The Spurs have found a formula that’s working, and Stephon Castle is a big reason why even when the box score doesn’t scream for attention.
San Antonio’s starting group has been piling up results, with the team sitting at +33.4 points per 100 possessions and riding an eight-game winning streak. Victor Wembanyama is operating with a crowded backcourt around him - Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and shooter Devin Vassell - and the mix has been paying off.
Harper is flashing star upside, while Fox has looked like an All-Star again after coming back from injury. Castle’s numbers, though, have dipped. He opened the season hot from 3-point range, but that has cooled off, and his points, assists, and steals are all down from a year ago.
Still, the Spurs don’t sound worried. If anything, they seem to value the way Castle has embraced a different kind of role in just his third year. Rather than sulk over fewer touches, he’s leaned into the gritty work that keeps winning possessions alive.
That was on display in San Antonio’s latest win over the Portland Trail Blazers, when Castle posted 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The raw line was solid, but the bigger story was how he shaped the game without needing the spotlight.
“I thought Steph Castle’s competitiveness took over the game there from the middle to the late part of the second quarter,” said Mitch Johnson. “I thought his competitiveness and physicality...took over the game there, just in terms of the physicality and the competitiveness he played with, the execution, and the poise and composure. I thought our guys followed him, and then I thought the other key to the game was in that stretch.”
Castle checked in with six minutes left in the second quarter for Carter Bryant and immediately started stacking winning plays. He picked up four assists, two rebounds, and a block in short order, and he also drew contact that sent Toumani Camara to his third foul early.
That’s the kind of stretch that makes him hard to replace. He may not be carrying the offense the way he did at times last season, but his presence still changes games.
“He had real poise tonight,” Wembanyama said. “He was a true point guard. He knows how to do this.
With Fox and Harper handling more of the offensive load, Castle has settled into an off-ball role. Even so, his competitiveness keeps him on the floor late, and the Spurs trust him to make the right play, hit a big shot, or get a stop when the game tightens up.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Have A Devin Vassell Decision That Could Shift Everything
Devin Vassells status has become one of the more important pregame storylines for the Spurs as they get ready to face the Suns. He is listed as questionable with left adductor tightness, and that matters because San Antonio has already been leaning on his scoring and spacing while trying to settle into a rhythm. Vassells recent shooting has also been part of the conversation, making his availability more than just a routine injury note.
If he cannot go, Julian Champagnie is expected to slide into the starting lineup, which would give the Spurs a different look on the wing. That kind of adjustment can ripple through the rotation quickly, especially against a Suns team that will punish any offensive timing issues. For San Antonio, the question is not only whether Vassell can suit up, but how much the lineup changes if he cannot. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Gets A Chance To Silence One Spurs Rivals Confidence
Dillon Brooks has been willing to talk like he has Victor Wembanyama figured out, leaning on the early matchups between the two to make his case. Most of those meetings came when Wembanyama was still in his rookie year or just into his second season, which matters now because the Spurs center is not the same player he was then. He has added strength, sharpened his decisions and put together a strong season that looks a lot more like the version San Antonio expected when it drafted him.
That is what makes the next meeting so interesting from the Spurs side. Brooks may be carrying confidence from what happened before, but those results do not automatically travel with him when Wembanyama is playing with more physicality and a clearer sense of how to control a game. For San Antonio, it is a chance to see whether one of the leagues most outspoken defenders can still bother a player who has already shown he can keep evolving past old scouting reports. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Spurs Showed One Unbeaten Trait Fans Should Notice
The Austin Spurs opened their home slate at H-E-B Center with a 115-103 win over the Laketown Squadron, and the early signs of cohesion were hard to miss. JaKobi Gillespie set the tone with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Terry Taylor supplied a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds as Austin kept its unbeaten start rolling.
For a team still settling into the season, the bigger takeaway may be how comfortably the Spurs are sharing the load and dictating the pace in the first week. At 2-0, they head into their Tip-Off Tournament matchup with the Memphis Hustle carrying momentum, and a chance to show whether this balanced start is a real early-season trait or just a strong opening stretch. [Read more 🡒]