San Antonio Spurs’ favourite out of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper revealed

The San Antonio Spurs arguably have the best guard depth of any NBA team. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper could all start for nearly every team in the league.

However, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson can only play two of them at the same time without making their lineup overly small. Last season, Harper embraced a sixth-man role and excelled during his rookie campaign.

After an excellent playoff run in which he averaged 18 points, 6.4 rebounds, and three assists per game, Harper is now pushing harder for a starting role. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has revealed which two players are likely to start and who the Spurs rate highest.

The Knicks aren't meeting his valuation, and Shams hasn't ruled out a mid-season trade 👀

The San Antonio Spurs’ best player is clearly Victor Wembanyama, but you can make a strong case for any of their three guards to be the Robin to Wemby’s Batman. De’Aaron Fox has the most experience as an All-Star-calibre player, while Stephon Castle produced at a similar level last season.

However, Brian Windhorst has made the surprising revelation that the Spurs internally rate Dylan Harper higher than either of them. Despite that, Harper is not expected to start permanently because he is only entering his second NBA season, and making such a significant change could disrupt the team’s chemistry.

“I’ll just say it. The Spurs internally believe Dylan Harper is their second-best player,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast. “I’m not saying Mitch Johnson’s gonna come out and say that, he shouldn’t come out and say that.

“That’s not a slight on De’Aaron Fox. That’s not a slight on Stephon Castle. Harper is a stud. You talk to other front offices in the league, and they say the same thing. I mean, look. He’s a number two pick in the draft. Of course, he’s a stud. And he only got better as the season went along.”

Harper will start plenty of games in Fox and Castle’s absence, but his route into the starting lineup permanently could ultimately depend on a trade. If Castle and Harper continue developing into superstars, Fox may eventually need to be traded to create more room for the two young guards to flourish.

Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox