Spurs approach to major issue after All-Star Break will tell fans if they’re serious

With the NBA All-Star break now behind us, we can turn our attention back to the San Antonio Spurs. Despite adding star De'Aaron Fox before the trade deadline, they are just 2-3 with him, and his addition has raised questions about the team's rotation going forward. Interim coach Mitch Johnson has come under fire for his confusing rotations.

Some of that includes continuing to start Chris Paul when Fox made him redundant with the opening lineup and having Stephon Castle come off the bench, even though he is looking increasingly like the Spurs' third-best player.

Johnson not having Fox or Paul on the floor for long stretches when he could easily stagger their minutes has also been puzzling. San Antonio can't afford to have such shoddy rotations during the second half of the season, with them needing to make up significant ground.

The current 10th seed in the Western Conference is projected to win 42 games, but the Spurs only have 23 wins at the moment. That means that they would need to go 20-10 to close out the season to ensure that they get into the play-in tournament.

Mitch Johnson must fix the Spurs' rotation for them to thrive post All-Star break

It likely wouldn't take much to fix San Antonio's issues with the rotation. Johnson can start by moving Castle into the starting five and shifting Paul to the bench. That will give San Antonio a drastically improved starting five with Fox, Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Victor Wembanyama.

That unit would have both speed and athleticism, with Fox and Castle able to attack the rim and also force turnovers on the other end of the floor. Additionally, Castle's improved shooting over the last dozen games makes for more of a seamless fit playing off-ball while Fox or Wembanyama creates. That was something that was previously a question mark.

A bench unit of Paul, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and spot minutes from Charles Bassey when he gets healthy or Bismack Biyombo would make more sense. That would give the second unit a playmaker who can set up players who can't necessarily create their shots for easy opportunities, ensuring the Spurs don't blow leads.

Overall, the Spurs need Johnson to adjust his rotation to give them the best chance to win. Starting Castle, having Paul run the second unit, and having either him or Fox on the floor at all times would be a great start. The Spurs need to make up ground in the standings, and these adjustments could help them do just that.