What happened
San Antonio listed Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance out for opening night, while Oklahoma City ruled out Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic and Otega Oweh. The preview also says coach Mitch Johnson had expected more minutes for the Fox-Castle-Harper guard group this season.
With Harris sidelined, the Spurs are starting De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell, keeping Vassell at power forward rather than Julian Champagnie. That lineup will be tested immediately against a taller Thunder group in the opener.
This points to a heavier ball-handling role for San Antonio’s guard trio and a smaller frontcourt look than usual. It is still unclear whether the four-guard setup is a one-game adjustment or the start of a longer rotation change.
Automated brief based on the linked report. Lineup context is analysis; official starting-five labels come separately from our game data provider.
Original reporting: Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — Yahoo Sports ↗