The San Antonio Spurs opened their preseason with a 123-116 loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night. 

Heading into the game, head coach Mitch Johnson teased the three-guard lineup, claiming that De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle would all start alongside Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama. With Tobias Harris out for the preseason and wins and losses not counting, Johnson decided to experiment with three point guards.

Instead, Fox was a last-minute scratch due to soreness upon arriving at the Frost Bank Center. There's no reason to believe that Fox will miss extended time, although without the All-Star in the lineup, Harper was able to take off.

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While Harper, Castle, Vassell, Wembanyama, and Julian Champagnie all started the game, none of them got an extended run. That was to be expected. The entire point of the preseason is for guys to get used to full runs and for the young guys to show out.

In just 19 minutes, Harper finished with 16 points on five-of-seven shooting, getting to the rim with ease and making three of his five 3-pointers. 

He wasn't the only youngster to show off. Carter Bryant finished with 11 points, and second-round pick Ja'Kobi Gillespie added eight of his own. Gillespie is competing for the last roster spot before the season starts, and his sweet shooting stroke makes him worthy of consideration.

First-round pick Tarris Reed offered two points and six rebounds, with two of them coming on the offensive end. He certainly looks the part of a rotation player, although he will have to fight with Wembanyama and Luke Kornet for minutes. The Spurs, though, have given his physicality plenty of glowing reviews.

Despite blowing a lead (which can't feel good after the NBA Finals), the Spurs looked solid. Preseason is nearly as ripe for overreaction as the Summer League, although all signs point to the roster being just as talented and even more steady than last year.

The Spurs will travel to take on the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in their next preseason game. Perhaps Fox will be back in the lineup.