Fox's absence just gifted Spurs Nation a glimpse of a glorious Harper-Castle future

This isn't the first time Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle started a game without De'Aaron Fox (soreness). But it is the first time they've done it with Harper running the show like a real point guard and Castle operating as a secondary playmaker off the ball. The results were overwhelmingly positive.

This is what the Slash Bros. look like with the keys

Harper gave you 16 on 71.4% shooting while knocking down 3/5 from deep and dishing out four assists. He got to the rim at will, just like you expect, but the biggest question for his offensive game was his shooting. It was only the first preseason game, but he knocked down two threes off the dribble and one catch-and-shoot. That's a pretty damn good start.

Castle was his usual bully-ball-playing self, getting downhill with power, but he was able to do more of that by cutting to the rim off the catch, instead of having to dribble past his defender (though he did some of that too). It looked natural for him, and his 14 points on 62.5% shooting is the evidence. He also knocked down the one three-point attempt he took.

Not bad for the young Slash Bros.

Fox is still necessary but he won't be for long

I know there are some De'Aaron Fox naysayers in the fan base who saw this performance and will use it as fuel for their "why do we still need Fox" campaign, but I beg you to pump the brakes. There was still some sloppiness on that floor, and there's something to be said for controlling the game by manipulating the pace; not just pushing it.

San Antonio's offense could have benefited from slowing down and getting more organized on several different occasions. Their pure talent bailed them out of some of those situations, but when the stakes are high and your opponent is primed to take advantage of your mistakes, making fewer of them becomes paramount.

Swipa will still be the steadying hand this team needs when the game starts to get out of control. As awesome as they are, that will still happen. Why not have a cheat code on the floor in the form of a 2x All-Star who can guide the young guys and go off for 25-30 points of his own on any given night?

This may have just been the first preseason game, but it's not like we haven't seen these two play before. We know how talented they are. We know they'll get better, too, because it's already happening. Having Fox as backup makes us spoiled. I'm okay with that.

Harper statline

16 PTS
5/7 FG (71.4%)
3/5 3PT (60%)
3/4 FT
4 REB
4 AST
1 STL
0 TO

Castle statline

14 PTS
5/8 FG (62.5%)
1/1 3PT
3/4 FT
4 REB
3 AST
1 STL, 1 BLK
2 TO

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