San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle excels in several areas, as illustrated by the 40-point triple-double he posted against the Dallas Mavericks last weekend, but the energy he brings is crucial to this team's success. Unfortunately, it was that very quality that inadvertently cut his night short in Tuesday's 136-108 road win versus the depleted Los Angeles Lakers.
After recording a terrific block on a driving Rui Hachimura with less than four and a half minutes remaining in the second quarter, Castle crashed to the floor and suffered a pelvic contusion. He went to the locker room and was inactive for the rest of the game. A great play ended in what initially seemed like a brutal injury. Luckily, the 21-year-old received good news. His X-rays came back negative, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The Spurs are not ready to rule him out for Wednesday's matchup against the Golden State Warriors, which is the squad's last game before the NBA All-Star break. San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson expects Castle to be “more than pretty sore,” per Weiss, but the organization is surely elated to know that one of its most important players did not sustain any long-term damage.
While one would assume that the Spurs will err on the side of caution regardless of how the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year feels, fans will have to wait for a final injury update before the upcoming San Francisco showdown.
Castle finished with two points, seven assists and the aforementioned block in 12 minutes versus LA. He obviously wanted to stay in rhythm following his masterful performance against the Mavs, but the 2024 national champion surely takes satisfaction in seeing the Spurs strengthen their hold on second place after winning their fifth straight game.
Hopefully, Stephon Castle is able to get some rest and quickly recover.
