If the Spurs' fourth guard job is open, a healthy David Jones Garcia should take it

David Jones Garcia is healthy, and that's an underrated story of Spurs training camp right now. Everyone is focused on who starts at guard and whether or not Julian Champagnie will keep his starting spot after the Tobias Harris acquisition, and rightfully so, but the fourth guard job isn't settled either.

The 24-year-old was averaging 26.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the Austin Spurs, sitting fifth in the G League in scoring, and was on the verge of being named to the 2026 Rising Stars game when he went down with a right ankle injury on January 10. His season was over, and his momentum was erased.

He's back on a two-way contract this year, and San Antonio is carrying 14 standard deals with one spot still open. The spot behind De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle is available, and it should be DJG's.

Jordan McLaughlin sets a fine floor for the Spurs but doesn't raise the ceiling

Let's be fair to Jordan McLaughlin first, because he's earned that. He played 44 games for the Silver and Black last season, shot 42.5% from three, and when Swipa went down in the playoffs, JMac stepped up and played well enough that the rotation didn't fall apart. That is a real job, and he does it well.

He also averaged 2.0 points and 0.9 assists while doing it. The former USC guard is 5'11", 185 pounds, 30 years old, and entering his eighth season. McLaughlin is exactly what he is, and what he has is a ceiling you can touch from the floor.

But the Spurs don't really need a fourth ball-handler. Fox, Harper, and Castle will eat every on-ball rep worth having, and the fourth guard's real job is playing next to those three rather than instead of them. At 6'4", 210 pounds, Jones Garcia is the only one of these two who can switch up a position and finish over the top of somebody. Six years younger, five inches taller, and a better athlete.

DJG already showed the Spurs a glimpse last season

Go back to November 20 against the Hawks. Victor Wembanyama, Castle, and Harper were all unavailable, and Jones Garcia played 19 minutes. That was more than his entire season total up to that point. He finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in a 135-126 win.

11 games and 2.9 points a night don't provide anything close to a full body of work. We still need to see if he can be a solid scorer off the catch, as that's where he'd be most useful. But 26 a night in Austin is not nothing. The potential to be a strong contributor is there.

Don't get me wrong, the best guy should win the job. If that's JMac, then so be it. I just prefer the best guy to be the taller, more versatile player. If he makes the most of his opportunities during the rest of camp and throughout preseason, he should earn the nod that makes San Antonio even more dangerous.

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