Lineup versatility is a strength for the Spurs

Over the last few seasons, it’s been difficult to pin down exactly what the San Antonio Spurs best lineup is. With injuries, and frankly, a talent deficiency, its’ been awhile since lineup changes played a major role in wins and loses.

That should change this season. San Antonio not only has two star players in Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, but also quality players and improved depth across the board. The greatest strength of this team going into next season may be it’s versatility, with many players who are able to play multiple positions, and whose skillsets compliment each other. New head coach, Mitch Johnson, should have a lot of interesting lineups to work with this year.

Here are a few of the lineups that are the most exciting to think about for the 2025-25 Spurs.

If you ask most Spurs fans, the starting lineup may already be set. The lineup most people have been going with is Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Wembanyama. The group plays arguably the Spurs best three players, while giving them some helpful floor spacing from Vassell and Barnes. If Wembanyama is shooting the three ball well again (35% last season), and if Fox can get back to the 35% clip he was hitting before injuring his pinky, San Antonio could find itself with a pretty versatile offensive starting unit.

Defensively, the Spurs would be a bit small on the wings, but the presence of Wembanyama on the perimeter could negate some of those disadvantages. Ideally, San Antonio would have a big, defensive wing who could guard some of the other great wing scorers in the league, while still being an offensive threat, but they don’t have that player on the roster. Castle and Barnes will have to hold their own against bigger wings on opposing teams.

The most interesting player in this lineup is Vassell. He’s had a lot of on-ball responsibilities in years past. In this lineup, he’s likely the fourth option, and would be best served flying off screens and knocking down catch and shoot opportunities. If he buys into a new role, it could make him an even more valuable part of the Spurs core moving forward.

When the Spurs signed Luke Kornet this offseason, some wondered if San Antonio may start him next to Wembanyama. Against teams that play double bigs, it could be worth a look. Ideally this lineup would see Kornet replace Castle, since they’ll be adding another non-floor spacer to the lineup. Vassell and Barnes stay on the wings to help with floor spacing and ball-handling. Instantly the Spurs would improve as a rebounding and paint defending team. Wembanyama could act as a roamer hunting blocks while Kornet guarded the opposing teams center.

We’ve yet to see a double-big unit work out with Wembanyama offensively. Even the lineups with Jeremy Sochan has been shaky with his lack of shooting ability. Teams will pack the paint to cut off Fox and Wembanyama. Kornet is strictly a screener and rim finisher at this point of his career, but he’s a good enough passer to play alongside other bigs. He saw action alongside Al Horford in Boston, so it’s not out of the question that the Spurs could make the fit work. Johnson will need to be creative with his offensive sets to make these two work together well.

A big talking point of the Spurs offseason has been how Fox, Castle and rookie Dylan Harper fit together. All three profile as big guards who don’t space the floor, and need the ball in their hands to be their most effective. But if the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder taught us anything, it’s that having multiple ball-handlers capable of putting the ball on the floor and finding the open man is a good thing. San Antonio will be able to put our lineups that can provide that.

The Spurs should play Fox, Castle, and Harper with Barnes and Wembanyama to have five players who can initiate, pass, and finish at the rim. The offensive creativity with this group would be off the charts. Defensively they’d be staunch at the point of attack with Fox and Harper, and allow Castle to create havoc in the passing lanes, while Wembanyama holds down the paint inside. The floor spacing is still a glaring issue, but it would still be fascinating to see how these three play together, and alongside Wembanyama.

Harper in particular is one to watch in this group. He didn’t play off the ball much in college, but this year, it will become a primary function for him in the Spurs offense. Will more spot-up attempts raise his three-point percentage? Will his strength and creativity inside be unleashed as a cutter and opportunistic driver? Or will he be undeniable with the ball in his hands and demand touches early on. These are the things to watch for through the season as he adjusts to his new team.

The Spurs have five players that can shoot the basketball. I repeat. The Spurs have five players who can shoot the basketball. Who would have thought we would be saying that sentence last season?

It’s a stretch to put Vassell at the one, but I don’t necessarily see him as a play-maker in this group. That duty will go to Wembanyama in the half court. Vassell just has to get the ball up the floor and organize a set. He’ll be joined by Julian Champagnie (37% from 3), Barnes (43.3%), Kelly Olynyk (41.8%) and Wembanyama (35.2%). This would be a big group that could space the floor and really shoot the ball. Wemby would have plenty of space to operate inside with Olynyk stretching the floor beside him.

It won’t be San Antonio’s best defensive unit, as Vassell and Olynyk don’t provide much on that end, but they have solid wing defenders in Champagnie and Barnes, and Wembanyama is a good enough paint defender to overcome a lot of their issues. Shot creation may also be an issue. You’re asking a lot of Wembanyama and Vassell to create most of the offense, as Champagnie, Barnes and Olynyk are better off the ball. Still, having five players who can space the floor is a new opportunity for the Spurs, and would be an interesting look on nights they are struggling to shoot the ball.

Fox, Castle, Harper, Vassell, Carter Bryant, Jeremy Sochan and Wembanyama seem to be the players that are core to the Spurs future. They don’t look like the most effective group of young players on paper. It would still be good to see them get some run together this season.

This could feature that three-guard lineup with Bryant sliding down to the four where he may have to guard interior players, or it could be a more traditional lineup with Fox, Castle, Bryant, Sochan and Wembanyama which would be a nightmare defensively, but surely would struggle offensively. Bryant becomes the most intriguing piece of this core. If he’s closer to the 37.1% three point shooter he was in college, and continues to show lock-down potential like he did this summer, he’s the perfect glue piece with the guards and Wemby. If he struggles to shoot, and strictly is a tough defender, how does he separate himself from Sochan?

Speaking of which, the fourth-year combo forward from Baylor enters a crucial season in his career. He is extension eligible, and we’ve seen the horrors of restricted free agency this summer. Sochan adds a lot to a lineup with his connective passing, timely cutting and strong rim finishing. He’s one of the best defenders on the Spurs roster. His jump shot just makes him easy for defenses to ignore. A big year of improvement from Sochan makes him a key piece going forward, and unlocks so much for San Antonio, as he provides versatility and ball-handling next to the abundance of playmaking guards.

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