Spurs may have already found a way to avoid training camp drama

The San Antonio Spurs enter training camp with arguably the deepest team in the NBA, but coach Mitch Johnson has a plan to avoid any drama. During media day, Johnson responded to a question about the Spurs having several players who could start.

"I'll try to help everybody. I'll try to win. I'll be honest with everybody."

Interesting, Johnson seemingly showed willingness to experiment with different starting fives. If that is ultimately the case, then it resolves a burning question mark that has lingered over the summer.

Johnson's willingness to play multiple starting lineups this season would avoid potential training camp battles between De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper or Julian Champagnie and Tobias Harris. I fully expect Fox and Champagnie to start the first game of the regular season.

Yet there's the possibility that Harris may start over Champagnie depending on the matchup. Or, Johnson could shake things up by starting Harper alongside Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Victor Wembanyama. With several possibilities, the Spurs have room to experiment.

The Spurs may not be married to one starting five

Considering how successful the starting lineup of Fox, Castle, Vassell, Champagnie, and Wembanyama was last season, it's somewhat surprising that they may not stick with that lineup this year. Then again, San Antonio legitimately has seven starting-caliber players, so they'd be crazy not to mix and match and see which lineup works the best.

We could see plenty of different five-man units, whether it be through experimentation or necessity due to injury. Being able to mix and match gives San Antonio some unpredictability while also maintaining versatility.

Changing up the starting lineup would also prevent any hurt feelings. After all, there was talk about Harper being unhappy with his role off the bench last season.

But if he occasionally starts and plays big minutes off the bench, then playing time may be much less of an issue this season.

The Spurs must take full advantage of their impressive depth

It's not just that San Antonio has seven potential starters; it's that they are well equipped to play any style. They could play blazing fast with their point guard trio, Vassell and Wembanyama.

They can also play big with Harris, Kornet, and Wembanyama in their front court, though they probably wouldn't start such a pairing. Yet with a revamped center rotation, it's entirely possible that we could see French Vanilla finally start a few games this season.

Still, the end goal should be to start Fox, Castle, Harper, and Wembanyama together with Vassell, Champagnie, or Harris as the fifth starter. Those four seldom played together last season but saw more time in the playoffs.

Getting their core four more acclimated to playing together would be an added benefit of trying out multiple starting lineups with the possibility of eventually settling on one.

With Johnson looking to best use everyone's talents, being willing to play multiple starting fives is a great start.

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