San Antonio Spurs fans are already riding high after a franchise-best start to the 2025-26 season but will soon have All-Star De'Aaron Fox back as well. That will dramatically improve the Spurs' talent level while also leading to some dramatic rotation changes as well.
Having Fox means fewer minutes for Jordan McLaughlin—scratch that, likely no minutes for Jordan McLaughlin. Meanwhile, Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Julian Champagnie will all see their minutes impacted.
That may ultimately be for the best, giving coach Mitch Johnson time to figure out his permanent rotation. After all, while the Spurs have had the best start in franchise history, they still have faults that Fox can help fix.
For one, the Spurs have struggled with turnovers, and his absence has resulted in Stephon Castle turning with the ball 28 times through the first five games of the season. With Fox, turnovers are much less of a concern, and he also allows Castle to play shooting guard, which is his best position.
De'Aaron Fox's return will dramatically reshape the rotation
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Having Castle play more off the ball should actually make him far more efficient rather than trying to force the issue. That would allow him to be able to pick and choose his spots.
Without Fox, San Antonio has had more of an equal opportunity offense, aside from Wembanyama leading the charge. Still, having Fox would give them a consistent second option who can drop 20 points per game easily without breaking a sweat.
That can't be understated, with the Spurs having three different second-leading scorers in their first six games. Having a reliable second option can have its benefits with teams unable to clamp down on Wembanyama without having Fox go off. That definitely would have come in handy in the Spurs' latest game against the Phoenix Suns, with Wembanyama being held to just 9 points.
De'Aaron Fox's return will show just how good the Spurs are
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[Fox and Wemanama should help each other in that regard](https://airalamo.com/deaaron-fox-give-victor-wembanyama-something-spurs-havent-had), with teams unable to focus solely on either player. That is not to mention them being a potentially great pick-and-roll duo.
Fox will likely be guarded by the opposing team's best perimeter player, meaning that Castle and Devin in Vassell will have an easier time scoring. Even if they will have a smaller role with Fox back.
Currently the Spurs are often playing at least 10 players regularly, which is common. Though with so many new rotation players—Fox included—figuring out what the rotation will actually look like and having players settle into their roles will be key. Only then will we see how good the Spurs actually are.