For the first time in a while, the San Antonio Spurs are close to whole, and assistant coach Mitch Johnson believes that simple fact has created a new kind of challenge: learning how to function as a complete group.

After cycling through injuries, minute restrictions, and experimental lineups, San Antonio finally has something resembling a full rotation. That stability, however, has revealed a different layer of work. A healthy depth chart means clearly defined roles, more complex combinations, and the expectation that the product should immediately look polished. Johnson’s message is that it rarely works that way.

The Spurs are leaning into development with a young core that is still figuring out how to win together at the NBA level. Continuity is often cited as a Spurs hallmark, but continuity is more than just having everyone available. It’s about reading each other’s tendencies on both ends, trusting the system when a possession breaks down, and knowing instinctively where a teammate will be on the floor.

Across the league, teams that make real jumps usually do it after extended stretches of health and stability. The difference in San Antonio is that the group is still in the early stages of that process. Players are adjusting to role clarity: who initiates, who finishes, who spaces, who anchors the defense. Those answers evolve with time, not just with a clean injury report.

For Johnson and the Spurs’ staff, the priority is to turn this healthy roster into a coherent identity. That means living with some uneven performances as lineups are tested and chemistry is built. The organization has long favored the long view, and this phase is no different.

In a Western Conference crowded with established contenders, San Antonio is betting that patience with this fully stocked roster will eventually pay off. Health has given the Spurs a foundation. Now, Johnson’s belief is that only repetition, shared minutes, and time will turn that foundation into something sustainable.