Spurs Unleash the Fox-Harper-Wemby Experiment Against Phoenix
Underdog NBA reported the lineup alert on Monday.
The San Antonio Spurs are officially treating their starting lineup like a late-night video game simulation.
According to Underdog NBA, San Antonio is rolling out a starting five of De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, and Victor Wembanyama for Monday night's matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
This five-man unit feels like a science experiment designed to test exactly how much speed and length you can put on a basketball court before the opposing coach simply walks into the tunnel.
Fox is still trying to find his rhythm in this offense, currently averaging 13.8 points and 5.9 assists on the season. He recently shot a brutal 5-for-14 from the floor in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, meaning he desperately needs a bounce-back game.
Putting Fox next to a young guard like Harper means the veteran has to be the stabilizing force in the backcourt. That is a slightly terrifying thought for anyone holding a ticket on his points prop tonight, as he might be forced into more of a pure distribution role to get the new guys involved.
Throwing Harper into the starting five alongside Castle and Champagnie gives San Antonio a chaotic, high-upside perimeter group. Harper has battled some minor calf and finger injuries this year, but he is healthy now and gets the ultimate luxury of just throwing the basketball somewhere near the arena roof for Wembanyama to go get it.
Having Wembanyama anchor the middle makes literally any lineup combination viable. The Spurs are coming off a 125-103 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers, proving they can score in bunches when the rotation actually clicks.
We will see if this specific group has the half-court chemistry to survive against the Phoenix Suns. If it works, the Spurs might have just found their core rotation, but if it fails, expect another lineup alert before they travel to play the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.