For the Spurs to make the playoffs, they must bench two of their best players

An interesting development has taken place with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite two of their three best players having missed significant time, the Spurs have found a starting lineup that works for them. Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, and Victor Wembanyama have been surprisingly good as a starting unit. 

Of course, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan are missing from that lineup, and both have been mainly coming off the bench after returning from injury. Both have played well off the bench, and given the success of the starting five and their play, perhaps both should stay there.

That would be a bold move for interim coach Mitch Johnson to make with Vassell being the team's highest-paid player and the second-best player behind Wembanyama. Also, Sochan has played very well this season, even as his outside shot looks worse. Nevertheless, keeping both players coming off the bench will be crucial for the Spurs if they hope to make the playoffs for the first time in five years.

For the Spurs to make the playoffs, they must bench Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan.

San Antonio's biggest problem this season has been their lack of spacing, with only a handful of good shooters in their rotation and most of them starting. Having Vassell come off the bench as a super sub who can get hot and knock down shots would help alleviate their problems with their second unit. 

While putting Sochan on the bench, alongside Charles Bassey in the front court would further exacerbate their shooting problems, both players are terrific offensive rebounders. They could feast on missed shots, giving San Antonio extra opportunities to put the ball in the basket. 

The early returns for playing with them as reserves have been encouraging, with Vassell already having four 20-plus point games in his first 11 games—all off the bench. Keeping two of the Spurs' best players on the bench would be a risky strategy, but the payoff could result in the Spurs solving their biggest flaw, which is shooting.

Keeping two of the Spurs' best players on the bench is risky, but the payoff could be big.

Not only that, but having two starting-caliber players play off the bench would give the Spurs another advantage. They could potentially build leads when Chris Paul and Wembanyama are off the court when the offense tends to crater.

Instead, Vassell can come in and immediately get hot while Sohan and his high-energy plays could wreak more havoc playing against less talented opponents. Ultimately, if the Spurs want to make the playoffs this season, it's still within reach.

They are currently 11th in the West, but only two games back from the fifth seed, giving them a chance to make up ground. But that starts with them making the tough decision to keep two of their best players coming off the bench.