Head coach Mitch Johnson was prepared to unveil a new starting lineup during the Spurs’ preseason opener against Atlanta on Thursday, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic, with Dylan Harper replacing Julian Champagnie in the starting five.
It would have marked the first time that guards De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Harper all started together, with playoff star Harper only making six total starts in 92 appearances (regular season and postseason combined) as a rookie in 2025/26. Wing Devin Vassell and Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama were the other two starters.
However, Fox was sore from practicing on Thursday morning and was held out for rest purposes, so Champagnie started in his place. Harper thrived in his 2026 preseason debut, according to Weiss, recording 16 points (on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range), four rebounds, four assists (against zero turnovers) and one steal in 19 first-half minutes.
Johnson was noncommittal about whether he planned to use the anticipated starting lineup going forward, but it would be pretty surprising if Harper isn’t part of the group, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Last year’s No. 2 overall pick was announced first during pre-game introductions, McDonald notes.
For his part, Harper is optimistic about how the guard trio will fit together, according to Weiss.
“We’re going to be really hard to guard. When me and Steph get downhill, Fox has the same ability,” Harper said. “So, I mean, I think all three of us can be hard to guard, and there’s going to be a whole lot of mismatches on the floor and just playing with each other. And we’re all unselfish, and we all understand where we’re going to get our shots from.
“*… We understand what we all have to do to win. So I mean, it’s going to be great*.”
Here’s more from the Southwest:
Both Johnson and Wembanyama praised Vassell’s growth as a leader prior to Thursday’s contest, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “Devin’s in a place where we’ve kind of seen him mature from young player to young veteran, and he’s established himself as a veteran on this team in the way he played last year and through the playoffs and the way he’s held himself and conducted himself in the offseason and into camp,” the Spurs’ coach said. “He is a leader now without question.”
In his first game since May 2025, veteran guard Fred VanVleet showed no signs of rust, according to Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle. VanVleet, who missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL, helped lead the Rockets to a 135-117 victory over Dallas in their preseason opener, recording 17 points (5-of-12 shooting, all threes) and seven assists in 24 minutes. More important than his individual statistics was the smooth manner in which Houston’s offense flowed with VanVleet acting as both a distributor and floor spacer, Shankar writes. Multiple players — including Alperen Sengun (16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists in 22 minutes) — benefited from VanVleet’s presence.
Mavericks forward P.J. Washington has been acting as a veteran mentor for lottery pick Morez Johnson Jr.Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal has the story and the quotes.