The San Antonio Spurs are off to a sizzling 8-2 start and have superstar Victor Wembanyama to thank—especially after what he did to the Chicago Bulls. Though Stephon Castle also deserves plenty of praise. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging a terrific 18.3 points on 48.4% shooting, as well as 5.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2 steals, filling up the stat sheet.
That’s a heck of a statline for a second-year player, with Castle suddenly making a massive leap forward when the Spurs need it the most. No De’Aaron Fox, no Jeremy Sochan, no Luke Kornet, no matter, San Antonio has kept on trucking with Castle and Wembanyama leading the charge.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has heaped praise on Castle for his versatility.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for his versatility…He can impact winning whether he is on the ball, off the ball, defensively. He is going to guard a ton of different profiles in terms of premier players on teams. He has an opportunity to affect the game as much as anybody,” Mitch Johnson said.
Stephon Castle gives the Spurs the ultimate Swiss Army knife
It’s one thing to be a jack of all trades on offense, but being able to defend multiple positions effectively makes him all the more valuable. Enjoying the Phoenix Suns game, he spent much of his time guarding Devin Booker and provided physical defense that kept him from going off.
He has also been tasked with guarding Cooper Flagg and Luka Doncic, and more than held his own. Castle’s ability to guard one through three makes him an invaluable piece.
Even when his shot isn’t falling, he can still impact the game. In fact, more recently, he totaled 27 assists in back-to-back games against the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans despite not shooting especially well from the field.
However, when he’s on, he is a game changer for the Spurs. He carried the Spurs offensively against the Suns with Wembanyama missing in action. Castle also came up big in the team’s most recent game against the Bulls.
He helped to shut down Chicago in the fourth quarter while hyping up teammates during the Spurs’ big comeback. His 11 assists and 1 turnover are a clear sign that he is learning the finer points of shot creation, even while sharing the ball with Fox.
His ability to draw free throws gives him a baseline offensively, with him scoring at least 13 points in each of the team’s first 10 games.
Not even Wembanyama has done that. And when Castle can hit threes or mix in some pull-ups into his diet of drives to the rim, he can be a nightmare to stop.
The Spurs haven’t had a player like Stephon Castle in years
His burgeoning playmaking ability added another facet to his game and makes him a more well-rounded player. De’Aaron Fox will likely handle most of the ball handling when the two share the floor together.
Fortunately, Castle getting eight games to experiment running the point should make him a much better shooting guard who can serve as a secondary playmaker. That means he can play alongside Fox or Dylan Harper and has enough size to play the three in three-guard lineups.
That would give San Antonio three talented playmakers, allowing them to play fast and put pressure on defense with multiple slashers. Crazy as it might sound, the Spurs haven’t had a player like Castle since Manu Ginobili.
All told, Castle’s versatility has been a basketball godsend to the Spurs, with him being key to their hot start. If Castle is already this good and can tweak his shot and cut down on turnovers, he will soon give the Spurs their third all-star.
