3 Takeaways as Dylan Harper assumes starting mantle in Spurs preseason opener
· Yahoo Sports
Victor Wembanyama admits he enjoyed his summer vacation in the aftermath of the NBA Finals.
Four months away from the Frost Bank Center, however, was quite enough.
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"It was good to get a little time off," Wembanyama said after the Spurs dropped their preseason opener against Atlanta 123-116 on Thursday. "At this point, it's been long enough."
The Spurs' All-Star center didn't waste much time shaking off the rust.
With rookie Dylan Harper turning heads in the starting lineup and Wembanyama not missing a beat, the Spurs' first unit raced to a 23-point second-quarter lead over the Hawks.
Then the regulars called it a night.
With both teams emptying their benches for the second half, Atlanta's reserves and rookies staged a comeback, turning what had been a sure Spurs rout into a Hawks victory.
Final score notwithstanding, the Spurs had plenty to like about their first tune-up of the fall. Harper led the Spurs with 16 points and added four rebounds and four assists. Stephon Castle added 14.
Wembanyama barely broke a sweat en route to nine points, six rebounds and a block.
The Spurs were without All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox, who was a late scratch after reporting general soreness stemming from a particularly rigorous morning practice session.
Atlanta took advantage of the opportunity to make things interesting, recording 10 of its 18 made 3-pointers in the second quarter alone. The Hawks poured in 42 points in the period to trim the Spurs' lead to 69-62 at halftime.
With their starters on ice, the Spurs could not hold on. Asa Newell led Atlanta with 16 points off the bench, while rookie Kingston Flemings - a San Antonio native - put up 15 in his NBA homecoming.
The Spurs continue their preseason slate Saturday in Phoenix, with a trip to Utah to follow.
San Antonio Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama (1) goes up for a shot over Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the preseason opener at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News)Here are three takeaways from Thursday's defeat:
1. Some starting lineup clues
Thursday offered hints as to what Johnson wants to do with his starting lineup.
The coach arrived at the Frost Bank Center intending to start Fox, Harper, Castle, Devin Vassell and Wembanyama.
With Fox an unexpected no-go, Johnson opted to hold out his most veteran guard and start Julian Champagnie instead.
Johnson cautioned against reading too much into his preseason choices, fully aware that such warnings rarely stop fans from doing exactly that.
"They're still going to read into whatever they want to read into," Johnson said.
The bigger question is what the lineup will look like once Tobias Harris, the Spurs' marquee free-agent addition, returns from a calf strain. Thursday offered one meaningful clue: Johnson appears intent on seeing what his three talented guards can do together.
Harper started four games as a rookie, but never with both Fox and Castle available. The preseason opener offered a first look at how the three might fit alongside one another.
So, how did Harper's first turn as a starter go?
"It worked out," Wembanyama said with a grin.
2. Wembanyama ready to go
If Wembanyama spent his summer recharging, he looked ready to put that energy to use Thursday.
In a brief first-half shift, the Spurs' star picked up where he left off after his first All-NBA season, scoring with ease and anchoring a defense that held Atlanta to 20 points in the opening quarter.
He began his night with a comfortable jumper over Onyeka Okongwu less than two minutes into the game. A step-back 3-pointer followed before Wembanyama capped his early shot-making with a lob dunk from Vassell.
Wembanyama also made his presence felt on the glass and around the rim.
For Johnson, it was an encouraging first glimpse of his star player in game action - even if the glimpse lasted just 17 minutes.
Atlanta Hawks guard Kingston Flemings (4) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Ja'kobi Gillespie (17) during the second half of the preseason opener at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. The Spurs fell 123-116 to the Hawks. (Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News)3. Flemings triumphant in SA return
For Atlanta's Flemings, Thursday's game was more than a preseason tune-up. It was a homecoming.
The former Brennan High standout returned to San Antonio as the Hawks' latest first-round pick after being selected eighth overall in June, becoming the city's highest-drafted high school product since Shaquille O'Neal.
Flemings' first NBA preseason road game just happened to bring him back to the city where he grew up watching the game he now plays for a living.
"Playing in the NBA feels great," Flemings said. "I went to a lot of games here when I was younger. So it feels good."
The 6-foot-4 University of Houston product came off the bench and took some time to find his rhythm, totaling five points and three assists in the first half.
After halftime, Flemings found another gear. With the Spurs' regulars safely on the bench, Flemings attacked more aggressively against San Antonio's deeper reserves, adding 11 more points and finishing 6 of 8 from the field.
For a stretch, the game even turned into a mini-showdown between Flemings and Spurs second-round pick Ja'Kobi Gillespie, a former college opponent at Tennessee.
The hometown return was a success on the stat sheet. To hear Hawks coach Quin Snyder tell it, Flemings is already making a strong first impression in Atlanta.
"He's acclimated very quickly," Snyder said. "Those qualities lend themselves to a young player continuing to improve."
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