Stephon Castle has wasted no time turning one of the league’s old assumptions into a problem for opposing defenses.
The San Antonio Spurs guard has opened the season looking far more dangerous from deep, and teams that have been happy to leave him alone are getting burned. Through five games, Castle is hitting 36.6% of his 3-pointers on 8.2 attempts per game, a sharp shift from the biggest criticism that followed him into the season: his shooting.
“I've always argued that he was typecast as being a bad shooter when he was simply inconsistent. The NBA is learning that Castle with a more consistent jumper is a scary sight.”
That change matters for more than just Castle’s own numbers. His ability to space the floor has given De'Aaron Fox more room to operate on the ball, and Fox is now leading the team with 7.0 assists per game. That extra spacing has also helped Fox build some much-needed chemistry with Victor Wembanyama, while keeping both players productive without forcing one into the other’s lane.
The ripple effect goes deeper than that. With Castle stretching defenses, Fox can handle more of the playmaking load, and that opens up easier chances for Wembanyama on alley-oops. For San Antonio, that balance is a big deal.
Castle’s shot profile is encouraging too. A lot of his makes have come from above the three-point break, including plenty from a couple of feet behind the top of the line. That suggests this isn’t just a hot streak built on easy looks.
What the Spurs haven’t shown much of yet is Castle using his jumper while moving around screens, even though he worked on that skill over the offseason. For now, he’s doing damage as an off-ball threat and cashing in on open threes.
If that part of his game keeps growing, the next step is obvious. Castle could start using Wembanyama or Luke Kornet screens to pull up into those shots, which would give defenses another headache. Teams already collapse and send two defenders at Wembanyama when he rolls after setting a screen, and Kornet’s hard picks create both space for Castle and a lob threat at the rim.
For now, though, the message is simple: leaving Stephon Castle open is no longer a safe bet.
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