Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have become the measuring stick for every promising backcourt that comes along, but Charles Barkley may have gone a little too far with his latest Spurs praise.
On the Bill Simmons podcast, Barkley didn’t just compliment Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. He put them in the same sentence as the Warriors’ iconic duo, saying, “First of all, those two guards, I don’t want to see them for the next 10 years if I’m a guard in the NBA,” Barkley said.
They’re going to be the best. They’re going to be the new Steph and Klay.”
That kind of talk is easy to understand after what the two young guards have already shown. Harper put together an impressive rookie season, and his stock only climbed during the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals.
Castle also took another step forward on both sides of the ball after winning Rookie of the Year in 2025. Add Victor Wembanyama into the mix, and San Antonio suddenly has what looks like the league’s most dangerous young trio.
Still, the Curry-Thompson comparison is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
The Splash Brothers didn’t just flash star power for a season or two. They spent more than a decade together and won four championships over an eight-year span.
That’s the bar Barkley is invoking. And if we’re talking about individual ceilings, it’s hard to imagine Castle or Harper ever reaching Curry’s level, whether that means his two MVPs or even his current standing as an arguably top 10 player at 38 years old.
There’s also the practical issue sitting right in front of San Antonio. Harper is currently coming off the bench behind Castle and De’Aaron Fox, and Fox’s future has already become part of the conversation as the young guards keep developing. The problem is that Fox is about to begin a four-year contract worth more than $220 million, and after an underwhelming playoff run affected by an ankle injury, there may not be many teams lining up to take that deal off the Spurs’ hands.
Golden State once made a bold move in 2012 by moving Monta Ellis, clearing the runway for Curry and Thompson to take off. If the Spurs are going to get anywhere near the expectations Barkley just attached to Castle and Harper, they may eventually have to make a similarly tough call with Fox.
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