Being loaded at one specific position in the NBA tends to be a gamble. With limited roster spots and a hard salary cap, every decision to stack players becomes a zero-sum game. A lot of concerns have risen around the San Antonio Spurs because of this exact dilemma. See, they are loaded with great guards like Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and De’Aaron Fox. Pressure is piling up on Coach Mitch Johnson’s shoulders, but there’s no cause for alarm. One of the guards around Victor Wembanyama believes their coaching staff has what it takes to make all of them thrive.

Why Fox believes Spurs coaching staff will make him, Castle, and Harper thrive

Coach Mitch Johnson does not really have to prove anything to the general NBA fanbase. He did well with the Spurs after inheriting an organization from Coach Gregg Popovich, one of basketball’s most legendary thinkers. In just two seasons, he managed 107 wins across the regular season and NBA Playoffs. With a 58.8% career win percentage as a head coach, he also helped many of his players become stars and award winners. Victor Wembanyama has become a perennial candidate for NBA Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Keldon Johnson even won Sixth Man of the Year in that same year.

There still seems to be worry about player development when the Spurs are mentioned. Many of the concerns revolve around how they ensure De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper get into the rotation. These three play a similar style of basketball but, obviously, each has strengths that shine over the others. The burden of juggling these three great guards falls on the coaching staff’s shoulders.

While many worry about how Coach Johnson will balance the Spurs rotation, Fox doesn’t share that concern. The veteran Spurs guard believes in their system and knows he has what it takes to turn all three into stars. It also has to do with Coach Billy Donovan being on the same staff. The new assistant coach has shown he can effectively play three guards, as he did while coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder, via Michael C. Wright of ESPN.

“It’s been great. One thing we’ve talked about is him being able to coach three guards at the same time. When he was head coach in OKC, he had Dennis Schroder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Chris Paul. So, he’s been able to make it work. That team wasn’t supposed to go to the playoffs at the time and then ended up playing well because they figured it out. That’s one thing he’s bringing to us,” Fox declared.

The Thunder faced the same conundrum, which Coach Donovan fixed in the 2019-20 NBA season. Every guard had star potential that year, so they needed an effective rotational and schematic philosophy. In the end, it worked out. They won 44 games and made the postseason before losing in seven games to the Houston Rockets in the first round. So, Coach Johnson has all the help that he needs to manage Harper, Castle, and Fox.

All three are expected to be front-runners for major NBA awards in the 2026-27 season. With Coach Donovan and Coach Johnson’s experience in player development, Spurs fans should soon have no worries. The Spurs’ guard-heavy roster is looking more like a blessing than a curse.

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