The unofficial start to the 2026-27 San Antonio Spurs season arrived on Sunday night, as nearly 15,000 fans packed the Frost Bank Center for annual the Silver and Black open scrimmage, their first look at the squad since its run to the NBA Finals just over four months ago.
Here are three takeaways from the open scrimmage:
Tobias Harris to miss preseason
The biggest news from Sunday’s scrimmage came before the ball ever hit the floor. The Spurs announced that Tobias Harris, their lone acquisition from the offseason, would miss the entire
preseason after suffering a left calf strain during training camp.
Harris averaged 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Detroit Pistons a year ago and filled what the Spurs were missing during that NBA Finals run: size and versatility. After the scrimmage, Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said the team would not rush the veteran forward back, adding there isn’t a cause for concern.
“It’s a calf strain, the seriousness is what it is,” he said. “We won’t rush him at all. I guess the question will be is he ready for the season opener? Totally questionable and we will not push that at all. So, we’ll take it slow. There is no concern of this level of seriousness, and at the same time, we will not rush him at all.”
Luckily for the Spurs, they have players they can turn to in these type of moments. Expect Julian Champagnie to fill Harris’ shoes in the starting unit.
Champagnie to build on breakout season
Julian Champagnie earned himself a big payday after his breakout season a year ago, which saw him become a threat from outside and a key cog in this young Spurs team’s rise to the NBA Finals. Now, he is looking to build on that and show why San Antonio had faith in him to ink him to a big contract.
Spurs assistant coach Billy Donovan drew up an elevator screen for Champagnie, who knocked down the triple from the top of the key. He continued to get out in the open court and scored in transition. Something new he added to his game? He attacked the rim and drove inside instead of settling for three’s.
That could be another added weapon for the Spurs, who got too “three happy” on more than one occasion during the postseason run last season. Coach Johnson along with Donovan will likely make changes for the Spurs to work inside and out more often this season. That will be something to watch when the preseason begins on Thursday.
Welcome back, DJG!
David Jones-Garcia underwent surgery earlier in the year after suffering an ankle injury with the Austin Spurs. Over the summer, San Antonio re-signedDSG to a two-way contract. His return to the court has been a long journey, but if Sunday’s scrimmage if anything to go by, he is ready to make his mark on the game.
Jones-Garcia was pulling up from three, driving the paint, and getting out in transition. He showed his quickness, running with Wembanyama and Fox on a three-on-one rush to the basket and his ankle looked like it was holding up well.
With the preseason starting on Thursday, Jones-Garcia will look to do more to impress the coaching staff and make the most of his time on the court. If he can build on his season from last year and his ankle continues to show its improvment, he could surprise everyone in 2026-27.
