The uncomfortable truth for Devin Vassell is that this might be the season the San Antonio Spurs stop treating him like an automatic starter. That is not a dismissal of his value. It is the reality of a roster that is starting to look more interesting, and more crowded, by the week.
Last season, Vassell took a back seat and thrived in a smaller role. That matters. It tells you he can still produce without needing the whole offense to orbit around him. It also tells you why a bench role would not be some dramatic punishment if the Spurs decide to start De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Harper together this season.
If that happens, the math gets simple very quickly. There are only so many high-usage, ball-dominant minutes to go around, and the Spurs also have Victor Wembanyama, Tobias Harris, Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant to think about. Carter Bryant could start at the four for the Spurs Roster after preseason progress, which only sharpens the pressure on every other spot in the rotation.
Vassell’s case is built on one very specific, very powerful argument: he can explode. Against the Denver Nuggets in an NBA Cup tournament game, he scored 35 points and made seven threes on the road. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he scored 28 points and made seven threes on the road. Those are not empty numbers. Those are the kind of scoring bursts that can change a game in an instant, especially when the floor is stretched around him.
That is why a bench role may actually make sense. It is not about reducing Vassell. It is about using him in the right way. A smaller role last season already showed he can thrive when the responsibility is more targeted, not less important. If the Spurs want to lean into a three-guard look, they are not short on precedent either. Billy Donovan has experience with three-guard lineups, and the broader NBA has long shown that talented guards can survive, even flourish, when the right combinations are found.
But let’s not pretend this is a harmless tactical tweak. Vassell has mostly started during his seven years with the team. That kind of continuity matters. Removing a long-time starter from the first five is never a small decision, especially for a player who has already shown he can score in bursts on the biggest stages the Spurs have had in recent memory.
So yes, the question is a fair one: could Devin Vassell lose his starting role this season? Absolutely. And if the Spurs really do open with Fox, Castle and Harper together, then the sharper question is whether the bench would be a demotion at all. For this team, with this mix of scoring and spacing, it might be the best way to keep everyone useful.
