The San Antonio Spurs picked up their first win of the preseason on Wednesday night, beating the Phoenix Suns 123-103. As with every preseason game, though, the final score was not the main storyline.

For the first time since last season, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper were all available. In the 2025-26 regular season, that trio was usually staggered. In that span, they shared the floor for just 25 minutes, posting a -26.9 net rating.

However, there's no denying that they're the second, third, and fourth-best players on the roster (put them in whichever order you'd like), and the Spurs could benefit heavily from them learning to coexist. On Wednesday, there were ups and downs, although the Spurs remain confident. 

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There is a bit of an obstacle to making this lineup thrive: all three guys are excellent at getting downhill and finding Victor Wembanyama, but none of them have a track record as an elite shooter.

Fox, especially, knows that unlocking the outside shot is key to making the three-guard lineup work.

"It's gonna be huge," said Fox of the trio simply making more shots. "Obviously, we have a talented group, especially in the backcourt. And when we're making shots, it allows other guys to be able to get downhill. We can spread the defense out, and teams know what we want to do. There's no secret about it. So it's a lot of our season, a lot of how special that first group can be. It's gonna be predicated on how we shoot the ball. And it doesn't even have to be off the dribble. We have guys that can create for themselves and create for others. So we try to generate the easiest shot possible."

Some, including yours truly, are not sold on the Spurs being able to master this lineup, and think it would be better to simply stagger the guards, always having one or two (but not all of them) on the floor at any given moment. 

San Antonio, meanwhile, is preaching some patience, at least until they get their sea legs back. Remember, Fox missed the first three games of the preseason and has to get back into playing shape.

"First time that group's played together, it's been a very stop-and-go preseason in terms of lineup, so we're just trying to get into a little bit of a rhythm," added Mitch Johnson.