The SpursThe new three-guard starting lineup had its ups and downs during Tuesday’s season opener, but the biggest question is how it will affect the rest of the rotation, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Sophomore guard Dylan Harper replaced Julian Champagne as a starter, providing the look many observers wanted to see during San Antonio’s playoff run last spring. The starting five struggled in the first half of the loss to Oklahoma City, but looked better after intermission.
Weiss notes that the change means that the coach Mitch Johnson can no longer afford the luxury of changing the flow of the game by inserting Harper and the energy he brings off the bench. De’Aaron Fox was the first guard taken out of the game, and Johnson brought him back later to lead the offense with a second block. However, Fox was unable to meet with Champagne either Keldon Johnson as secondary creators, resulting in turnovers and other unproductive possessions.
In the second half, three defenders remained on the floor, and Champagne was replaced Devin Vassellwho picked up his fourth foul, so it’s unclear if this meant a change in the team’s substitution pattern. It may take several games to develop a new arrangement.
“The most important thing, at least for me, is communication” Harper said. “Just making sure we’re all on the same page. Just being able to go out there and play for each other, knowing we have each other’s backs. I feel like we’ve done a good job of that, but we still have a ways to go in all areas of the game.”
There’s more on Spurs:
- Victor Wembanyama doesn’t plan to overreact to a rough first game in which he missed his first 12 field goals, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News is told in the story for subscribers only. MacDonald notes that OKC sent extra defenders to Wembanyama to take away his lane and keep Isaiah Hortenstein near the basket as another deterrent. Wembanyama said he was “rethinking” the Thunder’s defense, adding, “I don’t need to do more. I need to think less.”
- Rocket star Kevin Durant sees efficiency gains as the next stage in Wembanyama’s development, McDonald tweets. “Just make the game easier for you” Durant said. “I think that’s everybody’s next step, not just him. That’s the goal we’re all trying to achieve as players, just to make the game easier.”
- Fox and Keldon Johnson are both listed as questionable for Friday’s game against Houston, per Tom Orsborn of The Express-News. Fox has a sprained right wrist and Johnson is dealing with a “torn mouth” after receiving stitches from a gash on his right cheek he suffered on Tuesday. “It was a really deep cut,” Johnson told reporters.
