The 2025 NBA Draft is finally here, and as expected, the San Antonio Spurs selected Rutgers’ Dylan Harper with the No. 2 overall pick. They held onto the pick for Harper even when future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant was reportedly on the table last week.
With Harper now joining Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs appear to be going right into their rebuild. Let’s take a closer look at their roster and how the starting lineup could look in the 2025-26 season.
What Could the Spurs’ Starting Five Look Like in 2025-26?
The Spurs finished the 2024–25 season with a 34–48 record, landing them in 13th place in the Western Conference. While some might say they showed promise, the team’s main goal is to contend for an NBA title, and a playoff miss does not align with that goal.
Adding Harper, a 6’6″ combo guard who averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists at Rutgers, gives the Spurs a high-upside playmaker alongside Fox. But can both guards share the same floor?
The answer is likely no because the Spurs could struggle on the offensive end of the floor with Harper’s shooting needing some development. Harper averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in his lone season at Rutgers.
Rutgers star Dylan Harper is a SPUR 👏
Ready to make his stamp in the NBA 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Mj1CsshVpN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 26, 2025
Until Harper develops his shooting, he is likely to remain a backup to Fox and Stephon Castle. So, with that in mind, here’s how the Spurs’ depth chart and starting five could look in 2025:
- PG: De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Blake Wesley
- SG: Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Malaki Branham
- SF: Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Carter Bryant
- PF: Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson
- C: Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan
The Spurs are likely to have Fox, Harper, and Blake Wesley in the point guard room, with Chris Paul expected to either play for a contender or retire.
San Antonio made a big splash in an in-season deal for Fox, who was shut down after playing just 17 games for the Spurs following the trade. The 27-year-old will be healthy when the season starts and will give the Spurs exactly what they acquired him for: a second option to carry the offensive load behind Wembanyama.
It, however, will not be a surprise if Harper starts in front of him in some games, and the rookie comes with positional flexibility as well, which could see him start in front of Castle as a shooting guard as well.
A Closer Look at the Spurs’ Potential Rotation
But for the start of the season, Castle will likely be the first choice. He impressed in his rookie season, averaging 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, according to StatMuse. He is only expected to develop further as the season progresses. Julian Champagnie will be Castle’s likely backup unless the Spurs draft someone better. He averaged 9.9 points on 37.1% three-point shooting last season.
Vassell will continue to lead the small forward department after he bounced back from a lackluster start to 2025. He finished the season averaging 16.3 points while making 36.8% of his three-pointers. There were concerns about his defense, and he did make some progress, making 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
Keldon Johnson looked like a transformed player after the All-Star break last season and appears to have solidified his place in the second unit. He averaged 12.7 points per game by the end of the season, drilling 31.8% of his three-pointers. The group will likely see some additions via draft or free agency.
Barnes will lead the power forward department, and his fit with Wembanyama is as good as it gets. He is a terrific shooter and averaged 12.3 points per game while landing a staggering 43.3% of his three-pointers last season, according to StatMuse.
Jeremy Sochan, who continued to average 11.4 points per game while making 30.8% of his three-pointers last season. However, the Spurs are still likely to add another player to the roster, very likely someone like Noa Essengue with the No. 14 pick.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama will continue to be the star center for San Antonio and yet again come with high hopes of winning the Defensive Player of the Year after being robbed twice. The Spurs currently have Bismack Biyombo listed as the backup center, but could very well look for an upgrade through the draft.
