Before the Rockets visit, the coverage has settled on three questions: who plays, where the points come from after a 104-point opener, and how big Dylan Harper's role should be. The injury list and the box score answer part of it, and the rest is opinion.
Will De'Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson play against the Rockets?
Spot Up Shot's Paul Garcia listed Fox as questionable with a right wrist sprain and Johnson as questionable with a mouth laceration, and Air Alamo also previewed Fox's status for the Austin game. The team's injury list gives both an estimated return of today. Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance are ruled out. Harris's calf points to Saturday in Dallas, and Quaintance's knee points to early December. Garcia listed Houston's Steven Adams and Reed Sheppard as questionable too.
Can the offense find points without Tobias Harris?
KENS 5's Jeff Garcia built a report around a sputtering offense and the three-guard lineup, and Air Alamo's Ty Small argued that the scoring drought is where Harris can help. The concern is fair. San Antonio scored 104 against the Thunder. Harris averaged 13.3 points on 36.8 percent from three last season, but he sits tonight, so that help waits. The three-guard idea comes from an October 17 report by Michael C. Wright, which named no starters.
Is Dylan Harper ready for a bigger role?
The Athletic put Harper on its All-Breakout Team. Air Alamo's Jahlil Williams argued that he should run the bench for one more season so Victor Wembanyama has room, and Ty Small, also at Air Alamo, called Houston's defense the test Harper needs. The interest is earned: Harper scored 18 points in the opener, second to Stephon Castle's 24, and the Spurs exercised his 2027-28 option. Nothing reported so far says whether he starts or leads the second unit.
Is the worry about Wembanyama and the opening loss overdone?
Air Alamo's Jahlil Williams wrote that Wembanyama is overthinking in his fourth year, and Pounding The Rock's Lee Dresie offered a moment of Zen about the loss. The record calls for patience more than alarm. One game is played and 81 remain, for a group that went 62-20 last season with an 8.4 net rating. Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds then. Overthinking is a judgment from film, and a single box score cannot confirm it.
Is De'Aaron Fox playing against the Rockets on October 23?
Fox is questionable with a right wrist sprain, according to Spot Up Shot's Paul Garcia. His estimated return date is today.
When will Tobias Harris return from his calf injury?
Harris is ruled out against the Rockets. His estimated return is October 24 at Dallas.
