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San Antonio\u2019s vision is obvious: give Wemby playmakers so he doesn\u2019t have to do everything himself. But in today\u2019s NBA, it\u2019s not just about who can create, it\u2019s about who can space the floor. This is the pick that will define the direction of the Spurs, either clarifying their identity or blurring it even further.<\/p>\n
The situation in San Antonio<\/p>\n
Here are the shooting numbers for Castle, Fox, and Harper, via Synergy Sports \u2014 Fox\u2019s entire NBA career; Castle\u2019s NBA and college games; and Harper\u2019s college and high school games since 2023:<\/p>\n
Fox hasn’t become a great shooter in eight NBA seasons. He\u2019s increased his volume from 1.1 catch-and-shoot 3s per game in his first two years to 3.2 in his last two, but the percentages haven\u2019t budged: 35.5% then, 35.2% now. Still below the league average of 37.2%.<\/p>\n
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And it\u2019s not just from deep. From midrange to the line, Fox has always been streaky. These flaws made his acquisition a gamble for San Antonio. But the low cost of expendable assets made him more than worth it. All-Star caliber players who actually want to play for the Spurs are hard to come by.<\/p>\n
Early returns were underwhelming, though. In 210 minutes together, Castle and Fox got outscored by 10.5 points per 100 possessions. In their 33 minutes with Wemby: minus-12.3. It\u2019s a small sample, but the results were ugly before Fox\u2019s season was ended by surgery to repair a tendon on his left hand. Still, Fox\u2019s arrival takes the pressure off Castle to be a full-time lead guard.<\/p>\n
Castle, for his part, had a strong rookie year. He looked like the Swiss Army knife scouts promised by defending, cutting, making the extra pass and overall looking like the NBA\u2019s new Andre Iguodala. Castle flashed playmaking upside, and he didn\u2019t need the ball to contribute. But he shot just 28.5% from 3, which mirrors his college numbers:<\/p>\n
Though Castle is still only 20, his shooting has always been the primary concern about his future going back to youth levels. If Castle doesn\u2019t become a reliable shooter at some point in his career, it\u2019ll make it more difficult to get him minutes if the Spurs have more options to handle the ball.<\/p>\n
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Harper\u2019s form looks fine and he\u2019s confident. He even hit 36.8% of his catch-and-shoot 3s as a freshman at Rutgers, which isn\u2019t all too bad. But the rest of his profile is loaded with red flags.<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t the numbers of a sure-thing shooter. An even closer look at Harper\u2019s 3-point misses adds more cause for concern.<\/p>\n
I watched all 104 of Harper\u2019s misses at Rutgers and he didn\u2019t just miss short or long. He missed in every direction. On dribble jumpers, 26.5% were short and 14.7% were either air balls or blocked, pointing to rhythm issues, lower-body power inconsistencies and a low release point. On catch-and-shoot attempts, 22.2% of his misses went left and 19.4% went right, revealing directional instability even on his cleanest looks. In total, 24 of his 104 misses either hit the backboard, air-balled or were blocked, while nearly one-third sprayed left or right. Harper is clearly still searching for his shot.<\/p>\n
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The Spurs could bet he steadily improves, but if so it\u2019s more of a hope than a plan.<\/p>\n
The case for Harper<\/p>\n
Harper\u2019s appeal is related to the way he lived in the paint at Rutgers, finishing 67.5% of his shots at the rim. He doesn\u2019t blow by you with blazing speed, but he\u2019s got a herky-jerky, keep-you-guessing handle where every move sets up the next. There\u2019s a craft to him with the way he splits pick-and-rolls and manipulates defenders that makes him look more like an NBA veteran than a 19-year-old incoming rookie.<\/p>\n
And he doesn\u2019t need a screen to get into the paint either. With a beefy frame and elite body control, Harper barrels downhill at will. Defenses knew he was coming \u2014 47.4% of his shots came in the paint \u2014 and they still couldn\u2019t stop it. On his drives inside, he\u2019s not a genius-level passer, but he\u2019s composed, accurate and tough to speed up. Harper doesn\u2019t cough up the ball despite a high degree of difficulty in his reps. He\u2019s capable of making every pass on the floor, and his feel should only improve over time.<\/p>\n
![\"(Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/c095d230-455b-11f0-beff-9cbfb95cd9f4.jpeg\"\/)
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(Taylor Wilhelm\/Yahoo Sports Illustration)<\/p>\n
Harper compares himself to Cade Cunningham, which makes sense since they\u2019re both jumbo guards with an all-around offensive skill set and defensive versatility. Much like Cunningham, Harper looks like a future starter at a minimum, and maybe much more. But one difference is this: Cade went first overall to a team that cleared the runway for him. San Antonio already has Castle, Fox and Wemby. There\u2019s no runway left. But Harper\u2019s path to stardom likely requires space, touches and shooters around him, not sharing a clogged paint.<\/p>\n
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And that\u2019s the paradox. Harper\u2019s talent justifies the pick. His fit makes it risky.<\/p>\n
If San Antonio takes him, it is effectively copying the Oklahoma City and Indiana blueprint with multiple playmakers and positional flexibility. But those teams work because they surround their stars with players who can either shoot, slash or process quickly enough to keep defenses honest. And their stars can play that way too. San Antonio\u2019s potential perimeter trio wouldn\u2019t check all of those boxes. They\u2019re more slashers, not spacers who stretch defenses. None scares you without the rock, and each of them has his respective issues with it, too.<\/p>\n
The Thunder and Pacers show players can improve their shots. Tyrese Haliburton dropped in the draft because of concerns about his form, and now he\u2019s hitting game-winners in the NBA Finals. Andrew Nembhard entered the league as an unpolished shooter and is in the middle of a playoff run making nearly half of his 3s. In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and basically the entire roster have improved.<\/p>\n
Of course, it helps when you hire Chip Engelland. In 2022, the Thunder poached the NBA\u2019s most respected shot doctor after he spent nearly two decades in San Antonio. Since then, Oklahoma City\u2019s shooting has trended up. San Antonio\u2019s has flatlined. Jeremy Sochan is just as suspect of a shooter as he was at Baylor. Keldon Johnson has regressed. Devin Vassell has smooth mechanics and touch, but even he\u2019s never cracked 40% from 3. The Spurs used to be the league\u2019s gold standard for skill development. Now no one\u2019s getting better as a shooter except for Wemby himself. But in his two seasons, the Spurs have ranked 28th and 20th in 3-point percentage.<\/p>\n
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Is having three guards with iffy jumpers really the best way for the Spurs to optimize Wembanyama? Is it best if your second-, third- and fourth-best players all have erratic jumpers? Because this isn\u2019t just about skill sets overlapping in the backcourt, it\u2019s about how they impact the generational player they\u2019re supposed to elevate.<\/p>\n
The Wemby fit<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve yet to see Wembanyama surrounded by four shooters. We haven\u2019t even seen him run two-man actions with a competent partner. Inverted pick-and-rolls. Quick slips into space. Dribble handoffs. Stuff that would weaponize his passing and make life easier for everyone.<\/p>\n
Wemby averaged just 4.8 handoffs per game this past season. For comparison: Domantas Sabonis led the league at 21.1. Rookie Alex Sarr logged 8.1. Even Zach Collins, Wemby\u2019s own backup, had more at 4.9. It\u2019s absurd that this is true. Yes, Wemby is often the receiver of a handoff. But with his vision, shooting and ball-handling, he should be initiating more of those actions in an ecosystem that provides him space to go to work.<\/p>\n
The whole point of adding shot-creators is to get Wembanyama easy shots in the paint. No surprises there: Wemby shot an absurd 79% at the rim last season. He\u2019s a cheat code in the paint. But he took only 3.2 restricted area attempts per game. That\u2019s the same volume as Lauri Markkanen, Rui Hachimura and Jonathan Kuminga. You know who else took more? Jeremy Sochan. Yes, Sochan had 5.1 per game. Sochan had more rim attempts than Wemby. What are we doing here?<\/p>\n
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The problem is obvious: there\u2019s no room. Sochan can\u2019t shoot (career 29% from deep) and the rest of the perimeter isn\u2019t any better. So even though Wemby can shoot, he has to for the offense to breathe. The Spurs have added creators, but they haven\u2019t added spacing to open lanes for Wemby.<\/p>\n
The paths forward<\/p>\n
The Spurs are at a crossroads. Their actions say they want to win now. Their roster says they\u2019re not ready. And Wembanyama\u2019s rookie contract clock is ticking. So, what should they do?<\/p>\n
Option 1: Draft Harper, keep Fox and Castle<\/p>\n
In 2022, the Kings chose Fox over Tyrese Haliburton. Not because Haliburton was worse, but because they didn\u2019t think the two could coexist. Maybe they were right. Trading Haliburton for Sabonis helped end a 16-year playoff drought.<\/p>\n
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But in hindsight, they acted too fast. Now Haliburton is clearly the better point guard and running one of the best offenses in the league, and the Kings are still trying to figure out what their post-Fox future looks like. The lesson isn\u2019t don\u2019t choose. The lesson is don\u2019t choose before you have to.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the case for keeping the trio intact. Draft Harper. Let it breathe. Give the coaching staff a year or two or three to figure out who works best with Wemby. Castle\u2019s cutting, Harper\u2019s slashing, Fox\u2019s speed all bring value. Maybe it works. And on defense, it should. Castle was already guarding top options as a rookie. Harper has the size and instincts to be switchable. And when Fox is locked in, he\u2019s a defensive playmaker fighting through screens and picking up steals. If the Spurs stick with all three, they could smother perimeter scorers and funnel everything to the league\u2019s best rim protector.<\/p>\n
But Wemby is such a dominant paint protector that he can erase defensive breakdowns. What he can\u2019t do is manufacture spacing for himself on the other end. So there\u2019d be more pressure for them to figure it out on offense no matter how good the team\u2019s defense becomes.<\/p>\n
And that concern is shared for the guards, not just Wemby. Harper projects best as a lead initiator with shooting around him, not as the third wheel on a team that can\u2019t space the floor. There were better lottery outcomes for him. And if Harper is the pick, what happens to Castle? He\u2019s not a shooter. He\u2019s not running the offense. So is the reigning Rookie of the Year now a low-usage cutter who doesn\u2019t space the floor? It’s unclear how Castle\u2019s development tracks next to Fox and Harper.<\/p>\n
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This option doesn\u2019t just assume internal development. It assumes internal compliance that no one pushes for touches, for usage, for clarity. It assumes Wemby will keep deferring while the team figures itself out.<\/p>\n
San Antonio has a pile of extra first-rounders and zero albatross deals, so it can patch holes on the fly if things sour. So they could take Harper and wait. But if they\u2019re wrong, they won\u2019t just waste touches. They\u2019ll waste time.<\/p>\n
Option 2: Trade Castle<\/p>\n
If San Antonio believes Harper has higher long-term upside as a lead initiator, they could explore the idea of moving Castle while his value is sky-high. He\u2019s the reigning Rookie of the Year. He\u2019s young, versatile and scalable. And he plays with a maturity beyond his years. But if his jumper never comes around, and Fox and Harper are ahead of him on the ball, his role could get squeezed quickly.<\/p>\n
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Maybe the Bucks would prefer Castle and picks over Harper in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Maybe the Celtics bite on a Castle-Vassell-picks package for Jaylen Brown. Maybe another young star becomes available.<\/p>\n
Option 3: Trade down<\/p>\n
Teams like the Jazz, Wizards, Pelicans and Nets all need initiators. Maybe one of them would offer a haul to move up for Harper. Looking at the history of trade downs, usually a team would give up their own first and one future first. But considering Harper\u2019s upside, perhaps the Spurs could haggle for much more.<\/p>\n
The Nets, holding the No. 8 pick and a mountain of future firsts plus Cam Johnson, are the most interesting trade partner. Harper is a local kid with star potential, and the Nets have a clean slate he could grow with. If the Spurs want to pivot toward shooting, Johnson plus picks is a logical foundation.<\/p>\n
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In that range, Duke wing Kon Knueppel, Arizona forward Carter Bryant and Washington State wing Cedric Coward would all be strong fits. They bring shooting and versatility, which is exactly what the current Spurs core lacks. The question: Are any of them worth passing on Harper\u2019s ceiling for?<\/p>\n
Option 4: Trade out of the draft for a star<\/p>\n
The Spurs might not need another teenager. They already have youth like Wemby, Castle, Vassell, Sochan and a war chest of future picks even after adding Fox. So maybe the next move is to skip the draft entirely and chase a star.<\/p>\n
Right now, the Giannis whispers persist. They\u2019ve also been linked to Kevin Durant. Around the league, sources say the Spurs have explored packaging the 14th pick with a player to upgrade the roster. Whether that upgrade is marginal or massive depends on who shakes loose, but it\u2019s clear San Antonio isn\u2019t waiting around. So if Giannis actually is available, maybe San Antonio\u2019s willing to put Harper on the table.<\/p>\n
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Option 5: Trade Fox<\/p>\n
Fox signed up to be Tony Parker to Wembanyama’s Tim Duncan. But the Spurs weren\u2019t planning on drafting another primary ball-handler months later. Plans change.<\/p>\n
There’s a case to move Fox before he signs a four-year, $229 million extension \u2014 or even a cheaper hometown discount deal. He turns 28 later this year. He\u2019s made just one playoff appearance. He still doesn\u2019t have a reliable jumper. And for a guard who lives off speed, any athletic slippage could get ugly fast. And even if he ages gracefully and ends up being by far the most expensive of three quality shot-creators, he won\u2019t come close to having the trade value he holds right now. San Antonio has one last window to sell high.<\/p>\n
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Harper, on the other hand, is 19 with real long-term upside. Castle is younger, cheaper and easier to fit in because he\u2019s a far better cutter and defender than Fox.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as if Fox and Wemby made a great first impression. Granted they ran only 46 pick-and-rolls together, but they scored a measly 0.77 points per play. A full training camp might help, but maybe not if the team\u2019s shooting situation doesn\u2019t improve. Plus Castle and Harper also need touches. Fox\/Wemby simply might not be the high-usage combo the Spurs envisioned.<\/p>\n
If moving Fox were on the table, the logical targets are the teams that were connected to him at the deadline:<\/p>\n
Miami Heat: Fox for Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovi\u0107, the No. 20 pick and unprotected firsts in 2030 and 2032. Fox upgrades Miami\u2019s point guard spot, while San Antonio gets picks and three shooters, including a young piece in Jovi\u0107.<\/p>\n
Brooklyn Nets: Fox for Cam Johnson and draft capital. Johnson spaces the floor and fits the timeline.<\/p>\n
Houston Rockets: Fox (plus Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley) for Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, the 10th pick and future firsts. FVV gives the Spurs a vet, while Smith would be a fascinating fit next to Wemby.<\/p>\n
Other playmaking-needy teams like the Bulls, Magic, Suns, and Timberwolves could emerge as dark horses. Phoenix is especially interesting. If the Spurs really want Durant, Fox\u2019s salary helps make the math work. Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes or Devin Vassell could be added to build a separate bigger deal.<\/p>\n
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But there\u2019s real risk here. Fox is a known commodity as an All-Star in his prime, capable of carrying an offense, capable of making Wemby\u2019s life easier today. Harper is unproven. If his jumper never levels up or his fit with Castle overlaps too much, San Antonio may have traded a sure thing for a question mark. You don’t get many chances to pair a young superstar with a reliable point guard who actually wants to be there. If Harper doesn\u2019t hit, the Spurs will spend the next five years trying to replace what they already had.<\/p>\n
When San Antonio traded for Fox, it was trying to make the playoffs. Instead, both Fox and Wemby got hurt. The team cratered. And the lottery gave it an unexpected gift.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t waste the alien<\/p>\n
If the Spurs keep loading up on guards with questionable jumpers, they\u2019re doing it around a star who should be the gravitational center of the entire offense. Instead, they\u2019re building a roster that pulls him to the perimeter while everyone else clogs the lane.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s not that Castle, Fox and Harper are bad players. It\u2019s that together, they risk becoming a well-intentioned mess. Add inconsistent shooters like Sochan and Johnson, and the Spurs look like a roster that needs less of a tweak and more of an overhaul.<\/p>\n
Maybe keeping all three guards works. Maybe Castle becomes a league-average shooter, maybe Harper becomes a star and maybe Fox finds his ideal role. But that\u2019s a lot of maybes, and this isn\u2019t the kind of decision you get to re-do. The Spurs don\u2019t just have a top pick. They have a rare opportunity to choose a direction and not waste Wemby\u2019s prime untangling a roster that never fit.<\/p>\n
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Because we\u2019ve seen this before. Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. Anthony Davis in New Orleans. Generational bigs held back by years of mismatched rosters and delayed decisions. The cautionary tales are clear. So is the counterexample \u2014 and the Spurs know it better than anyone.<\/p>\n
Tim Duncan\u2019s prime was maximized because San Antonio built with precision. Shooting. Defense. Clarity. Manu Gin\u00f3bili didn\u2019t need the ball to impact the game. Tony Parker could bend defenses without dominating possessions. Everyone fit around Duncan, and San Antonio always evolved with the times as the NBA changed. And because of that, it lasted two decades.<\/p>\n
Wembanyama deserves that kind of infrastructure. And right now, it feels like the Spurs are building a roster better suited for 2005. But the blueprint has never been clearer: surround your generational star with players who space the floor, make quick decisions and elevate him without always needing the ball to do it.<\/p>\n
Do that, and Wembanyama changes the sport. Don\u2019t, and years from now we\u2019ll talk about how the Spurs landed an alien and built a roster that made him look human.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victor Wembanyama is a 7-foot-5 alien who warps the court on both ends and might be the most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87501,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[979,5500,1784,495,7,7008,247,103,909,1828,46,1314,2725,4672,4958,226,866,123,2992,2293,194,113,1346,364,78,423,2724,867,2850,938,3064,968,976,185,6968,1537,189,307,6,12,478,475,114,1012,969,474,209,930,604,2594,1674,308,2968,278,693,4104],"class_list":{"0":"post-87500","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-draft","8":"tag-alex-sarr","9":"tag-andre-iguodala","10":"tag-andrew-nembhard","11":"tag-anthony-davis","12":"tag-basketball","13":"tag-blake-wesley","14":"tag-brooklyn-nets","15":"tag-bucks","16":"tag-cade-cunningham","17":"tag-cam-johnson","18":"tag-celtics","19":"tag-deaaron-fox","20":"tag-devin-vassell","21":"tag-domantas-sabonis","22":"tag-duncan-robinson","23":"tag-dylan-harper","24":"tag-fred-vanvleet","25":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","26":"tag-harrison-barnes","27":"tag-haywood-highsmith","28":"tag-houston-rockets","29":"tag-indiana","30":"tag-jabari-smith","31":"tag-jalen-williams","32":"tag-jaylen-brown","33":"tag-jazz","34":"tag-jeremy-sochan","35":"tag-jonathan-kuminga","36":"tag-keldon-johnson","37":"tag-kevin-durant","38":"tag-kevin-garnett","39":"tag-kon-knueppel","40":"tag-lauri-markkanen","41":"tag-lebron-james","42":"tag-malaki-branham","43":"tag-manu-ginobili","44":"tag-miami-heat","45":"tag-minnesota","46":"tag-nba","47":"tag-nba-draft","48":"tag-new-orleans","49":"tag-oklahoma-city","50":"tag-pacers","51":"tag-rui-hachimura","52":"tag-san-antonio","53":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","54":"tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","55":"tag-stephon-castle","56":"tag-suns","57":"tag-the-spurs","58":"tag-tim-duncan","59":"tag-timberwolves","60":"tag-tony-parker","61":"tag-tyrese-haliburton","62":"tag-victor-wembanyama","63":"tag-zach-collins"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}