The San Antonio Spurs plan to feature Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle together during the 2026-27 NBA season, but the team's new three-guard lineup comes with a significant warning after struggling in limited opportunities last season.
As San Antonio prepares to build on its NBA Finals appearance against the New York Knicks in June, head coach Mitch Johnson faces the challenge of incorporating three talented guards into the same lineup without sacrificing the chemistry that helped the Spurs reach the championship round.
According to ESPN's Michael C. Wright, the combination of Harper, Fox and Castle produced concerning results during the 2025-26 campaign.
“Castle, De'Aaron Fox and rising second-year guard Dylan Harper, who shined against the Knicks in the Finals as a sixth man, played just 69 minutes together last season, including 25 in the Finals, and were outscored by 47 points in those minutes, according to ESPN Research.”
However, the Spurs experienced considerably more success when deploying any two of the three guards together. Fox and Castle recorded a plus-9.4 net rating during the regular season, while Fox and Harper posted a plus-6.2 rating. Harper and Castle produced the strongest results with a plus-11.0 net rating.
Despite those numbers, San Antonio remains confident that the three-guard combination can succeed, particularly with Harper and Castle possessing the size to defend opposing wings.
Billy Donovan brings experience to Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle lineup
Johnson believes the team's versatility provides opportunities to experiment with different combinations around superstar center Victor Wembanyama.
“We're very fortunate to have such a dynamic roster where you can really get creative in terms of puzzle pieces and how you want to build out the puzzle,” Johnson said. “We saw it at times with the three guards in addition to what you can do around Victor. … There's definite growth for those three guys just in terms of playing off each other and continuing to complement each other.”
San Antonio will also rely on new lead assistant Billy Donovan to help maximize the three-guard lineup after Sean Sweeney departed to become the Orlando Magic's head coach.
Donovan previously coached a similar combination during his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, utilizing Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder during the 2019-20 season.
Fox believes Donovan's experience could help the Spurs establish a successful rotation featuring all three guards.
“It's been great,” Fox said. “One thing we've talked about is him being able to coach three guards at the same time. When he was [head coach] in OKC, he had Dennis [Schroder], Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and [Chris Paul]. So, he's been able to make it work. That team wasn't supposed to go to the playoffs at the time and then ended up playing well because they figured it out. That's one thing he's bringing to us.”
Harper expresses confidence in Spurs' three-guard lineup
According to Wright, Donovan has already worked extensively with Fox, Harper and Castle together during portions of practice open to the media.
The trio's offensive potential remains one of the biggest reasons behind San Antonio's confidence. All three guards can attack the basket, create scoring opportunities and put pressure on opposing defenses.
Harper expressed optimism about the combination following the Spurs' preseason-opening loss to the Atlanta Hawks last Thursday.
Article Continues Below“We're going to be really hard to guard,” Harper said. “When me and Steph get downhill, Fox has the same ability. I think all three of us can be hard to guard, and there's going to be a whole lot of mismatches on the floor. Playing with each other, we're all unselfish, and we all understand where we're going to get our shots from. And we understand what we all have to do to win. So, it's going to be great.”
Nevertheless, the Spurs still need to determine how the three guards will operate together consistently, particularly when sharing offensive responsibilities and defending bigger opponents.
Fox has missed every preseason contest thus far, including San Antonio's 119-109 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday, limiting the team's opportunities to evaluate the combination in game situations.
The Spurs will host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET before concluding their preseason schedule against the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
With the regular season approaching, San Antonio hopes its investment in the three-guard lineup will provide another dimension to an offense already centered around Wembanyama.
However, last season's results suggest that establishing chemistry between Harper, Fox and Castle will be one of the Spurs' biggest challenges as they pursue another NBA Finals appearance.