Steph Castle had another productive evening (Photo via X)
After winning a franchise record five games to begin the 2025-26 season, the San Antonio Spurs dropped a game to the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs came out flat, Victor Wembanyama never got going, and San Antonio succumbed to a scrappy Suns team that was flying around on defense and shooting the lights out from three-point land on the other end.
Stats: Spurs at Suns
spurs suns grades
Spurs at Suns – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
After a fantastic five games to start the season, Wembanyama came crashing back down to earth in Phoenix. Defensively, he wasn’t great but he was good enough for the Spurs to win. Where Wembanyama really struggled was on the offensive end of the court. He couldn’t get anything going. The Suns sent tons of help his way and the Frenchman couldn’t solve the puzzle. He struggled to get open looks, struggled to find open teammates and struggled to even hold his ground. With Wembanyama now a certified MVP candidate, teams are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. He’s going to have to respond better than he did against the Suns if the Spurs are going to make a playoff push this season.
Grade: D-
Stephon Castle
It’s difficult to be anything but pleased with Castle’s production. He shot it well from the floor, including a pair of three-point makes. He passed the ball well, limited his mistakes and played with an uncommon amount of intensity. His driving into the lane was the best weapon the Spurs had going all night long. Unfortunately, there were holes in Castle’s game. First, his positioning on offense allowed the Suns to ignore him most of the time. He needs to space the court better to give Wembanyama room to operate. Additionally, his defense could have been a lot better. His screen navigation left a lot to be desired.
Grade: B
Devin Vassell
If the opposition is going to go all-in on suffocating Wembanyama, it’s Vassell’s job to provide spacing via three-point bombs. That didn’t happen against Phoenix. San Antonio’s sharpshooter was 0-for-6 from deep and he scored only four points in 32 minutes. That’s not going to get it done. Defensively, I liked Vassell’s hustle but he wasn’t having much success in one-on-one situations.
Grade: D+
Harrison Barnes
The good: Barnes was 3-for-6 from three-point land, which is especially noteworthy because the rest of the team was just 7-for-35 (20%). His 13 points were second most in the starting lineup behind Castle’s 26. The bad: Barnes played poorly on the defensive end. He was a step slow and didn’t provide any muscle in the middle. With the Spurs making an effort to play a lot better defense this year, Barnes is going to lose minutes if he plays D like this too often.
Grade: C
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie is another shooter who couldn’t take advantage of the constant pressure Wembanyama faced. He only shot three three-pointers in 29 minutes, making one. Better movement off the ball would have been helpful. Defensively, Champagnie was okay. He was one of the few players on San Antonio who played defense with both effort and smarts. That said, he needs to be more of a factor on offense to truly have a positive impact for this team.
Grade: C+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson was ready to play and he put together another very good outing. He was stubbornly impactful on offense, totaling 19 points in 24 minutes. Johnson continues to have great success by keeping things simple on offense. Defensively, he was also a force for good. More rebounds would have aided the cause but Johnson gave the Spurs a palpable spark off the bench that kept the good guys in it for longer than they otherwise have been.
Grade: A-
Jordan McLaughlin
Yikes, McLaughlin is another shooter who laid an egg when the Spurs needed him most. The usually reliable marksman shot blanks as he missed all six of his three-point attempts. He ran the plays well but he had negative value due to his wayward shooting. Defensively, his lack of size was clearly an issue. The short-handed Spurs could have really used a breakout game from McLaughlin but that didn’t come close to happening.
Grade: D+
Dylan Harper
Damn. Harper has played so very well to begin his NBA career. He’s been a blast to watch and it’s been exciting pondering his ultimate ceiling. Unfortunately, he suffered a strained calf against the Suns that will sideline him for a matter of weeks. Before his injury, Harper might have been having his best game yet. He scored 12 points in 11 minutes and looked fantastic. He’s an amazing finisher who plays with unfathomable poise and maturity for a teenager. Harper already looks like he might be an elite playmaker on the NBA level. Hopefully he gets well soon … he’ll be missed.
Grade: A-
Carter Bryant
The silver lining for this otherwise forgettable affair was Bryant’s play. Playing in front of a lot of friends and family in Phoenix, the forward out of the University of Arizona looked really darn good. He shot with confidence with range and his form looked very solid. His defense overwhelmed the Suns at times and he was a beast when attacking the basket. Bryant clearly has all the physical tools to be an NBA player. If he can piece everything together, he’ll be a very valuable addition to the rotation. Against the Suns, he gave a glimpse of what it could look like if he can reach his potential.
Grade: A-
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo can’t score or rebound. It’s not hyperbolic to state that San Antonio’s backup center is off to one of the least productive starts of any player in league history. He’s not doing anything out there.
Grade: D
Mitch Johnson
Johnson never got Wembanyama going and it didn’t look like he dug too deep into his back of tricks to help out the franchise Frenchman. I know he’s dealing with a lot of injuries (and losing Harper didn’t help matters) but the rotation was bland. Let’s hope that this was just a bump in the road.
Grade: D+