When the San Antonio Spurs choose Dylan Harper with the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they will face a significant problem: a lack of reliable backcourt shooting. Harper will be the second player in the starting lineup by himself, and De’Aaron Fox is already a poor shooter. Things appear much more bleak when you include Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan, who is anticipated to be the Spurs’ starting power forward.
It appears that Victor Wembanyama will be among the league’s top players for the next ten years, but will the Spurs be able to surround him with enough reliable shooting to make it work?
Harper’s draft selection is obvious, but it certainly adds gasoline to the flames when it comes to that issue.
Who among the Spurs is a reliable shooter?
Although Fox isn’t a bad shooter and Harper has a good chance of getting better, neither player is the reliable shooter the Spurs need to start next to Wembanyama.
Sochan is more likely to become a non-shooter than a real menace behind the arc, and Castle doesn’t appear to be a knockout guy anytime soon.
Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie both made some decent long-range shots this season, but how much more do they have to accomplish?
Harrison Barnes, who not only played (and started) all 82 games for the Spurs last season but was also an amazing shooter, is left.
What lineup should the Spurs start with?
After winning Rookie of the Year, Castle also deserves a position in the first five, while Fox and Harper should start from day one. Castle played one or two guard for the majority of his rookie season, so that does put the Spurs in a bit of a bind. Since he won’t have the ball in his hands as much, switching to the three could not be simple.
Unless the Spurs choose to start Castle or Harper off the bench, that obviously leaves Wembanyama with an open spot next to him at the four.
The Spurs would greatly benefit from Sochan’s defense, but at this point in their rebuild, Barnes’ shooting might be more crucial. Sochan and Barnes appear to be the most likely candidates to take that position.
The Spurs would thus theoretically have to start Fox, Harper, Castle, Barnes, and Wembanyama in the lineup the next season. (Or, in the event that Barnes is traded, Champagnie.)
Where are the Spurs able to locate shooting?
The most obvious locations for San Antonio to look this summer for top three-point shooting are the draft and free agency.
The Spurs have the No. 14 pick through the Atlanta Hawks in addition to the second pick. Among the capable shooters that might be available in that range are Carter Bryant, Liam McNeeley, and Jase Richardson.
In the meanwhile, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., and Malik Beasley are a few free agents who would make good targets.
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