Spurs Debut Three-Guard Starting Lineup Of De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle

San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson started De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle together for the first time in Wednesday’s 123-103 preseason win over the Phoenix Suns. The three guards combined for 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the first half.

The group started slowly as Harper and Castle missed their first five shots between them, and Fox, playing in his preseason debut, came out with 6:57 left in the first quarter.

The trio played 11 minutes together in the first half and posted a plus-10 net rating. Last season they shared the floor for only 69 minutes, including 25 in the NBA Finals, and the Spurs were outscored by 47 points in that time.

San Antonio led 60-49 at halftime. Fox played 18 minutes and 33 seconds, all in the first half. Castle finished with 18 points, 14 of them on free throws, and Harper scored nine.

Johnson had planned to start the trio in last week’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Hawks. Fox was held out of that game with general soreness.

Johnson said he knows people question whether three ball-dominant guards can work together.

“I understand the narrative around it,” said Johnson. “I always land on the same reasoning at the very end of it. They’re three of our better players. I know the majority of their lives, maybe their highlight tape is typically with the basketball in their hands. But De’Aaron Fox has played with other handlers and played off the ball a ton. Steph Castle won a national championship [at UConn] basically not touching the ball ever for the start of a possession. They’ve done it here. We didn’t do it a lot last year.

“Dylan was a rookie who couldn’t play more than 20 minutes for half the season [in 2025-26] because he was going to cough up a lung because he wasn’t in shape. I think they can dribble, pass, shoot, defend, make winning plays. They’re unselfish. They have good size.”

Fox said the three guards talked about starting together this summer while visiting Victor Wembanyama in France. Wembanyama said having several ball handlers around him makes his job easier.

Castle will become eligible for a contract extension during the 2027 offseason. Fox re-signed with the Spurs in 2025 on a four-year, $229 million deal.