Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images With Devin Vassell out until November and plenty of flawed but interesting bench options, a lot of minutes could be up for grabs in San Antonio. What do you think the Spurs’ starting lineup will be on opening night? Marilyn Dubinski: I think the preseason game at Miami was a pretty good indicator of the rotations we’ll see on opening night, so for the starters, that would be Chris Paul, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama. Champagnie has earned the opportunity to replace Vassell by being the Spurs’ most reliable outside shooter and a steadying presence as a 3-and-D player. Mark Barrington: Harrison Barnes, Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan, and Julian Champagnie. Basically the lineup that has been starting in preseason when everyone was healthy. Jesus Gomez: I agree with everyone else. Chris Paul, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama. Gregg Popovich refused to confirm it after the Heat game but everything points to those five being the first on the floor on opening night. Champagnie could struggle to defend some shooting guards but he’s been shooting too well to bench him in favor of Stephon Castle. It will be interesting to see whether Champagnie or Harrison Barnes comes off the bench once Vassell returns. J.R. Wilco: One thing I’ve learned from covering this team for over a decade, is that what Pop does with the starting lineup in the preseason is what he’ll do once the games matter. Since there were so many different starting lineups (and since Vassell is out), this is a legit question to ask — but I agree with the rest that Barnes and Paul will join Wemby and Sochan with Chanpers filling in while Devin recovers Who’s getting a spot in the rotation while Vassell is out, Wesley, Branham or neither? Dubinski: Again, if the Heat game was any indication, possibly neither as Wesely got three minutes before the fourth quarter emptying-of-the-benches while Branham got none, (although he did have his best stretch of the preseason once he got in). Overall, Wesley has had a better preseason, and the assumption has always been that he has a higher ceiling than Branham but was more raw coming into the league, while Branham’s shooting made him more NBA-ready. We may be hitting the point where Wesley’s more rounded game is about to surpass Branham, but both may still be behind Stephon Castle. It will be interesting to see what the Spurs do with their fourth-year team options. Barrington: I feel like Wesley has earned a spot in the rotation with his improved play in preseason. Branham has been inconsistent, and I think he might be leapfrogged in the rotation by Stephon Castle, who looks ready to compete against NBA competition already. Gomez: I agree that Wesley’s work in preseason puts him ahead of Branham in the depth chart, but I can see Pop playing a nine-man rotation and using neither, as Marilyn said. The three-guard lineups with Tre Jones, Wesley and Castle were fun and functional in preseason, but if everyone in the top nine performs well, there could be only a handful of minutes left for Wesley and Branham. Wilco: I’m going with neither because Stephon has won me over. I was never anti-Castle — although I didn’t my share of griping on draft night because I wanted shooting — but now I’m definitely on his bandwagon. He’ll certainly have his struggles during the season, and I think we should expect him to get schooled regularly by the elite of the league’s scorers, but I see him having a great shot and sticking in the rotation and being quite productive for a rookie (Two straight years of a rookie getting big minutes from Pop? What’s the world coming to?) Who’s getting the leftover big man minutes, Charles Bassey, Mamu or neither? Dubinski: Knowing Pop, he’ll probably value Bassey’s defense more, proof being that when healthy, he has always been ahead of Mamu in the rotation, but it’s hard to ignore how much more exciting Mamu’s game is — at least on offense. He can shoot threes, keep the ball moving, and he showed some nice chemistry with Wemby last season. The problem is his defense, and when he isn’t scoring it stands out even more. The reality is he’s better off as a power forward than center, so Bassey by default is probably the third center. Barrington: Riley Minix? I have no idea, really. I like the excitement when Mamu plays, but he’s just an awful defender. Bassey can defend better, but he hasn’t provided much offensive output yet. The best option is that neither one of them plays a lot if the game is close. Gomez: Ideally, neither. Wembanyama and Collins should be able to man the center spot for 48 minutes. If there’s foul trouble, the best option against most teams is probably Charles Bassey, but it could be hard to find minutes for Mamukelashvili at power forward, so if the Spurs want him on the court at all, they might turn him into a stretch five and live with the issues on defense. Wilco: I’ll say that it’ll be situational. Mamu for offense and Bassey for defense — on those occasions where Vic and Zach aren’t enough, and Gomez mentioned. I’d love to see Mamu play more because he’s fun to watch moving the ball and hitting threes, but until his defense is ready for prime time (if it ever gets there) it’s just not likely to happen.