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The San Antonio Spurs figure to be one of the most exciting teams to watch for the upcoming season, and it's not hard to see why. All the makings are there for Victor Wembanyama to have a monster sophomore season, and the Spurs have assembled a roster that complements Wembanyama's strengths quite well. Moreover, the Spurs have such high hopes for Stephon Castle, the fourth overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, and on Monday night, Castle's tantalizing potential was in full display.
During the third quarter of the Spurs' preseason contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Castle caught the ball on the left elbow while Oklahoma City's defense was napping. This gave him a free runway to the basket, and all the Thunder had protecting the backline was rookie guard Alex Ducas.
Suffice to say, with the head of steam that Castle had built up, there was only going to be one winner in the battle at the rim. Castle threw down an emphatic tomahawk slam, much to the excitement of Wembanyama and the entire Spurs bench.
STEPHON CASTLE OMG 💥
Wait for the bench reaction 😂 pic.twitter.com/YeZLTTnjt9
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 8, 2024
The main celebrants on the bench were Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Julian Champagnie; in typical bench celebration fashion, those three aforementioned Spurs were holding each other back to prevent themselves from mobbing Castle after his incredible poster jam. Wembanyama, meanwhile, was more impressed than anything, as evidenced by the look on his face that gives off the impression that he was pleasantly surprised by Castle's display of athleticism.
The Spurs, however, know that it will take time for Castle to be an impact player for the team. He won't be turning 20 until the first of November, and the Spurs are going to bring him along slowly, as indicated by their decision to sign Chris Paul in free agency.
Castle will have to work on rounding out his game if he were to fulfill his potential as the Spurs' long-term lead guard. But on Monday, everyone caught a glimpse of what Castle would look like when he's playing at his best.
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Spurs believe in Stephon Castle's potential
The Spurs believed that Stephon Castle's potential as a long-term lead guard was more worth taking a chance on than Rob Dillingham's. Dillingham impressed in his preseason debut by showcasing his talent as a shooter, which is not something that can be said for Castle in his preseason debut.
Castle's preseason debut did not go ideally, apart from his poster jam that exhilarated the Spurs' bench. He did go 2-3 from the field, and he was a +6, so it wasn't all bad for the 19-year-old guard. But his decision-making left a lot to be desired. Despite only playing 19 minutes, Castle turned the ball over six times. That is not excusable whatsoever, especially for someone auditioning to be a lead ballhandler for a team with contending aspirations in the near-future.
Castle will have to impress with his slashing and playmaking game for him to earn minutes on the Spurs rotation in his rookie season. He does not provide any value yet as a floor-spacer; last year in Arizona, he shot 26.7 percent from three on 2.2 attempts per night, and in his preseason debut, he didn't even take any three-pointers.
Of course, Castle butters his bread on the defensive end of the court. But for him to reach his full potential, his offensive game has to come around.
