Keldon Johnson will be leading the charge tonight (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will try to get into the win column Monday night when they visit the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. While it doesn’t mean much, the Spurs are 0-2 so far in preseason play.
San Antonio’s latest exhibition loss came in Phoenix against the Suns. The Spurs got a few strong performances (see the Final Grades) but the end result wasn’t a win.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
The Spurs have decided to give Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell the night off. De’Aaron Fox also won’t play after missing the first two preseason games with hip tightness, while Carter Bryant is out with an ankle issue.
Tobias Harris remains sidelined with a calf injury, while Jayden Quaintance continues recovering from knee surgery. Malik Williams is also unavailable. That’s nine players missing and a pretty significant chunk of the rotation.
The good news is that several of the absences are planned rest rather than new injuries. San Antonio will get another chance to use its main rotation Wednesday when Phoenix visits South Texas.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
With the usual suspects watching from the bench, making a starting lineup prediction gets interesting. My guess is Jordan McLaughlin, David Jones Garcia, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet. That five hasn’t been announced, and Coach Mitch has plenty of other options.
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson could start in the frontcourt, while rookie guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie has a chance to handle plenty of possessions with Fox, Castle and Harper unavailable. I’d also expect extra playing time for Tarris Reed Jr, regardless of whether he starts.
While this meaningless preseason game is even more meaningless now, it does give Coach Mitch an opportunity to see how the role players function when given a larger leash.
What to Watch Against the Jazz
Reed is the guy I’d keep an eye on. The rookie big man had 10 points and six rebounds in only nine minutes against Phoenix, and he appears to be making an early case for meaningful minutes in a crowded frontcourt.
The young guards also need to take advantage of this opportunity. Gillespie and David Jones Garcia should have the ball in their hands more often than usual, and these are exactly the games where showing some offensive confidence can help earn a longer look.