San Antonio

Spurs

The three-guard starting lineup for the Spurs had a surprising effect. After leading the team in assists last season, Castle had far fewer assists than both De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. However, he ended up leading the team in scoring and set a new career high for three-pointers in a game. Castle should be used more as a playmaker in the future, but it was good to see him have a strong night as a scorer in this one.

Despite being written off after a rough Finals series, Fox is still a productive player, which he showcased in this game. He’ll continue to be an important piece for the Spurs this season, even if they continue to start all three of their guards. Fox led the Spurs in assists in this game after Stephon Castle led the team in dimes last season. If Fox is the primary playmaker this year for San Antonio, he may see a nice boost in production.

Harper got the starting nod as part of the three-guard lineup for San Antonio, and he was able to have a productive night in 32 minutes. There were certainly some holes to his fantasy game, most notably the shooting percentage and lack of defensive stats. However, he was able to flash why the organization is so high on him. If Harper remains a starter against the Rockets on Friday, he should be in for another productive night.

Well, this wasn’t how Wemby wanted to start the season. He was able to do enough at the free throw line to get to double figures and record a double-double, but this was an abysmal start to the season for him as a scorer. There is no reason for managers to be worried about this since this will likely be his worst offensive performance of the season. He’ll look to bounce back against the Rockets on Friday.

Harris did not play at all during the preseason, and his strained left calf will delay his official Spurs debut for at least one game. Julian Champagnie, who was moved to the bench for Dylan Harper, and Harrison Barnes likely benefit the most from Harris’ absence in terms of playing time.

Champagnie came off the bench with Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and De’Aaron Fox in the starting lineup, which is also the plan heading into Tuesday’s opener against the Thunder. If the Spurs stick with this lineup, it’ll be difficult for Champagnie to have much of a fantasy ceiling. He looks like a late-round dart throw in remaining fantasy drafts.

Jeff McDonald also reported that coach Mitch Johnson intends to use this starting lineup on Tuesday against the Thunder. The Spurs will use their three guard lineup with Champagnie and Harris coming off the bench. We’ll see if the starting lineup sticks that way beyond this upcoming Tuesday, but you can feel good to draft Vassell to stream him in on opening night.

Wemby may have missed all three of his three-point attempts, but the final stat line was what fantasy managers have come to expect. While a few managers may take Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with pick 1.1, many consider it a two-horse race. If it isn’t Wembanyama going first overall, then it will be Denver’s Nikola Jokić.

With the Suns sitting their projected starters, they struggled to find an answer for Castle on defense. He attempted only five field-goal shots, but the third-year guard’s ability to apply pressure off the dribble earned him 15 free-throw attempts. Turnovers and field-goal percentage limited Castle’s value in nine-cat formats last season, making him a superior option for those competing in eight-cat formats or points leagues.

With Julian Champagnie getting the night off, Harper remained in the starting five despite De’Aaron Fox making his first appearance of the preseason. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Harper has a high fantasy ceiling heading into his second NBA season. The top-100 ADP is reasonable, as Harper will play plenty for the reigning Western Conference champions. With the Spurs playing their final preseason game on Friday, we should get a more definitive answer on Mitch Johnson’s starting lineup then.