The San Antonio Spurs locked up their marquee running mate for Victor Wembanyama on Monday, signing De’Aaron Fox to a four-year, $229 million extension.
San Antonio traded for Fox at midseason, sending three first-rounders in a three-team deal that also sent Zach LaVine to Sactown.
So now, based on his stature and the money, the Spurs know who their second guy on the team and first in the backcourt will be, at least for a little while.
But the question is… who’s the other guy at guard?
Fox, nominally, is a point guard.
Stephon Castle, nominally, is a point guard.
And Dylan Harper, nominally, is a point guard.
(Oh, and Devin Vassell plays at least some minutes at shooting guard.)
You can see why some questions follow here.
Who’s going to win out?
In the NBA, you can always find analysis that suggests what the basketball side suggests should be the decision tree. But that’s not how it works. The NBA is a business, and with so much money involved, there are politics. The trick is to find the mix between the social engineering side and the basketball side, even with a buttoned-up squad like the Spurs.
What does Victor Wembanyama need?
Spacing. That’s not complicated or surprising. Wembanyama has range to the 3-point line, but the fewer bodies you can allow inside for the defense, the better it will be for Wembanyama’s vertical gravity for lobs and inside finishes.
Fox shot just 31.1 percent from 3-point range last season, and has only shot above 35 percent once in the last five years (2023-24). He’s got the ability to score in volume, and his pull-up jumper has improved to top levels (48.2 percent from mid-range, 78th percentile).
You need better spacing to make sure the opponent can’t bring help on pick-and-rolls to jam up the interior with Fox and Wemby.
Stephon Castle shot just 31 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last season, and 28.5 percent from 3-point range overall.
College is, of course, different, but Dylan Harper shot 36.8 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s.
Wemby also, obviously, needs players who can get him the ball in dynamic situations to punish the defense being out of position.
Fox and Castle are both high-level passers. Neither had enough time last season to really develop the chemistry with Wembanyama last season for lobs and pick and pops, but both can make those passes and develop that combo.
Harper has the reputation of a good playmaker, but it’s not the first billing.
Who is the best playmaker of the three?
Fox, by virtue of his experience and established level, is clearly the best player. Even without the money aspect, he’d start and have the second-highest usage on the team.
Between Fox and Harper, it’s tougher. Castle played well enough last season to win Rookie of the Year, but it was in an exceptionally poor class. Castle had the best eye test of any of the candidates and was an impact player, especially down the stretch of last season.
But Harper was clearly the second-best prospect in a much better class, and comes in with a lot more pedigree.
Even if Harper’s skillset doesn’t mix as well with Wembanyama, and it very well might fit best, he might simply be too good not to start and play the most.
What about the politics?
As if the basketball side wasn’t enough, De’Aaron Fox is represented by Klutch Sports, so guess who’s going to win any sort of political battle?
Castle and Harper are both represented by name-brand agencies (Wasserman and WME, respectively).
For internal chemistry, this is maybe the thorniest part of it. Castle played all of last season, is more seasoned, and has put in the time. But Harper presents the ability to be a leader right out of the gate if he’s as good as his pedigree.
There’s also the opportunity for the Spurs to play all three together. Fox is a big, rangy guard, and Harper is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. They can play them together, sparingly.
Vassell, though, might be the odd man out, even with his minutes at small forward.
For San Antonio, it’s a good problem to have. It’s much better to have too much talent at guard next to Wembanyama than not enough and be searching for the solution. But what they really want is Chris Paul from 2015. Finding those guards in today’s NBA is difficult.