Projected starting lineup and depth chart after Spurs trade for Kelly Olynyk

This will be a different team.
San Antonio Spurs v Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs v Portland Trail Blazers | Steph Chambers/GettyImages

The Spurs got a brand new bag, and while we don't know when they'll add more accessories, we know that they will eventually. San Antonio has three roster spots still available, and all teams must have at least 14 players signed to standard contracts by the time the season begins, per league rules.

That begs the question of what route Brian Wright and the front office will take to comply with that rule. Will they simply sign some guys off the street or make additional trades to bring in players from elsewhere? As famously quiet as this team is, there's just no way to know until it's about to happen.

There wasn't a ton of smoke about SA going after Luke Kornet or Kelly Olynyk before the news of their acquisitions broke. But, so good luck predicting what they'll do next. With that being said, there are already 12 guys under contract, and that gives us enough information to play with lineups, so I'm going to take a crack at predicting what the depth chart will look like if the Spurs keep all 12.

The Spurs' starters would mostly be familiar

G - De'Aaron Fox
G - Dylan Harper
F - Devin Vassell
F - Harrison Barnes
C - Victor Wembanyama

Sochan has been working on his jump shot. We've all seen the videos. If that translates when the ball is tipped off for real action, his defense makes him the preferable choice to start over Barnes. The same thing goes for Vassell. He had some struggles shooting the ball with consistency when he was put back in the starting lineup last season. If that hasn't been rectified, Champagnie would ideally take his spot.

The Spurs can't count on Harrison Barnes having another career year, but he could certainly maintain his efficiency from deep to a degree. If Vassell has a bounce-back year and Wembanyama continues to improve his three-point shooting (of course, he will), San Antonio will have plenty of shooting in their starting lineup.

We keep hearing about Harper's supposed inability to drain shots from deep, but he knocked down 37% of his catch-and-shoot opportunities last season. So, those two things contradict each other. If he can shoot league average or even take a step forward over the summer, the offense is even more deadly.

The bench depth hasn't been this good in years

G - Stephon Castle
G - Keldon Johnson
F - Julian Champagnie/Carter Bryant
F - Jeremy Sochan
C - Luke Kornet/Kelly Olynyk

Rim pressure is the name of the game for the second group. Between Castle and Johnson, they can put immense pressure on the paint, and any combination of Champagnie, Bryant, Olynyk, and with his improved mechanics, hopefully, Sochan can knock down the shots created from it.

Kornet also provides a strong finisher around the basket, an offensive rebounder, and a rim protector. Those are all things the bench mob needed last season. I don't anticipate any five-in-five-out substitution packages, but for the sake of discussion, if an entire second unit were on the floor, they'd have plenty of defense and great options for scoring.

Again, we don't know what the completed roster is going to look like by the time October rolls around, but if they decide to go in with this core, they're still in a great place. Admittedly, much of that will depend on how hard guys are working and how well it translates. But that's what sports are: a lot of hoping it works out. So, let's hope it works out.