Stephon Castle’s rise in San Antonio came with a clear calling card: defense. Last season, the Spurs sophomore made a habit of taking the toughest assignment on the floor and making life miserable for elite scorers. That kind of impact naturally raises the question of where he stacks up against the NBA’s best at his spot.
On a list of the league’s seven top defenders at shooting guard, Castle lands fifth. He’s in good company, too, because the names ahead of him are all established disruptors with strong cases of their own.
At the top of the group sits Amen Thompson, whose size, speed, and absurd athletic tools make him a defensive force for a Rockets team that has become known for suffocating opponents. Thompson missed out on All-Defense in 2025-26 after earning First Team honors in 2024-25, but at 23, he looks built for a long run near the top of these kinds of rankings.
Right behind him is Alex Caruso, whose influence on Oklahoma City’s defense can be easy to miss because the unit is so loaded. Even so, his ability to erase different kinds of threats and tilt playoff games on that end keeps him near the front of the line. His basketball IQ and versatility make him a problem on every possession, whether he’s the main defender or not.
Derrick White checks in third after continuing to strengthen his case since arriving in Boston in 2022. He made the All-Defensive First Team in 2025-26 and somehow finished 13th in the league in total blocks, which is an eye-popping number for a guard and a reminder of how disruptive he is from all over the floor.
Cason Wallace lands fourth after earning one of Oklahoma City’s two All-Defensive selections last season. The 22-year-old led the NBA in total steals and ranked third in steals per game, but the damage doesn’t stop there. He’s also a nightmare to screen off the ball and remains plenty effective in on-ball situations.
Castle comes next, and the case for him is straightforward: even without an All-Defensive nod in 2025-26, he was still one of the league’s premier clamps. The source notes that he finished just a few votes short of the Second Team, and that every opponent he saw felt the heat. To move up, he’ll need to rein in the fouls and add more value away from the ball and within the scheme.
The rest of the list rounds out with familiar defensive headaches. Herb Jones comes in sixth, prized for his ability to switch from one through five and bother guards or help at the rim, even if injuries and a shaky situation in New Orleans have limited his visibility. His All-Defensive First Team honor and top-five Defensive Player of the Year finish from 2023-24 still speak loudly.
Kris Dunn lands seventh, with his defensive rebirth carrying his post-Chicago career. He pressures ball handlers early, turns every dribble into a problem, and has brought that edge night after night, playing 74 games in 2024-25 and all 82 in 2025-26 for a Clippers team that has been effective on defense. His lack of All-Defensive recognition doesn’t fully reflect the impact he’s had.
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For the Spurs, the takeaway is less about a single matchup and more about the overall grind of the conference schedule. San Antonio will need strong effort and solid preparation every time it steps on the floor, because teams that look like background noise in October can become the reason a season gets harder by December. In a West like this, the margins tend to shrink fast, and the Spurs cannot afford to treat any of these rising teams as harmless. [Read more 🡒]
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Still, the real question is not whether Curry would make the Spurs better, but whether the rest of the equation would even allow the conversation to begin. There are no actual trade talks reported, and the scenario depends on Curry being willing to leave Golden State in the first place, which is why fans are likely to keep debating it more as a dream than a deal. Even so, the possibility is enough to highlight just how much roster flexibility San Antonio has protected, and how quickly that flexibility could become a very different kind of pressure point if a player of Currys stature ever became available. [Read more 🡒]
De'Aaron Fox Needs A Different Spurs Role For Stephon Castle
Stephon Castles rise as the Spurs primary point guard last season did exactly what the organization hoped for in one sense, giving the rookie a real runway to grow on offense. It also created a trickier fit for DeAaron Fox, whose game looked less comfortable when he was asked to spend more time off the ball than running the show.
Fox has always been at his best as the lead creator, and the Spurs have a straightforward path if they want more consistency and scoring from him. Castles progress as a shooter opens the door to a different alignment, one that could let Fox reclaim the primary ballhandler role while Castle slides into more of a shooting guard look, a shift that might make the backcourt work better for both players. [Read more 🡒]