Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – Game #1
Unfortunately, the San Antonio Spurs started the 2026-27 campaign with a dud. The Oklahoma City Thunder got off to a fast start in the first quarter and then dominated the second period. The Spurs showed life in the second half but their rally never truly threatened the Thunder’s hold of the game. When the smoke cleared, San Antonio lost the first game of the season by a final score of 116-104.
Stats: Spurs vs. Thunder
Spurs vs. Thunder – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama was really good on the defensive end. His protection of the rim and his movement away from the paint were major assets. His rebounding was stout. The Frenchman’s 10-for-12 showing from the free throw line helped keep the good guys in it. But, yeah, the bottom line is that Wembanyama was 1-for-13 from the field. That obviously doesn’t cut it. No matter how good he was elsewhere, that showing from the field overshadows it all.
Grade: F
De’Aaron Fox
Fox did a lot of good in the season opener. In fact, it’s difficult to find many faults. He had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. He handed out seven assists while only turning it over twice. He was strong on the glass and I liked his effort on defense. If anything, Fox’s only glaring issue is he should have tried to do even more.
Grade: B+
Dylan Harper
Harper had some moments but he was too inefficient to classify this as an above average game. Scoring 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting just isn’t getting the job done. The sophomore needed to play with more self-assuredness. As it was, he wasn’t confidently picking his spots. To his credit, I thought his rebounding, defense and passing were all at acceptable levels.
Grade: C
Devin Vassell
Vassell started the show off with a three-pointer … but then went ice cold from there. The rest of the evening, the hired gun was 1-for-7 from the field and 0-for-3 from three-point territory. He didn’t bring much else to the table. I liked Vassell’s physicality on defense but, on this night, his extra burliness simply resulted in him getting in foul trouble.
Grade: D+
Stephon Castle
It was kind of a strange night at the office for Castle. He began the night slow from the field but ultimately shot well from beyond the arc (5-for-12). However, he was only 4-for-9 from two-point range and, most notably, only got to the free throw line for one attempt. To make matters worse, he tallied only one assist. All in all, this wasn’t a very Castle-esque game. With the Thunder giving him room, he should have been able to do more.
Grade: C-
Julian Champagnie
Even though he didn’t start, Champagnie still played 30 minutes. The results were uneven, however. He didn’t quite hit enough shots to help the offense find a rhythm. Defensively, while Champagnie tallied three blocks and two steals, there were times he was caught out of position. The good news is that he looked confident in his new role.
Grade: C
Keldon Johnson
KJ did some good. He led the bench with ten points and hit half of his shots from three-point range and two-point range. He had positive moments on the glass and I would classify his defense as better than usual. That said, Johnson could have provided a bit more muscle offensively and his rebounding could have been more consistent.
Grade: C+
Luke Kornet
I mean, come on. Filling Wembanyama’s shoes is difficult but the fall off to Kornet was too drastic against OKC. His rebounding was anemic, his rim protection was sometimes slow and he too often got in the way offensively. This wasn’t a good start to the season for Kornet. Then again, most of his teammates were in the same boat.
Grade: C-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes hit a three-pointer — his one and only shot of the game. Beyond that, he wasn’t particularly involved in his nine minutes of playing time. His drives to the rim weren’t as crisp as we’ve witnessed in the past.
Grade: C
Carter Bryant
I liked Bryant’s confidence early but those good feelings went out the window after he missed a few shots from downtown. His defense also suffered after his confidence waned. He went from being disciplined early to being too jumpy in the second half.
Grade: D+
Mitch Johnson
The Spurs came out of the gates like they weren’t ready. Some of that has to be on Coach Mitch’s shoulders. The preseason felt off and the result was a slow start to the season. The rotation wasn’t too surprising but Bryant getting less minutes than Barnes was somewhat disappointing.
Grade: D
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