'Not Up to the Standard': How Concerning is Spurs' Slow Start to Preseason?

SAN ANTONIO -- It isn't at all important to win preseason games, but the Spurs' 0-2 start this year accurately reflects that they have a lot to work on.

"Tonight will not be up to the standard that we would want," coach Mitch Johnson said bluntly after his team fell to the Suns 102-98 in Phoenix. "We just have to make sure we take care, take advantage of the opportunities in front of us. We play opening night in 10 days, and tonight would not feel like we would be ready to go."

Early Errors

Johnson took a page out of his legendary predecessor's leadership playbook and called timeout 110 seconds into the contest. By that point his Spurs had already dunked it twice, but there was plenty on the sloppy side of the coin too. The results started okay, but the process left a lot to be desired.

"Just a couple possessions that were not too deeply layered or complex," Johnson said. "It's just transition defense, it's making passes and playing the right way, and all the things that we know. So, just a reminder again, not trying to overreact or be ridiculous, but we need to play to the identity and style of play, and to the fundamentals that we are fully aware of that we're supposed to."

The Suns built their lead out to 15 in the early going as the Spurs tried to feel it out instead of making Phoenix feel them.

"I think just setting the tone defensively with our physicality and not letting them get so comfortable early," Steph Castle said, diagnosing the failure to launch. "We weren't ourselves in that part of the game, and that was mainly [Johnson's] message."

It's the coach's job to worry about this stuff, and the players' jobs to make it work, but the fans can probably hold off on doing their job (freaking out about it) for now. This specific group is still in the early stages of figuring out how it all fits and works together.

"Last year, I don't think we skipped any steps from preseason, start of the season, whatever it was," Castle said. "I feel like it kind of just shaped our identity, and we started to figure it out really towards the end of December, mid January is when we really started to figure it out, and I think we'll do the same thing here. Obviously we want to start the season off right and start off on fire, but it takes time."

Trying New Strategies

The Fox-Castle-Harper trio only saw the floor in the scrimmage, but it isn't the only idea that the Spurs are experimenting with. The preseason is a perfect time for players to showcase the skills they worked on in the summer, and Victor Wembanyama has clearly been working on his shot creation.

Wemby led the Spurs with six assists in the loss to Phoenix, and his dribbling and shot creation looks even better.

"He's always been a great facilitator, he's seeing the floor well," Castle said. "The way he sees the floor, the way teams guard him, he gets a different look every single game. So just knowing him, he's gonna make the right read for that possession, and we want him to be default aggressive in all those situations."

"He proposes a unique dilemma for a lot of teams when he plays with the ball in his hands that high on the floor, just because of the uniqueness of the action," Mitch Johnson said after the preseason opener. "He's gotten a lot better at seeing where his reads are, advantages are, depending on how the defense guards him. And we've gotten better and need to be a lot better than we were at times tonight, but of spacing around him and playing off that."

Still, implementation hasn't been seamless. As Johnson noted there, a 7-foot-5 playmaker needs more room to operate than most. The first highlight of the Suns game ends with Castle lobbing to Wemby, but it starts with Castle bringing a dogged defender into Wembanyama's path and stifling his forward drive.

Area 51 getting us started tonight ⚠️

📺 DAZN, ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/GKT0btt3BW
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 11, 2026

Wembanyama is probably using the freedom of the preseason to explore this part of his game, and it will probably look different in the regular season with real stakes and different players in the mix. When asked if playmaking will remain a key part of Wemby's game moving forward, Johnson responded affirmatively, but with caveats.

"I think so, but it's got to be a balance," he said. "He's still got to set screens, he's still got to put pressure on the rim. I mean, I think he has so many opportunities to do that, and the gravity that he creates, but we still have to balance all that stuff out as a team."

Missing Key Pieces

Finding balance and an identity as a team becomes a bit harder when you're playing without a few guys who will create a big part of it. The Spurs entered training camp healthy, but one starter and another potential starter have missed the first two games of the preseason.

Tobias Harris and everything the Spurs brought him in for have been on the bench as he recovers from a calf strain. He's a floor spacer, a shot creator, and a 16-year NBA veteran who can settle things down for a young team when it starts to go off the rails. Carter Bryant, who will probably see his role increase in his second season, left the Suns game with an apparent ankle injury.

De'Aaron Fox, an All-Star last season and a steadying force, has missed the first two preseason games as well. Recall that when a high ankle sprain took him out of the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, the offense sputtered and Castle turned it over 20 times. San Antonio coughed it up 40 times combined in the first two preseason games.

As talented as Castle and Harper are, Fox remains a crucial piece in exactly the way you'd expect a veteran point guard to be. With him sidelined, the Spurs have yet to deploy the three-guard lineup they seem intent on starting games with this year.

Evaluating Young Players

Who will be the Spurs' fourth point guard, seeing as they may need some minutes from him? How close is rookie center Tarris Reed Jr. to being ready for the NBA level? Who should make the last roster spot?

These questions are important to answer, and the preseason gives the only real opportunity to acquire meaningful data without sacrificing meaningful results. That's why players who will not be part of the regular-season rotation are out on the court during winning time.

Reed cleans the glass like a pro and brings a level of sturdy-but-nimble defense that feels like it will translate. Second-round pick Ja'Kobi Gillespie and second-year player David Jones-Garcia both popped as scorers when they took the floor, and one of them might get his Two-Way contract converted to a standard deal before the end of the year.

These games are huge for the guys scrapping to make a roster. From rookie Maliq Brown and his big hands to 30-year-old G-League journeyman Jon Elmore, the fourth quarters of these games contain meaningful moments for the dream chasers.

WHAT A MOMENT! 👏🥹

At 30 years old, Jon Elmore checked into his FIRST NBA preseason game with the @spurs after spending the last four years in the G League! pic.twitter.com/q1GjfjMIdf
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) October 9, 2026

"It's kind of like when your kids start school... every day they get to go, it's something something good. If it doesn't go well, it's still good," Mitch Johnson said of the rookies. "Every time they get to get on the court and see it, feel it, learn from it, positive reinforcement, learning opportunities or moments, it's great, and they put their energy in the right spots, and really been a pleasure to have around."

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