The San Antonio Spurs have talked since the summer about putting their three best guards on the floor together. On Wednesday night, they finally did it.
De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle started together as the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 123 to 103 in a preseason game on Oct. 14, 2026.
How did the De’Aaron Fox lineup perform?
It started rough. Harper and Castle missed their first five shots combined, and Fox, making his preseason debut, checked out with nearly seven minutes left in the first quarter.
The trio found its footing before halftime. By the break, the three guards had combined for 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as San Antonio built a 60 to 49 lead.
In the 11 minutes they shared the floor in the first half, they combined for 19 points and posted a net rating of 10 points in the Spurs’ favor.
De’Aaron Fox capped the half with a corner 3 with one second left and also threw down a poster dunk earlier.
Castle led all scorers with 18 points, including 14 from the free throw line. Harper finished with nine points and brought the crowd at Frost Bank Center to its feet with a thunderous tip dunk off a Devin Vassell miss late in the second quarter.
Why did the Spurs wait to use three guards together?
The group barely played together last season. The three logged only 69 minutes on the floor at the same time all year, including 25 in the NBA Finals, and opponents outscored San Antonio by 47 points in that stretch.
Pairs from the group fared far better. The Spurs posted strong net ratings in the regular season whenever any two of the three shared the court, with Harper and Castle leading the way.
The Spurs head coach called the lineup a natural evolution that will still take time. He said he was glad the guards got minutes together but wants cleaner starts after some sloppy early possessions.
What did De’Aaron Fox say about the trio?
De’Aaron Fox said the guards discussed playing together over the summer, when they visited Victor Wembanyama in France.
He noted that the three shared the floor more during the playoffs than in the regular season and said they knew there was a chance they would start together. All three are excited about it, he said.
Fox had been scheduled to start alongside Harper and Castle in last week’s exhibition opener against the Atlanta Hawks. He arrived at the arena with general soreness about 20 minutes after the lineup was announced, and the team held him out.
Against Phoenix, he played only the first half, logging about 18 and a half minutes.
Why does the Spurs coach believe in the lineup?
He says it comes down to talent. The head coach called them three of the team’s better players and pushed back on concerns that they all need the ball.
He pointed out that De’Aaron Fox has spent plenty of time playing off the ball and that Castle won a national championship at UConn while rarely starting possessions with the ball. He added that Harper struggled with conditioning as a rookie last season but believes all three can pass, shoot, defend and make winning plays.
The team’s star big man said having multiple ball handlers around him makes the game easier, especially in pick and roll situations.
What is next for De’Aaron Fox and the Spurs?
After a surprise run to the NBA Finals last season, San Antonio is aiming for a return trip. How quickly De’Aaron Fox, Harper and Castle mesh could go a long way toward determining whether that happens.
