Overview
- Coach Mitch Johnson confirmed the starting five of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama for opening night on Oct. 20 as the team gives the three-guard look a full trial.
- The Spurs closed the preseason with a 126-97 win over Sacramento in which Dylan Harper led the team with 19 points and Victor Wembanyama produced a widely shared coast-to-coast self-lob dunk that underlined his role as the franchise centerpiece.
- Tobias Harris, a two-year veteran addition, missed most of the preseason with a left calf strain and is listed as questionable for the opener, so early regular-season minutes will shape frontcourt minutes and rotations.
- San Antonio is deliberately balancing Harper’s rapid rise and Fox’s max contract by testing the trio in live games rather than making an immediate long-term move, giving the front office data to decide whether Fox shifts to a bench role later.
- The club finalized a 14-man roster plus three two-way deals, added Billy Donovan as lead assistant after Sean Sweeney left for the Magic, and enters the season with raised expectations as a league target after last year’s trip to the NBA Finals.