John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports Vassell will miss the start of the season as he recovers from injury. Who will replace him in the starting lineup? Here’s a comprehensive look at the options. Devin Vassell will miss the start of the season, the Spurs announced. The wing is not expected to be out for a long time, with an update on his status and his potential return coming in early November, but his absence will force Coach Gregg Popovich to replace one of his starters. There are several ways he could go about it, but all permutations have their own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s look at the most likely options, assuming the other four starters are Chris Paul, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama. If familiarity is the goal, starting Malaki Branham makes sense Vassell missed games last season and in most of those instances, Branham started for the Spurs. The 21-year-old knows the system, his natural position is shooting guard and he should be able to provide some of the outside shooting and mid-range scoring that Vassell offers. At least the best version of Branham should. Unfortunately, Branham has been inconsistent throughout his young career. If he goes ice cold from outside or makes the wrong decisions with the ball he could harm the offense, and he doesn’t have the defensive acumen to make up for it on the other end. Playing next to Chris Paul should help, as he won’t be asked to be the lead ball handler like he was for stretches last season and will be fed the ball when he’s open from beyond the arc, where his low release isn’t as big of a hindrance. In wide-open three-pointers, Branham shot 37 percent last season, a solid if unspectacular number that makes him a threat that opponents can’t fully ignore. Defensively, a Paul-Branham backcourt could struggle, but the Spurs have had Jeremy Sochan guard the biggest perimeter threat, so Branham could be hidden to an extent, and his experience could help at a team level. Slotting Branham as a starter for a few games, even if he’s not a big part of the rotation under ideal circumstances, could also allow the second unit to develop some chemistry by remaining untouched. In the past, Gregg Popovich didn’t hesitate to start third-stringer Cory Joseph instead of backup point guard Patty Mills when Tony Parker would miss games to avoid disrupting his usual rotations too much. He might decide to do the same here. Starting Stephon Castle is the obvious talent play It’s important to consider how the Spurs have traditionally handled absences, but the circumstances now are different than they were even a year ago. Namely, Pop didn’t have Stephon Castle at his disposal last season. The 4th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft has the talent and the physical tools to start on opening night, so why not give him the opportunity? Castle has expressed his desire to be a point guard at the NBA level but played at the wing in college and standing at 6’6” he has the height to do it at the pro level. He’d likely struggle with the speed of the game as most rookies do, especially when it comes to team defense, but his tenacity and physicality should make him a good individual defender from the get-go. Playing next to Paul would reduce the expectations for him to be a creator on offense, allowing him to just focus on hitting some open shots, cutting with purpose, running the floor and playing off others. Castle is clearly part of the future, so taking advantage of an unfortunate situation to give him reps as a starter without putting pressure on him to be more than a role player could be wise. The only reason why it might not be the play is because of the potential issues with spacing. Assuming Jeremy Sochan is entrenched as a starter, the Spurs need to be careful about having another player alongside him who opponents would be comfortable leaving alone in the perimeter. If the defense can have two extra bodies in the paint, not even Chris Paul will be able to find Wembanyama open. Now, Castle might be a better outside shooter than he gets credit for and the other young guards are not exactly marksmen either. The question is, is playing a small role off the ball in a lineup that would face some serious questions about spacing the best first step for Castle’s development? It’s something to consider. Going big is always an option As mentioned, Branham started most of the time when Vassell missed games, but Pop did try other alternatives. Early in the season, the Spurs had starting lineups that consisted of Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Victor Wembanyama and Zach Collins. No one sane would advocate for returning to such experimental levels, but Champagnie and Johnson could be options. Johnson offers everything Branham does but at a higher level. He’s a better shooter, has more experience with the way Pop wants the team to play and can provide the type of volume scoring Vassell is expected to deliver. The issues are on the defensive end, but Johnson has slimmed down and should be able to guard wings and, as mentioned, Sochan is tasked with guarding perimeter stars, so Keldon won’t have to. Champagnie is a less explosive offensive player, but he hit 37 percent of his threes and he’s a solid defender who might struggle with the quicker wings — something that arguably applies to Vassell as well — but does a good job of using his length to recover and provide some help defense. The Spurs have two more traditional replacement options for Vassell in Castle and Branham, so going with a combo forward like Johnson or a natural small forward like Champagnie could be hard to justify. But it is an option. If Pop wants scoring and experience, Johnson should get consideration. If the idea is to focus on two-way play and spot-up shooting, Champagnie might be the best bet to provide it. After experimenting so much with big lineups last year going with a more orthodox starting unit to start the season is tempting, but considering it’s only for a short stint, it might be worth exploring.