De’Aaron Fox’s career-best efficiency is covering for three Spurs starters who slipped

De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama have been the two most consistent offensive players for the Spurs this season. That's not a surprise, considering their status and skill sets, but a week and a half into the 2026-27 campaign, I'm worried about the rest of the guys. For this exercise, we need to look beyond points and focus on individual efficiency. That's where the uncertainty lies.

Kudos to Swipa; his 65.1% TS is by far the highest of his career. Wemby's OKC opener was horrendous, but he's posted a 60.8% TS if you remove that outlier. Now, let's take a look at the others in the starting lineup:

2026-27
Dylan Harper: 53.9% TS
Devin Vassell: 53.8% TS
Stephon Castle: 53.4% TS

2025-26
Dylan Harper: 57.4% TS
Devin Vassell: 57.4% TS
Stephon Castle: 57.5% TS

When you look closer, Harper's free-throw shooting has improved, but his FG% and 3PT% have dropped. The same exact trend goes for Devin Vassell. Meanwhile, Castle's three-ball has improved, but he's getting to the line far less than he did last year (from 5.6 attempts per game, down to 1.6 this year), and his FG% has fallen.

Spurs fans should believe their eyes about the offense

San Antonio is currently ninth in offensive rating (114.1), but it often doesn't feel like it. That's because it's not the whole truth. Sacramento deserves an expensive thank-you card for helping skew reality, because the Kings' defense is so bad they couldn't guard a golden doodle with two amputated legs. The Silver and Black bludgeoned Fox's former team, and that game pushed the Spurs' offensive rating up.

The Mavericks helped massage the numbers, too, but at least they had Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving out. I don't expect Irving to stymie the Spurs' offense with his defensive prowess, but he can pressure opponents to keep up when he's in his bag. That's an underdiscussed trait some guys have. They can influence rival offenses into mistakes and rushed shots. But he wasn't there, so no worries.

San Antonio scored 104 against OKC, 110 on Houston, and while they managed to reach 117 in Utah, an overtime period was required to do it. Regulation ended with 105 on the board. This was a top-three offense in the league last season, and it was easy to see why without needing numbers. All you had to do was watch the games.

Two shooters on the wings outside opened up the lane, and with two aggressive guards on the floor at all times, and Wemby doing Wemby things, they were a force to be reckoned with. It was a simple formula that allowed everyone to play to their strengths. Players fed off their teammates' abilities because the fits were seamless.

Speaking of wings, Julian Champagnie is shooting 48.6% from three, and his efficiency is also doing some heavy lifting.

Fox is propping up the efficiency numbers while the Spurs' rotation sorts itself out

Now, De'Aaron Fox came into the season healthy. As a professional scorer, he knows how to get his, and after the disrespect to his name all summer, he's playing some of the best ball of his NBA life. He's taking fewer shots, but he's cashing them in at a high rate. Swipa's seven assists a night are one of the higher marks of his 10-year career, and his turnovers are at their lowest (2.0).

Fox has been the steadying force San Antonio wanted when they traded for him, and his chemistry with Wembanyama is the best it's ever been. The Spurs will need to continue leaning on those two to power the offense while they continue working out the kinks, but we have to be honest with ourselves and ask if they'll ever be able to smooth things out with this rotation.

Lineups and rotations don't just work because you want them to. I've already covered how Harper's presence in the starting lineup is hurting both his efficiency and the bench's consistency. Looking through a wider lens, it seems to be hurting even more than that, and it all goes back to D. Fox's quote before the season began.

"Teams know what we want to do. There's no secret about it. A lot of our season—a lot of how special that first group (can) be—it's going to be predicated on how we shoot the ball. It doesn't even have to be off the triple. We have guys that can create for themselves and create for others, so we (have to) try to generate the easiest shot possible." - De'Aaron Fox

The Spurs have generated a bunch of good shots, but they haven't been cashing them in enough. That's because the guys taking them aren't the ones who specialize in outside shooting. It doesn't hurt you as much against a Flagg-less Mavs team or a bottom-feeding Kings squad, but those teams aren't the measuring sticks.

If they want to make another run deep into the playoffs, let alone end the year hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy, the stars have to play like stars. That hasn't happened yet, and unless the rotation changes, I'm not sure it will.

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