r/NBASpurs

One of the pleasures of being an NBA elitist is getting the chance to introduce fresh new faces to the broader basketball world, so let me be the first to report that Stephon Castle is pretty awesome. There was simply no way to know this about one of the best players on the best team in college basketball last season because the only true crucible is summer league—the purest version of the game, spared from distractions like order and game plan and on-court chemistry. We can see the truth of Castle’s game in a glorified AAU tournament and, better yet, the single game of a glorified AAU tournament, before Castle withdrew from competition in Vegas with a wrist injury.

But what a game it was. Even in the summer league slop, Castle is an engine for intuitive, winning plays, connecting dots that lesser prospects wouldn’t see and manifesting plays that lesser athletes couldn’t create. The questions about Castle’s shot and position are inevitable, but those are almost beside the point; what’s most striking about watching him play against quasi-pros is realizing how difficult it will be to take him off the floor in the earliest days of his career. Why would the Spurs deprive themselves of a guard who comes by impact plays so naturally? Throw Castle into the mix and see what he can turn up, whether by jamming opponents up at the point of attack or slicing his way through the defense. Toolsy, theoretical players are fun and all, but so are the dudes who make shit happen almost incidentally, as if it were an entire way of life. —Rob Mahoney

Pop also said similar thing himself : “He’s gonna be a quick study I think and get to play on the court quickly.”

I do think he has pretty good chance to start beside CP3, like what SGA did at OKC. It's not uncommon for Pop to bench a player of Harrison Barnes caliber and make him lead the bench too.

Watching this Rockets game and Orlando Robinson is dominating. I’m surprised Miami cut him cause he was decent in the NBA for them but if Houston doesn’t give him a 2 way I’d love to snag him

I was looking up his euro stats and he never had significant minutes let alone any impressive scoring. What was the front office’s reasoning for that pick? Has the organization ever mentioned how big of a miss it was?

So as it currently stands, I see it this way:

Guaranteed Spots (13):

Barnes, Branham, Castle, Cissoko, Champagnie, Collins, Johnson, Jones, Paul, Sochan, Vassell, Wembanyama, Wesley

Two Ways (2):
Bouyea, Ingram

I feel like it seems as though Mamu is going to get one of those last spots on the main roster, leaving one more spot for both the main (if he's included, if not then two spots) and the two-way roster. Does Barlow or Bassey find their way back? Is David Duke looking like he may come back? I've reluctantly given up a little bit on Cedi re-signing even though I feel like he's such a Spur. I feel like being a Spurs fan for 17 years now has made me assume they're most likely done making bigger moves i.e. Markkanen since they're usually pretty conservative. Any thoughts on where they may go with those last spots?

We can here: "Wemby ! We're with you guys !"

Since February 1st (33 games): He’s averaged 10/5/2 with a block per game on 49% shooting from the field and 39% from 3

The good thing is that he regained his offensive value after a horrid start. Do you think he can be better defensively next year?

TBH I’m seeing flashes of SS3 Goku, an almost unbeatable force. I know he’s young, but right now he’s as athletic with the same build as a Frieza Saga Goku, and we all know how that turned out.

Def a niche off-season question, but I'm curious what y'all see as being the role for Sidy on this team in year 2 and a best case/worst case scenario? Obvs Pop has a huge crush on him and I can kinda see the potential, but for me personally these summer league games haven't inspired the most confidence (ball security/shooting seems to be a deficiency, though I see the passing/defensive flashes and his ability to finish above the rim is a plus).

Will this be another year where he plays mostly in Austin or do y'all see him having a impact in the 1st team? Where would y'all like to see him improve?