Without Fox and Kornet, How Will Spurs Manage Minutes Against Memphis?

The Spurs will be without two key pieces when they head to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

In an injury update released Tuesday evening, San Antonio said that both De'Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet will be on the shelf due to back tightness and right knee management, respectively. It gives those guys an opportunity to rest ahead of the playoffs, and it gives Mitch Johnson an opportunity to try some other stuff out against a depleted Grizzlies squad that will be without Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, and many others.

Steph Castle and Devin Vassell both missed recent games with injuries that didn't concern the Spurs long term, but they both played in Monday night's win in Miami. Victor Wembanyama is not on the injury report. Expect the Spurs to take the cautious approach with injuries for the remainder of the regular season.

"I think that's logical, and I think even more, we've had some guys who have played through stuff," Mitch Johnson said after the Pacers game in San Antonio. "We've had now some health and some chemistry and some growth in other areas, Lindy Waters and Jordan McLaughlin played 35 minutes tonight of really really sharp basketball. That gives you even more confidence... that if it's anything close, those guys at their best... is the option we want instead of trying to have somebody play through."

Who will start for Fox?

Dylan Harper made the first start of his career when Castle and Vassell missed the game against Indiana, and played well to tie his career high with 24 points. Back to the bench against Miami, he scored 21 in that one. It made sense to give him the nod against the Pacers given the wing defense and scoring that was missing from the starting five in that one. The situation in Memphis may call for Stephon Castle to carry the playmaking load while Harper maintains continuity in the bench unit.

Ever since Harrison Barnes moved to the bench so that Julian Champagnie could start, he has been the go-to hole plugger when a starter is out. He provides good size and shooting on the wing, and tons of veteran consistency.

Who will play backup Center?

This is an interesting opportunity for Johnson to experiment a bit. Veteran big man Mason Plumlee was acquired for situations just like this, and Johnson likes his ability to anchor the defense and connect the offense. He's played rotation minutes in two games for San Antonio so far, both when Kornet was out and for a maximum of eight minutes.

At 36, Plumlee's upside is pretty limited. More intriguing for Johnson to explore in the final 10 games before the playoffs is rookie Carter Bryant's potential as a small-ball center, something he's played with a bit in recent weeks with a mixed bag of results. Bryant is 6-foot-9 and jumps out of the gym, but still makes some rookie mistakes especially when he plays out of position. This could be a perfect opportunity for him to learn by doing.