Spurs Look to Test Utah's Thin Frontcourt in Preseason Visit

San Antonio's guard experiment meets a Jazz frontline missing its biggest body.

SAS @ UTA Oct 13, 2026 at 1:00 AM UTC

The most concrete storyline in this preseason matchup is in Utah's frontcourt. Jusuf Nurkić is out with a foot injury, and the Jazz have added center Mohamed Wague, a signing that looks like training-camp depth. That leaves Utah thin at center against a Spurs team built around Victor Wembanyama, who reportedly spent the offseason on his low-post footwork, conditioning and strength. Preseason minutes are rarely tidy, but if Wembanyama gets time against a patched-up interior, any gains in his post game could show up quickly.

San Antonio has its own question at guard. De'Aaron Fox is questionable after being ruled out of the previous game at the last minute with soreness, and that scratch disrupted the planned three-guard look. Dylan Harper stepped into the starting lineup in that game and delivered 16 points, four rebounds and four assists on 5-for-7 shooting. The Spurs are testing a Harper-Fox-Castle trio, so Fox's status decides whether they get another look at it or continue with Harper and Castle carrying more of the playmaking.

Both rotations may stay fluid. Lauri Markkanen (neck), Tobias Harris (calf), Sensabaugh and Williams are all listed as questionable. If Markkanen sits, Utah loses its most obvious frontcourt scoring and spacing, which would compound the Nurkić absence. Because these are preseason games, caution with minor ailments is understandable, and rotations could look unfamiliar early.

The edge goes to San Antonio. Even without full clarity on Fox, the Spurs have the stronger frontcourt advantage with Wembanyama facing a thin Utah center group, and Harper has already shown he can run the lineup. Utah should hang around early, but the Spurs' size and guard depth should tell as the rotations deepen. Prediction: Spurs 113, Jazz 106.

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