Spurs' Scrimmage Shows Focus on Guard Trio Playing Together

SAN ANTONIO — Will the Spurs play their guard trio of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper together?

The question has been answered emphatically before the first preseason game with a resounding yes.

Follow up questions remain. How much will they play together? When will they play together? Will they start together? Finish together? Both? How? These are details to sort out, and crucially important ones if this group and this team are to achieve their ultimate goal. But we know for certain that this trio will play together a lot more than they did last year.

Fox, Harper and Castle shared the court for just 25 minutes over the entirety of the last 82-game regular season. They played 25 minutes together across 5 games in the Finals, with Mitch Johnson and the coaching staff leaning on the best players as they emptied the tank in pursuit of a title.

At Media Day, Johnson spoke about the importance of giving that group more chances to grow together. On Sunday night at the Silver & Black Scrimmage, the trio of Fox, Harper and Castle shared the court for almost 10 minutes. That's despite the fact they were only on the same team for half of the 40-minute, running clock affair.

Johnson didn't hammer that look to secure an important result in the intra-team scrimmage. He did it because when the games start to mean something, and then when they really mean something, the triumvirate of star guards will likely be out there together, sharing the responsibility of bringing a Spurs victory home safely. They need to be three heads of the same snake, and they need time together to get there.

"Honestly, I just like that they got more reps," Johnson said after the scrimmage. "We have so many different guys, so many combinations of players that can play together. Who's going to start? Who's going to finish? Who's going to play together? If you did the math of that, I would have to go through a whole season to even probably scratch the surface of what would be valid."

At Media Day Castle spoke about the fit, and building on the foundation they forged together last season.

"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, I think we'll figure it out and it'll continue to grow as it did last year."

"Us being a talented group and continuing to learn to play together, I think that we had some success whenever us three were on the court," Fox added.

San Antonio Spurs guards Stephon Castle (5), De'Aaron Fox (4) and Dylan Harper (2) pose for photos during Media Day. — Sep 28, 2026; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guards Stephon Castle (5), De'Aaron Fox (4) and Dylan Harper (2) pose for photos during Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mitch Johnson will need to mix and match his way to a balanced lineup and a balanced rotation 48 minutes a game, 82 games a year. The arithmetic suggests we'll see plenty of permutations, but the team that typically keeps tactical decisions close to the vest is telling us freely that a big part of the calculus this year involves playing Fox, Harper, and Castle together.

The biggest thing to watch for the Spurs in the preseason, and probably one of the most important trends to monitor all year, is how much we see this trio together and how effective they are. The scrimmage gave us our first glimpse, and even the exhibition revealed some strengths and weaknesses that will carry over to true competition.

In the second quarter Harper joined Fox and Castle, and that first stint showed some of the reasons for valid concerns with the package. They were joined at the start of the second half by a fourth point guard, this one far taller and more French than the other three. Fitting with Victor Wembanyama is the key to everything, and the trio looked a lot better in the scrimmage when playing alongside him.

The main logistical problem with a lineup that features three drive-first playmakers, even if they're all awesome at it, is that the two players without the ball don't create an optimal environment for the guy with the ball to operate in. Long-armed defenders like Devin Vassell helped off of the shooters which hurt the spacing, which caused drivers to turn the ball over and settle for pull-up jumpers. Harper hit some tough ones, but an offense with this much talent would prefer to create better looks.

Dylan Harper scrimmage tape: pic.twitter.com/7OgcFGkSly
— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) October 5, 2026

Removing snipers from the equation and loading up on isolation bucket getters can make it tougher to get buckets in isolation. It's a problem that can be solved in a variety of ways, but only with work and practice and chemistry.

"We just have to get to it and get hours on the job training and continue to see and feel what works and complements each other and how we can best help them," Johnson said. "But they're pretty talented and they're good guys, so I don't have too much concern."

One way the guards can improve the effectiveness of their shared offense is by getting everyone involved in it. Instead of just watching a whoever has the ball dribble into doubles, it's a lot more dangerous when everyone is moving around. Ball screens and off-ball cuts can break apart a defense, a weave featuring three downhill scorers can turn into an avalanche.

Another way to leverage the speed and playmaking ability of all three guys at once is to get them running in transition. Castle snagged a board and whipped it ahead to Harper, and the next play off a Wembanyama block Fox found Castle for a jam. The more they push the pace, the less likely they are to get bogged down.

The best way to solve the spacing problem in the half court is for one or all of these three to make a leap with their 3-point shooting. Castle drove and created a triple for Harper, and on the next play Wembanyama hit Castle in the same spot. Only time will tell where they wind up as shooters, but if they improve to the point that defenses can't sag off, it will unlock the entire scheme.

The Spurs' ultimate goal lies some 100 games down the line if everything goes well, and the balance between Fox, Castle and Harper will feature as an important storyline for the duration. There will be ups, downs, and hopefully progress as three of the four most talented Spurs work to harmonize when they share the floor.

The coaching staff wasted no time in fostering synergy among these stars. When the preseason begins on Thursday night expect the experimentation to continue, and then every night after that also.

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