The San Antonio Spurs are on track for a 55-win season-a number that suggests things are going pretty well in the Alamo City. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find some real questions about how this team is built for the long haul. One of the biggest revolves around second-year guard Stephon Castle.
Castle’s sophomore campaign has been a mixed bag. On one hand, he’s expanded his role and shown flashes of serious upside.
On the other, there’s a glaring issue that just won’t go away: his shooting. Right now, Castle ranks among the league’s least efficient shooters, and that’s not just a cold stretch-it’s a trend that’s hard to ignore.
He’s hitting just 27.9% from beyond the arc on 4.1 attempts per game. That’s a tough number to stomach, especially for a guard playing significant minutes.
And while his 72.3% free throw shooting isn’t disastrous, it doesn’t exactly scream “sharpshooter” either. Shooting is a swing skill for Castle, and until he figures it out, it’s going to cap both his individual ceiling and the Spurs’ overall potential.
But here’s the twist: Castle is still finding ways to impact the game. At just 21 years old, he’s already one of the NBA’s best at drawing fouls-especially in transition.
In fact, no one in the league draws fouls in transition at a higher rate. That’s not just hustle; that’s craft.
Castle leads the NBA in foul-drawing frequency on transition possessions (minimum 50 transition plays), getting fouled on 32% of those opportunities. That puts him ahead of names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, and Zion Williamson-guys who make their living attacking the rim.
That ability to get downhill and force contact is a big reason why Coach Mitch Johnson has started giving Castle more reps at point guard. The idea is to limit the impact of his shaky jumper by putting the ball in his hands more often.
That shift has come at the expense of De’Aaron Fox, who’s had to slide over to shooting guard. But Castle has responded by showing real growth as a passer, which at least helps justify the experiment.
Still, the shooting looms large. When Castle’s jumper is falling, he looks like an All-Star in the making.
But those nights are few and far between right now. And if he can’t become at least a league-average shooter, it’s going to force the Spurs into some difficult lineup decisions.
There’s a growing sense that Castle may ultimately be better suited to a role on the wing, possibly at small forward. He’s got the size to handle that spot, and it’s more common to see inconsistent shooters at the three than at the one. But that move isn’t without its own complications-especially if the Spurs are trying to build around a core that includes Fox and rookie Dylan Harper.
Harper, for his part, has had his own struggles from deep. Pairing him with Castle and Fox in a three-guard lineup could create major spacing issues.
That puts even more pressure on the rest of the roster-particularly the frontcourt-to provide shooting. Thankfully, they’ve got Victor Wembanyama, whose ability to stretch the floor from the five is a game-changer.
But even Wemby can’t fix everything.
If Castle and Harper both remain subpar shooters, the Spurs may be forced to stagger their minutes, rather than playing all three guards together. That’s not ideal, especially when you’re trying to develop young talent and build chemistry. If Harper ends up coming off the bench for multiple seasons, it could stunt his growth-especially since he’s widely viewed as having the higher ceiling between the two.
Castle, on the other hand, brings more positional versatility. That makes him a natural candidate to shift into a sixth-man role if needed.
But it also raises questions about whether he’ll ever become a true star. His path might end up looking more like Tony Parker or Dejounte Murray-two former Spurs who weren’t great from three but found ways to thrive anyway.
Both Parker and Murray turned themselves into reliable mid-range scorers and serviceable spot-up threats from deep. That’s the blueprint for Castle.
He’s already showing some promise as a spot-up shooter, hitting 32.3% of those looks-noticeably better than his overall 27.9% from three. That’s a sign there’s something to build on.
But make no mistake: until Castle becomes at least a passable shooter, his fit in San Antonio’s long-term plans will remain a question mark. The tools are there.
The toughness is there. The foul-drawing ability is elite.
But the shot? That’s the swing skill that could define his career-and the Spurs’ future.