18 notes from 13 press conferences
De'Aaron Fox hasn't played a preseason game and Tobias Harris is "still coming back," with no timeline, Spurs' Harrison Barnes said at shootaround. Lineup undecided, so don't read it as an opening-night preview: "we're not gonna have our full roster until... a little bit."
Victor Wembanyama's playmaking will be an every-night part of his game, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, but with balance: "He's still got to set screens. He's still got to put pressure on the rim." Stephon Castle said they want Wembanyama "default aggressive."
Every game rookies Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Tarris Reed Jr. play is valuable, even the bad ones, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said: "It's kind of like when your kids start school. Like, every day they get to go, it's something good. If it doesn't go well, it's still good."
Mitch Johnson said the Spurs' Oct. 10 game fell below their standard, and with opening night on Oct. 20, it "would not feel like we would be ready to go." Stephon Castle said the message was physical defense early. Johnson gave no status on Carter Bryant's rolled ankle.
De'Aaron Fox was a late Spurs scratch with "some tightness." Mitch Johnson doesn't "foresee it being anything serious" but will be "very cautious," and didn't say whether Fox travels to Phoenix. David Jones Garcia looks healthy after his ankle injury, Johnson said.
Victor Wembanyama is initiating the Spurs' offense with the ball high after an offseason spent on shot creation. Mitch Johnson said postgame the spacing around him has to improve: "Need to be a lot better than we were at times... of spacing around him and playing off that."
Dylan Harper started for the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama: "It's not like we hadn't done it before... in practice... that worked out." Harper says a three-guard group with De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle will be "really hard to guard" but needs stops and rebounds to cover its size.
Dylan Harper couldn't do live contact in his first Spurs training camp. In his second, he says "now I feel good enough and I feel ready to go." The leap he wants: "having a voice, being a leader. That's the biggest thing." That means knowing everyone's spots, not just his own.
No rush on Jayden Quaintance. The Spurs rookie is rehabbing his injury every day, and Keldon Johnson said "his health is the main thing." Asked about news from the scrimmage that Tobias Harris will miss time, Johnson said he didn't know the extent and gave no timeline.
Spurs 2/2 Stephon Castle on how Spurs guards space the floor without corner shooters: "it really starts with just touching the paint and creating advantages for each other." He expects the push-off crackdown to change little but help defenders late in the clock.
Spurs 3/3 De'Aaron Fox wants the Spurs to settle on one or two ways of playing and perfect them all season. The risk, he said, isn't players unwilling to sacrifice: "ours is the opposite. Guys not trying to step on each other's toes." Everyone needs to be aggressive.
Spurs 1/2 Spurs guard Stephon Castle said De'Aaron Fox is "fully back healthy" when asked if Fox played through more pain last postseason than he let on. Castle expects himself, Fox and Dylan Harper on the floor together more, so each will play more off the ball.
Spurs 1/3 De'Aaron Fox on the Spurs' Jayden Quaintance: "I don't even know if I've seen him work out yet." No timeline; Fox said he should take however long he needs, citing strain on big men's knees and feet. He called having everybody healthy in camp good.
Spurs 2/3 Fox on the Spurs' three guards, rarely together until late in Finals games: "1,000%. We know we're gonna play together more this year." It will take rebounding, shooting and sharing the ball, he said. Tobias Harris adds a post game beyond Victor Wembanyama.
Victor Wembanyama, asked about endorsing sports betting companies: "Absolutely not. I will never do that. Honestly, I think it's very sad to see some players promote it." He said he has refused "much, much more money" than he has made for deals that did not fit his values.
Wembanyama on training with rugby players this summer: "it was inspiring to see how much of themselves they give." He said the Spurs' struggles weren't about physicality; handling physical playoff teams is mostly effort and going through uncomfortable things.
Asked in French about his influence as a young, Black star before French elections, Wembanyama said he's sure he'll have a role on those issues someday; for now he's building himself. He's also pushed for over a season for playoff-style scouting in big regular-season games.
Mitch Johnson on Billy Donovan joining his staff: "He's not kicking his feet up and telling stories. He's rolling his sleeves up and getting his hands dirty." Johnson said teams got physical with Victor Wembanyama most of all, and his young players have since toughened up.