camp is sort of upon us. Now’s the time for Mitch Johnson and the remainder of the San Antonio Spurs teaching employees to see how roster plans will come to life. Meaning experimenting with lineups in observe and the preseason earlier than the season begins on October twentieth.
This season needs to be lots of enjoyable from a lineup-combination perspective. San Antonio has lots of numerous expertise, giving them versatility and depth they will lean on. The staff will ultimately settle into the rotation and lineup that may result in probably the most success in a postseason run, however to begin the season, there needs to be some tinkering right here and there that may result in some attention-grabbing 5-man teams.
Guessing what these lineups shall be is simpler for San Antonio than for a lot of different groups. The Spurs have extra roster continuity than a lot of the league. We must always anticipate to see lots of the identical models as final 12 months, however with Tobias Harris and Tarris Reed Jr. sprinkled in. It’s simply sufficient of a change to stay up for the lineups that may outline San Antonio’s 2026-27 season.
De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Fortress, Devin Vassell, Tobias Harris, Victor Wembanyama
I’ve banged the drum all offseason that Julian Champagnie ought to hold his beginning spot heading into the common season, regardless of the signing of Harris. Nevertheless, the writing appears to be on the wall for Harris to take the four-man spot for San Antonio this season.
It is smart; Harris is a veteran with a ability set the Spurs desperately wanted final 12 months. He’s a real ahead with an enormous physique who can defend decently properly, hit threes (shot 36.8% from deep final 12 months), and create his personal shot when the offense stalls. He’s not fairly the sharpshooter that Champagnie is, however makes up for it with these different abilities
The remainder of the group is strictly what you’d anticipate. This group (with Champagnie) had a +17.3 internet ranking final season and was San Antonio’s simplest lineup. A wholesome and motivated De’Aaron Fox and a year-three leap from Stephon Fortress may take this group to a fair better stage.
We’ll see if that is certainly the closing group. If Champagnie is scorching, it is going to be arduous to maintain him off the ground. If Dylan Harper takes one other leap in 12 months two, he’ll nearly actually should be on the ground when the sport is on the road.
Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Carter Bryant, Luke Kornet
Go determine: San Antonio was at its worst final season when Victor Wembanyama was on the bench. That was particularly noticeable within the playoffs, the place groups picked on Luke Kornet when Wembanyama went to the bench. That’s now a longtime technique this staff must take care of. They’ll make Kornet’s life simpler by enhancing the remainder of the protection round him.
Harper and Bryant are two of the Spurs’ finest perimeter defenders, and Champagnie has proven the flexibility to play in passing lanes and maintain his personal on protection. This bench lineup is significantly better defensively, which ought to assist them keep leads when the starters exit.
This group ought to have some offensive juice, too. Harper is likely one of the finest sixth males within the NBA, Keldon Johnson is the reigning Sixth Man of the Yr, Champagnie was a starter through the finals, and Bryant may make a leap.
De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stephon Fortress, Tobias Harris, Victor Wembanyama
That is the group the Spurs must make work. Fox, Harper, and Fortress are too good to not discover a strategy to play all of them collectively. These three solely performed 25 minutes collectively within the common season, with a internet ranking of -26.9. Not nice. San Antonio simply by no means discovered a strategy to make the offense click on with the three of them collectively.
Discovering a strategy to make this work needed to have been one of many teaching employees’s high priorities this offseason. This unit in all probability wants two main issues to work: continued enchancment in taking pictures from Fortress and Harper, and extra time on the court docket collectively. Harper shot 47.9% from three after the All-Star break final season, whereas Fortress hit 41.7% of his threes in the identical time-frame. If that enchancment carries over into the common season, this lineup may sing. Greater than something, this group simply wants time to play collectively and work out coexist.
Harris is a good add for this group, too. He helps them keep measurement on the inside whereas not sacrificing taking pictures and playmaking. With Wembanyama on the ground, the staff can keep defensive dominance whereas maximizing playmaking and perimeter velocity. On paper, it’s a lineup that makes lots of sense; it simply wants time to turn into one of many staff’s go-to teams.
