Stephon Castle knows where the next step has to come from.
After the San Antonio Spurs’ run to the 2026 NBA Finals, the flaws were still easy to spot, and Castle’s perimeter shooting sits near the top of that list. The young guard had a strong postseason overall, but his jumper never quite settled in, and that’s pushed him into a focused offseason push ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Castle has spent the summer grinding on the part of his game that has lagged behind the rest. In a workout video, he made it clear what he’s been emphasizing.
"A lot of shooting, working on my base a lot. Just rhythm things, just sharpening things up,"
That work matters because Castle has already become one of the league’s premier young guards in just two NBA seasons. His defensive impact is obvious: he uses his size, strength, and athleticism to give opponents problems, and he’s already one of the league’s best defenders.
The issue is on the other end. Castle hasn’t been shy about firing away, but the results have lagged.
Through two NBA seasons, he has averaged 44.8% from the field and 30.5% from three. He’s efficient around the rim thanks to his athleticism, but the jump shot is the part that has to catch up.
That’s why this offseason feels so important. If Castle makes real strides as a perimeter shooter, he and Victor Wembanyama become a much tougher problem for defenses. The Spurs are counting on Castle’s development to keep moving forward, and this latest work suggests he knows exactly what he has to fix.
In Other News...
Spurs' Huge Summer Now Has A Franchise Fight Looming
The Spurs push for a new downtown arena hit a major snag this week when the San Antonio City Council rejected a move to put the citys proposed contribution before voters. The county had already approved public funding for the project, but the councils 5-6 decision left the municipal side of the financing plan in a more uncertain place, even as the team continues to press ahead with a proposal that has become central to its long-term future.
RC Buford has backed moving forward, while Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has taken the opposite view and argued for giving residents a bigger say in the process. The arena plan is built around a public-private split that would have the Spurs cover a major share of the project, but the political fight around the citys role now threatens to overshadow what had been a huge summer for the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyamas Latest Jokic Battles Show What Spurs Fans Still Need To See
Victor Wembanyamas latest run-ins with Nikola Jokic offered another reminder of why Spurs fans keep circling these meetings on the calendar. The two met in a two-game exhibition series tied to preparations for the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers, with Serbia taking the first game and France answering in the second. Jokic was productive in both, while Wembanyama looked sharper the second time around, a familiar arc for a young player still trying to measure himself against one of the games most complete big men.
Wembanyama has already made clear that those battles matter to him, and hell get another chance to carry the lessons forward when he rejoins France for upcoming qualifier games. For San Antonio, the appeal is obvious: every possession against Jokic offers a preview of the reads, patience and physical control Wembanyama still has to keep adding. Frances next tests are coming soon, and the Spurs will have plenty of reason to watch how their franchise centerpiece handles the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Be West Favorites But One Finals Problem Is Obvious
The Spurs head into the 2026-27 season looking like the Wests team to beat, but the path from favorite to champion still runs through an East that has enough different problems to make any Finals matchup uncomfortable. Toronto, Boston and New York all sit in that conversation for different reasons, with the Raptors intriguing as a potential defensive nuisance, the Celtics still built around a style that can stress an opponent possession by possession, and the Knicks looming as a rematch possibility after the last Finals.
Torontos ceiling gets even more serious if its front-office plans come together, while Bostons edge is less about simple name value than the way its perimeter game and coaching structure can keep pressure on a defense for an entire series. New York, meanwhile, brings the kind of familiarity that can cut both ways in a Finals rematch. For San Antonio, the bigger point is clear enough: being the West favorite is one thing, but the Spurs would still have to solve an East that offers several different kinds of trouble. [Read more 🡒]