San Antonio has its own issue at forward. Mitch Johnson has said the Spurs won't rush Tobias Harris back from his calf injury. They signed Harris in free agency for 2 years and $30 million to be a veteran body in the frontcourt. Jayden Quaintance still hasn't been cleared for basketball activities. The Spurs' preseason was more about getting reps than piling up wins, and they dropped the opener 116-123 to Atlanta on October 8.
The basketball question is simple. Can Oklahoma City's guards and wings, with Gilgeous-Alexander running the show, keep winning the possession battle the way they do, while San Antonio has a 7-foot-4 problem standing in the middle of the floor? With Holmgren and Hartenstein both available, the Thunder have the bodies to make Wembanyama work at both ends. If Holmgren's quad keeps him out, more of that job lands on Hartenstein, and the frontcourt gets thin behind him because Jaylin Williams is also banged up.
For San Antonio, the question is whether Fox and the young core can give Wembanyama enough help to make this a real fight with the champs-in-waiting. A home crowd on opening night at Frost Bank Center doesn't hurt. Neither team has played a meaningful game yet, so watch the Thunder injury report closely before Tuesday. That's where this game gets decided before anyone tips it.