San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson faces a rare dilemma as he enters his second full training camp with three star-caliber guards competing for minutes: De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and rising sophomore Dylan Harper. Each brings a distinct blend of experience and talent, forcing Johnson to find a balance that maximises their impact without disrupting the team’s rhythm.
Fox, 28, is the established headliner, an All-Star last season and the most experienced in the Spurs’ backcourt. Castle, 21, is an ascending two-way player coming off a breakout rookie campaign and poised for another leap in his third year. Then there’s Harper, 20, the former No. 2 overall pick, who impressed off the bench during a rookie year that ended in the NBA Finals. Now, he is pressing for a bigger role in his sophomore season.
Johnson described the situation as “a puzzle” but an enjoyable one. “I think that we're very fortunate to have such a dynamic roster where you can really get creative in terms of the puzzle pieces,” he said. The Spurs’ depth in the backcourt is “probably one of the deepest teams in NBA,” according to Harper, who added, “so it only works to our advantage. … The problems we have are good problems.”
Harper has made no secret of his desire to crack the starting lineup, claiming in a recent GQ magazine interview, “(F-word) no. I ain't coming off no bench.” He later said the comment was tongue-in-cheek and vowed to be a good teammate regardless of his role. “Whatever position that all the coaches think is best for me to be in, that's the position I'm happy in,” Harper told the Spurs’ media day on September 28.
Castle echoed the sentiment about flexibility and unselfishness. “Whoever starts, whoever doesn't start, if we all start together, I think we'll be fine either way,” he said. “We're three high-level guards that are pretty unselfish, that can touch the paint whenever. Being able to play off each other as much as we can, whether we have two of us on the court, three of us on the court.”
The tricky part is that the Spurs’ starting backcourt last season produced the NBA’s top net rating after the All-Star break. Disrupting that unit to accommodate Harper in the starting five risks losing a proven formula. Johnson said he plans to play all three guards together more often than last season but stopped short of defining what that would look like. “I don't know the definition of ‘a lot more,’ but I think more than we did in the regular season for sure,” he said.
The three guards shared the floor for just 25 minutes during the 2025-26 regular season plus another 44 minutes in the playoffs. The limited sample didn’t yield strong results, but Johnson is willing to explore the combination further.
Fox expressed eagerness to play alongside both Castle and Harper more frequently. “I definitely expect to see it more and for us to continue to grow in that aspect,” he said.
The Spurs’ approach to minutes might lean on staggering their three premium guards rather than playing them all at once. Johnson suggested that using the trio in shifts could keep the team’s guard play potent throughout the game. “Why use all three premium ingredients at once when you can stagger them and keep the kitchen cooking for 48 minutes?” he said.
Despite the competing ambitions, the players insist chemistry inside the locker room remains strong. Harper said, “I feel like we all get along and the chemistry is there. So there isn't going to be any problems.” Castle dismissed any tension as external noise. “It's just pretty much all outside noise for us,” he said.
The Spurs have a luxury problem that many teams would welcome: how to best distribute minutes among three talented guards without fracturing the group or the team’s success. For now, Johnson’s challenge is to keep that balance as training camp progresses and the regular season approaches.
According to Yahoo Sports.
