On Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs got their first win of the preseason, beating the Phoenix Suns 123-103. Victor Wembanyama led the team with 19 points, four blocks, and two steals, but his performance wasn’t the biggest story of the game.
With De’Aaron Fox finally healthy, Mitch Johnson treated fans to what they’ve been waiting for all summer long: a starting lineup with three point guards. Alongside Fox and Wemby, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell were given the nod.
Very quickly, though, the strategy did not pay off. The Spurs started 1-for-10 from the floor, and Johnson was quick to sub Fox out. For the rest of the game, the three point guards had their minutes staggered, and the Spurs took off.
The experiment was tried. It didn’t work. It’s time to stop asking.
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Spurs Learn Lots in Small Sample Size
For the final three quarters of action against the Suns, the Spurs led the entire way. Carter Bryant was excellent, scoring 16 points and looking confident from behind the arc. Tarris Reed continued to impress with ten boards, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 13 points in 14 minutes.
Unlike in the preseason opener to the Atlanta Hawks, the backups didn’t blow the lead that the starters built. Instead, they added to the lead, with the Spurs up by 25 points without a single starter in the lineup.
The upswing only started, though, once Fox sat. Midway through the first quarter, Johnson sat him for Bryant. The trio once again shared the floor to close out the first half, without disastrous results, although the numbers in that stretch didn’t jump off the page, either.
All offseason long, fans and experts alike wanted to see Wembanyama, Harper, Castle, and Fox share the floor. They are, after all, the best four players in San Antonio. Why not have them all on the floor at the same time?
In theory, it should work. Last year, the sample size was small, but the results were disappointing. So far in the preseason, it’s been more of the same. These exhibition games are for experimenting and tinkering. The Spurs, to their credit, did just that.
But when the results are disappointing, the coaching staff must learn from it. San Antonio has one more preseason game on Friday against the Kings. If they want to trot out the same starting five one more time, it would be best to do it when results don’t really matter.
Fans got what they wanted. The Spurs learned a lesson. Once the season starts, they should implement their findings. At least one of those guards can always be on the floor, giving the Spurs an elite weapon at any given moment. Having all three of them out there, though, is not a winning recipe.
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