The Spurs made a significant change to their starting lineup for Saturday afternoon’s game at Charlotte, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story. Devin Vassell took the place of Harrison Barnes, who had his streak of 775 consecutive starts ended. It marked the first time Barnes has come off the bench since the 2015/16 season when he was with Golden State.
“We all occupy a role and the main focus is winning,” Barnes said. “So it’s just trying to figure out ways to impact the game, to still be vocal, to do my part, to help contribute to winning.”
Orsborn notes that Barnes has been mired in a slump, averaging just 6.8 PPG and shooting 26.7% from beyond the arc during January. Coach Mitch Johnson told reporters the move “isn’t a big deal,” adding that he’s hoping it will help Vassell and that Barnes accepted it well.
“We’ve had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup, so it was just something as much as trying to get Devin back into his (starting) role that he had before and not a lot to it other than that,” Johnson said. “Just felt like Devin the last couple games didn’t quite find his rhythm, thought maybe that just getting him back to that starting lineup could maybe get him back in the fold.”
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Vassell scored 13 points while making his first start since December 29, but he’s not sure how long his new role is going to last, per Orsborn. He also logged a little more than 30 minutes in his third appearance since a 13-game absence caused by a groin injury. “I don’t know if that’s going to continue,” Vassell said. “I think we’re just trying out new stuff to see different lineups, different ways how to space the floor, so we’ll just see what happens with that. But I don’t know if it’s a permanent thing or not.”
A snowstorm in Charlotte that moved up the starting time of Saturday’s game could also affect Sunday’s contest against the Magic, Orsborn states in a separate story. The Spurs are scheduled to host Orlando at 3 pm CT, but they’ll be spending the night in North Carolina after being unable to fly out. The team sat for two hours on its private plane before the airport was shut down. Orsborn suggests the game could be moved to Sunday night or possibly Monday as both teams have the day off.
The acquisition of De’Aaron Fox shortly before last year’s trade deadline looks even better now, according to Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. He states that Spurs were able to add a starting point guard in exchange for Tre Jones, Zach Collins and Sidy Cissoko, who weren’t in their long-term plans, along with a package of draft assets that may not include a top-10 pick.