The San Antonio Spurs are about to run into a serious issue [once they draft](https://airalamo.com/dylan-harper-pick-means-spurs-must-tread-carefully-14th-pick) Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft: A lack of consistent shooting in the backcourt. De’Aaron Fox already makes one subpar shooter, and Harper will be the second in the starting lineup alone. Throw in Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan, who is projected to be the Spurs’ starting power forward, and things look even murkier.
Victor Wembanyama looks like he’s going to be one of the best players in the league for the next decade, but can the Spurs put enough solid shooting around him to make it work?
Drafting Harper is a no-brainer, but it certainly throws some fuel onto the fire regarding that question.
**Who on the Spurs can be a consistent shooter?**
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Fox isn’t an awful shooter, and there’s a solid chance Harper continued to improve in that area, but neither are the consistent shooter that the Spurs need to put next to Wembanyama.
Castle doesn’t look like he’s going to be a knockdown guy anytime soon, and there’s a better chance that Sochan turns into a non-shooter than a legitimate threat behind the arc.
Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell shot the ball pretty well from distance this year, but how much more room for improvement do they have?
That leaves Harrison Barnes, who was an incredible marksman for the Spurs last year, in addition to playing (and starting) all 82 games.
**What should Spurs starting lineup look like?**
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Fox and Harper should be starters from Day 1, and fresh off a Rookie of the Year campaign, Castle deserves a spot in the first five, too. That does put the Spurs in a bit of a pickle, though, as Castle spent most of his rookie season playing the one or two guard. Transitioning to the three may not be easy, especially since the ball won’t be in his hands nearly as much.
Obviously, that leaves Wembanyama and an open slot next to him at the four, unless the Spurs decide to roll with Castle or Harper off the bench.
Sochan and Barnes seem like the most likely candidates to fill that spot, and though Sochan’s defense would provide the Spurs a great boost on that end, Barnes’ shooting might be more important at this stage of San Antonio’s rebuild.
In theory, that would leave the Spurs to roll out a starting lineup of Fox, Harper, Castle, Barnes, and Wembanyama next year. (Or maybe Champagnie if Barnes ends up getting traded.)
**Where can the Spurs find shooting?**
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The draft and free agency seem like the most obvious places for San Antonio to go searching for elite three-point shooting this summer.
In addition to the second pick, the Spurs also have No. 14 via the Atlanta Hawks. Some solid shooters who could be available in that range include Jase Richardson, Liam McNeeley, and Carter Bryant.
Meanwhile, some free agents who could be solid targets include Malik Beasley, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr.