Spurs' closing rotation could leave Dylan Harper out in the cold

Lost in the discussions surrounding who should start for the San Antonio Spurs is who will close, and Dylan Harper may not make the cut. That may be disappointing but not surprising for Spurs fans who were forced to watch De'Aaron Fox close games in the NBA Finals, with Harper sometimes watching from the bench.

Despite previously winning Clutch Player of the Year, Fox struggled to close games at times last season. Normally, San Antonio wouldn't have a better option than Fox, but Harper is definitely a great alternative.

In fact, Harper should have closed several games over Fox last season. If coach Mitch Johnson plans on using the three-guard lineup of Fox, Stephon Castle, and Harper more next season, Harper can't be left out of the closing lineup altogether.

Spurs' closing rotation could leave Dylan Harper out in the cold

It will obviously change from game to game. However, the most common closing lineup may end up being Fox, Castle, Devin Vassell, Tobias Harris or Julian Champagnie, and Victor Wembanyama.

Either of those lineups could be gangbusters to close games, but Harper may quickly emerge as San Antonio's third-best player next season. Thus, leaving him out of the closing five would be a slap in the face.

Then again, if the trio of Fox, Castle, and Harper don't gel well together, then having one of the three sit out during crunch time makes some sense. I think Castle and Harper will improve enough as shooters to provide adequate spacing, but the point-guard trio will need more reps together to prove it.

The Spurs can't keep Dylan Harper out of closing lineups

The Spurs actually experimented with playing Fox, Castle, and Harper together along with Vassell and Wembanyama in crunch time of the NBA Finals. Given how the Spurs blew four games in crunch time, that experiment was a failure, but it shouldn't scare them away from using that lineup more next season.

San Antonio may sacrifice some spacing with no Harris or Champagnie, but Wembanyama and Vassell both have shooting gravity. If even one of Castle or Harper can shoot 35 percent from three on high volume, then that lineup should be more than fine offensively.

Defensively, there isn't a weak spot on the floor, with both Fox and Harper being surprisingly good on that end. It will ultimately come down to fit.

If the Spurs can't make a three-guard lineup work, then Harper could be the odd man out in the closing lineup. But if Harper and/or Castle continue to improve as shooters, then the Spurs close with them, Fox, Vassell, and Wembanyama. That's far from a certainty, however.

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