The Irregular Trebuchet of Stephon Castle

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8POO-0WB_U

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZJz2pEo4ds

[Pauleta14]

Already a starter over Sochan if you ask me. I hope Pop starts him at 3 and get a chance at ROY.

As much as Sochan needs to be on the bench, Castle needs to play his position as soon and as much as possible imo.

PG is too specific a role and he probably will only have Cp3 1 season to learn from

[onechance87]

As much as Sochan needs to be on the bench, Castle needs to play his position as soon and as much as possible imo.

PG is too specific a role and he probably will only have Cp3 1 season to learn from

would be nice if castle was the second pg subbing in fo cp3.But looks like tre jones getting that role
which wouldint make sense.Cant trust pop with his thinking.

[Pauleta14]

would be nice if castle was the second pg subbing in fo cp3.But looks like tre jones getting that role
which wouldint make sense.Cant trust pop with his thinking.

It's going to piss me off

I was just talking about him in another thread, I'm afraid we're trapped with Tre for a while

[Dejounte]

https://x.com/jeffgspurszone/status/1844208386113753349?s=46

[tonight...you]

https://x.com/jeffgspurszone/status/1844208386113753349?s=46
I like him.
He's got It.
He does so many subtle things on both offense and D. His IQ is off the charts for his age.

[Mr. Body]

https://x.com/jeffgspurszone/status/1844208386113753349?s=46

"Says he uses his speed on offense to cause trouble on defensive end for opponents."

What does this mean?

[cutewizard]

Gentlemen

We have a team!!!!!!!!!!

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKat4e7q68k

[tim_duncan_fan]

He's so good. And right away, too. Him, Devin, Wemby, Chris on the floor at once should go crazy.

[DAF86]

He plays like a veteran.

[skin27]

People don’t over react. It’s just one game. But we got a gold in castle

[Atl Spur]

The change of pace he shows is elite….. his vision and defense are up there also ( just keep watching )

I’ll keep watching…..

[Atl Spur]

I also must shout out Blake, kid is putting it together and plays with grit! Keep it up gang.

[heyheymymy]

Starting to wonder if UCONN saved our asses

The loaded roster led to a reduced role which possibly hid Castle from going top 3

Castle was shooting in his HS tapes, UCONN concealed his hype somewhat with their talent and system or else does he still drop to 4? Just thinking out loud but in another program that hands him more of the keys and with the lack of a real unanimous top draft guy(s) does Castle break past the top 3 any?

[John B]

Starting to wonder if UCONN saved our asses

The loaded roster led to a reduced role which possibly hid Castle from going top 3

Castle was shooting in his HS tapes, UCONN concealed his hype somewhat with their talent and system or else does he still drop to 4? Just thinking out loud but in another program that hands him more of the keys and with the lack of a real unanimous top draft guy(s) does Castle break past the top 3 any?

Castle was the best 2-way on this batch. And if he continues this same play, he could be the best on this batch. I just wish Pop starts him and gives him a chance at ROTY. I think he’s going to bully a lot of defender ala Jimmy Butler even Demar with the way he gets to the line plus the range, and defense of course.

[playbonner15]

Starting to wonder if UCONN saved our asses

The loaded roster led to a reduced role which possibly hid Castle from going top 3

Castle was shooting in his HS tapes, UCONN concealed his hype somewhat with their talent and system or else does he still drop to 4? Just thinking out loud but in another program that hands him more of the keys and with the lack of a real unanimous top draft guy(s) does Castle break past the top 3 any?

Well according to reports, he also avoided working out with teams that have a starting PG in place.. It might mean he's set in going to San Antonio

[heyheymymy]

Well according to reports, he also avoided working out with teams that have a starting PG in place.. It might mean he's set in going to San Antonio

He also was injured the first half of that season so im not sure another situation realistically would've made him shine more. But still say the circumstances were contributing factors to what appears to be a fortuitous windfall for San Antonio

The whole thing feels meant to be.

[buttsR4rebounding]

"Says he uses his speed on offense to cause trouble on defensive end for opponents."

What does this mean?

It is worded kinda funny, but it means that his speed on offense causes trouble for the opponent's defense.

[z0sa]

Castle was actively pushing it up, even against numbers. I love seeing that. It reminded a little of TP, only he's 3-4 inches taller and way more heavily built. If he can consistently get to the FT line, especially against solid defensive clubs, the League better watch out. Another diamond in the rough secured by PATFO.

[NASpurs]

He reninds me of Derrick White

[Mitch Cumsteen]

Pretty rare for a 19 year old rookie to come in and be as physical as he is. If that outside shot holds up… he’s got everything else in the toolkit to be a two way beast.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Hopefully there's no shithead uncles loitering in the shadows. Wemby's got his Robin sidekick.

[Mr. Body]

Dude is just really strong for a guard. Not just strong, but he knows how to create and use contact to shed defenders bumping them off with his shoulders.

[exstatic]

Starting to wonder if UCONN saved our asses

The loaded roster led to a reduced role which possibly hid Castle from going top 3

Castle was shooting in his HS tapes, UCONN concealed his hype somewhat with their talent and system or else does he still drop to 4? Just thinking out loud but in another program that hands him more of the keys and with the lack of a real unanimous top draft guy(s) does Castle break past the top 3 any?

He probably would have been drafted top 3 if he had gone to another program that gave him the keys to the offense, but he wouldn’t be this good. He went to a top program, paid his dues, and learned a very complicated offense at 18. That shows a level of maturity not possessed by most HS bball prospects.

[cutewizard]

Starting to wonder if UCONN saved our asses

The loaded roster led to a reduced role which possibly hid Castle from going top 3

Castle was shooting in his HS tapes, UCONN concealed his hype somewhat with their talent and system or else does he still drop to 4? Just thinking out loud but in another program that hands him more of the keys and with the lack of a real unanimous top draft guy(s) does Castle break past the top 3 any?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

interesting insight here

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UVNfa39cAg

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Incidentally, Coach Pop seems to love Sidy

[exstatic]

Dude is just really strong for a guard. Not just strong, but he knows how to create and use contact to shed defenders bumping them off with his shoulders.

I was watching a baseball YouTube about a fat Cleveland utility player coming in for mop up pitching duty in a blowout. He was mixing up junk from 45 mph to 70 mph, and he got the side out on 8 pitches. The commentator made an observation, and said “you want to be above the speed limit, a flamethrower, or below the speed limit like this guy”. I think that’s applicable to basketball, too. Guys like SGA and Luka aren’t blowing by anyone, and even someone like Kyle Anderson is effective in the paint.

[cutewizard]

Player of the Game, the Rookie ( we got gold here)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFUQl1Pi-Ak

[LeBowen]

He probably would have been drafted top 3 if he had gone to another program that gave him the keys to the offense, but he wouldn’t be this good. He went to a top program, paid his dues, and learned a very complicated offense at 18. That shows a level of maturity not possessed by most HS bball prospects.

Tbh, it came down to the draft order.
Unless Castle had an outstanding year, Hawks would've never drafted another guard with the first pick.
Wizards looked dead set on getting Sarr, even if it meant trading up.
Rockets already Amen and desperately needed some spacing.

Hornets or Jazz would've surely taken Castle. Maybe even the Pistons.


The thing I'm surprised the most about is his passing and decision making on the fly.
Most of his passes have perfect rotation and speed, looking calculated even though he had to make a split-second decision.
We knew about his physical attributes and finishing around the rim, but I didn't expect him to be such a good passer.

[exstatic]

Tbh, it came down to the draft order.
Unless Castle had an outstanding year, Hawks would've never drafted another guard with the first pick.
Wizards looked dead set on getting Sarr, even if it meant trading up.
Rockets already Amen and desperately needed some spacing.

Hornets or Jazz would've surely taken Castle. Maybe even the Pistons.


The thing I'm surprised the most about is his passing and decision making on the fly.
Most of his passes have perfect rotation and speed, looking calculated even though he had to make a split-second decision.
We knew about his physical attributes and finishing around the rim, but I didn't expect him to be such a good passer.

I think the scenario is that he goes to like some SEC school, maybe Arkansas, and he averages like 25/9. That would have absolutely changed some minds 1-3.

[Fizziksman]

Good to have a true ref merchant.

[LeBowen]

Good to have a true ref merchant.

That's why some of us wrote his methodical penetration into the paint is reminiscent of what Butler does.
Instead of 6'6 Jrue, we might have Jimmy 2.0 on our hands. Don't forget that Jimmy had no scoring game whatsoever until he was like 25.

[exstatic]

That's why some of us wrote his methodical penetration into the paint is reminiscent of what Butler does.
Instead of 6'6 Jrue, we might have Jimmy 2.0 on our hands. Don't forget that Jimmy had no scoring game whatsoever until he was like 25.

I’d actually have a 6’6” Jrue, you know, a guy with two rings on two different teams. The 7’4” guy is going to be a scoring beast. We need some who can Jrue: initiate the offense, space the floor, score a little bit elsewhere, and lock down the other team’s primary scorer.

[LeBowen]

I’d actually have a 6’6” Jrue, you know, a guy with two rings on two different teams. The 7’4” guy is going to be a scoring beast. We need some who can Jrue: initiate the offense, space the floor, score a little bit elsewhere, and lock down the other team’s primary scorer.

I love Jrue, but peak Jimmy was clearly a tier above.
He'll probably be somewhere inbetween.
Kind of how Wemby is somewhere inbetween Giannis and KD if we talk skillsets.

[spurraider21]

the closeout and recovery at 1:03 reminds me a lot of what we saw from derrick white. just awesome stuff

1844198336028680654

[Joseph Kony]

PG of the future tbh. Kid has look very impressive so far

[timtonymanu]

He reninds me of Derrick White

I wonder if there’s a guard in next years draft we can get that Pop will refuse to play next to him

[Knoxxx]

When Castle was very first talked about as a potential spurs pick I was not excited. Then I looked into him some more and realized that he was most certainly a top prospect. His defense is nasty. His drives show high BBIQ such as the euro step and strong finishing near the rim. While he can dunk and even catch alley oops, that’s not really his game. He’s more likely to draw contact and be a persistent and one threat throughout his career. Icing on the cake is the passing which also features the capability to play the two man game with elite bigs as shown at UConn with Clingan.

It was nice to see him turned loose in Game 2 since he’s got the potential to be our #2 or co-2 (such as with Vassel). You don’t have such a talented prospect riding the pine or playing passive within the system.

[BackHome]

The thing I like about Castle is that he is a true Alpha and there is nothing fake about him. He is going to be 100% focused on being the best basketball player and teammate that he can be. We’re not going to have to worry about him sending out texts or creating any drama or if he is putting in the work.

[dn0774]

Gotta get this kid 25 mpg this year at least please.

[KobesAchilles]

Gotta get this kid 25 mpg this year at least please.
Not happening. Tre Jones needs his minutes for some reason. And so does Blake and Branham. Castle will be lucky to get 20 mpg bc you know Pop.

[John B]

He is so poised at his age, not too fast, not too slow, somewhat Doncic-like, but nothing fancy just straight-up from point a to b like he sees the court well and plays developing. He’s economy in motion, no wasted energy of over dribbling, somewhat Kawhi, strong and just lock you up on defense. I know it’s too much on just two games, but really happy if our pick.

[heyheymymy]

I think the PG glut is overstated. Glad to see Castle appearing ahead of schedule but the only thing behind a 39 year old hamstring is 2RP Jones, a rookie Castle, and a hypothetical NBA player Wesley (Bran has some SG/PG too suppose). There is going to be mins restrictions, rest DNPs on SEGAB2Bs, god forbid injuries. Hell, you could sit Paul against bottom dwellers like the Nets and let Jones/Castle/Wesley get extended burn to help satisfy player expectations and probably still get the W.

Plus I've been wondering if you can stack guards in rotations. Castle and Jones could possibly be stacked or Wesley and Paul, of course selectively and obvs matchup dependent. But with Castle looking slightly more steady shooting than expected hopefully stacking guards won't be as detrimental as initially thought regarding clogged lanes. There are bad combos; I still probably wouldn't ever do say Jones with Wesley right away.

But something like Paul, Vassell, Castle, Barnes, Wemby could work matchup dependent. I think someone like Demar or Strus isn't going to outsize/outmuscle Castle at SF too disproportionally but Middleton or say McDaniels in MIN would be ill advised. Even at SF, Castle could bring the ball up select possessions with Paul laying back as a bail out, hunting O boards, or screening off defenders all while available as a Plan B PG bailout quick PnR or something with :10 left on the shot clock should Castle run into obstacles. Plus you have two PG minded players in at one time so it gives you a ball handling extension cord on fast breaks. PG1 could advance the ball ahead to PG2 and you'd have that second PG able to orchestrate while the first PG is still crossing half court to get back into the play.

So at times if you can double up guards selectively and carefully, that will help alleviate mins jams somewhat and then factor in min restrictions/DNPs/injuries and everyone should eat until maybe a trade/contract end comes to reset the depth.

[Pauleta14]

Not happening. Tre Jones needs his minutes for some reason. And so does Blake and Branham. Castle will be lucky to get 20 mpg bc you know Pop.

:lol

[Mr. Body]

I think the PG glut is overstated. Glad to see Castle appearing ahead of schedule but the only thing behind a 39 year old hamstring is 2RP Jones, a rookie Castle, and a hypothetical NBA player Wesley (Bran has some SG/PG too suppose). There is going to be mins restrictions, rest DNPs on SEGAB2Bs, god forbid injuries. Hell, you could sit Paul against bottom dwellers like the Nets and let Jones/Castle/Wesley get extended burn to help satisfy player expectations and probably still get the W.

Plus I've been wondering if you can stack guards in rotations. Castle and Jones could possibly be stacked or Wesley and Paul, of course selectively and obvs matchup dependent. But with Castle looking slightly more steady shooting than expected hopefully stacking guards won't be as detrimental as initially thought regarding clogged lanes. There are bad combos; I still probably wouldn't ever do say Jones with Wesley right away.

But something like Paul, Vassell, Castle, Barnes, Wemby could work matchup dependent. I think someone like Demar or Strus isn't going to outsize/outmuscle Castle at SF too disproportionally but Middleton or say McDaniels in MIN would be ill advised. Even at SF, Castle could bring the ball up select possessions with Paul laying back as a bail out, hunting O boards, or screening off defenders all while available as a Plan B PG bailout quick PnR or something with :10 left on the shot clock should Castle run into obstacles. Plus you have two PG minded players in at one time so it gives you a ball handling extension cord on fast breaks. PG1 could advance the ball ahead to PG2 and you'd have that second PG able to orchestrate while the first PG is still crossing half court to get back into the play.

So at times if you can double up guards selectively and carefully, that will help alleviate mins jams somewhat and then factor in min restrictions/DNPs/injuries and everyone should eat until maybe a trade/contract end comes to reset the depth.

Tre Jones only has one more year on his contract, I believe, and may command more. He may not be here long-term. But the same people who want him gone this instant are the same people who praised the team for running much better last year once he took the reins. It's hard to take most people here seriously.

Chris Paul isn't here forever. He may not be here the entire season. I don't know why this isn't clearly understood.

And you're right, there can be multiple PG-type sets. This is why we see things like CP with Blake, other match-ups, to see what works. Castle can clearly play off-ball. That sort of thing.

[onechance87]

Tre Jones only has one more year on his contract, I believe, and may command more. He may not be here long-term. But the same people who want him gone this instant are the same people who praised the team for running much better last year once he took the reins. It's hard to take most people here seriously.

Chris Paul isn't here forever. He may not be here the entire season. I don't know why this isn't clearly understood.

And you're right, there can be multiple PG-type sets. This is why we see things like CP with Blake, other match-ups, to see what works. Castle can clearly play off-ball. That sort of thing.

Everybody said since we got wemby that we needed to upgraded the pg spot.But we never did that.Tre was the only choice.We had granham
but pop didnt even give him a chance.Tre jones can go ahead and go.We got the upgraded pg in castle alfready.We need a back up pg
who can shoot anyways.

[Strategic]

If Castle’s defense translates from the preseason to the regular then Pop should see fit to give him extended minutes next to CP3. Paul prolly won’t be able to guard anyone.

[stnick2261]

We still need Tre if Paul leaves mid-season. But Tre can leave next summer if Castle shows enough progress and we draft another PG-capable guard. Something like Traore, Castle and Vassell as a 3-guard rotation (32min each) would be awesome.

[onechance87]

If Castle’s defense translates from the preseason to the regular then Pop should see fit to give him extended minutes next to CP3. Paul prolly won’t be able to guard anyone.

Yup and branham cant guard anyone.And is inconstitent with making shots.Castle the
best choice at the starting sg untill vassell returns.

[onechance87]

We still need Tre if Paul leaves mid-season. But Tre can leave next summer if Castle shows enough progress and we draft another PG-capable guard. Something like Traore, Castle and Vassell as a 3-guard rotation (32min each) would be awesome.

If paul leaves midseason,That means we aint got a shot at the playoffs and should be tanking.Nah we aint gonna need em.We gonna need to
see if we need wesley or branham for the future after this year.

[LeBowen]

If paul leaves midseason,That means we aint got a shot at the playoffs and should be tanking.Nah we aint gonna need em.We gonna need to
see if we need wesley or branham for the future after this year.

Exactly.

Tre is a reliable point guard with solid IQ.
But his physical limitations are too much and he's got no range.
Even with the rising cap, he's not worth more than his current contract.

[cutewizard]

Egor Demin says hi

[KingKev]

Exactly.

Tre is a reliable point guard with solid IQ.
But his physical limitations are too much and he's got no range.
Even with the rising cap, he's not worth more than his current contract.

Agreed he is a solid backup PG who knows the system. Hi brother just signed 1yr for like 3mm. Tre’s market might be similar; 3yrs 15mm at most. Most teams in need of a backup PG would happy to take him but he won’t garner much if anything in return. Only way I see him traded is for salary matching in a bigger deal otherwise keep him till the offseaso. and see where we are at. The same mostly applies to Zollins and Keldon.

[spurraider21]

Paul/Tre are both free agents after this season. tbd if Wesley's 4th year option will be picked up. certainly the team would want at least one vet PG, and thats assuming Castle becomes a full time PG which is definitely not set in stone, even if thats the current plan.

i dont know if they'd want to bring back Paul, and i dont know if its worth spending 8 figures on Tre Jones to be a backup (made sense to re-sign him last summer when he was being signed as the presumptive starter)

its not a great FA pool either, main appealing guys would be deangelo russell or lonzo (obviously huge red flags there). as an update, lonzo said he intends to play the last few preseason games this year. really curious to see how he looks... his career has been derailed but he improved quite a bit. wound up being a solid shooter and was always a good defender/passer. missing 2 full seasons after only playing 35 in his last season, 55 the year before is obviously jarring, but he's also just about to turn 27

[jjspur]

if Castle can simply get someone's minutes off last season's roster, that in itself is a positive. i already see Castle as better guard that either Wesley or Branham. if the spurs start out around .500, Castle will probably be a big part of it.

[scott]

Paul/Tre are both free agents after this season. tbd if Wesley's 4th year option will be picked up. certainly the team would want at least one vet PG, and thats assuming Castle becomes a full time PG which is definitely not set in stone, even if thats the current plan.

i dont know if they'd want to bring back Paul, and i dont know if its worth spending 8 figures on Tre Jones to be a backup (made sense to re-sign him last summer when he was being signed as the presumptive starter)

its not a great FA pool either, main appealing guys would be deangelo russell or lonzo (obviously huge red flags there). as an update, lonzo said he intends to play the last few preseason games this year. really curious to see how he looks... his career has been derailed but he improved quite a bit. wound up being a solid shooter and was always a good defender/passer. missing 2 full seasons after only playing 35 in his last season, 55 the year before is obviously jarring, but he's also just about to turn 27

If Tre would accept a $10-12MM (which is below the MLE) deal, maybe say a 3/$33MM, then I could see the Spurs doing that and it wouldn't be terrible. The franchise obviously loves him.

[DAF86]

I don't know if he will ever learn to shoot, but the dude belongs. It's clear to see.

[CGD]

How’d he look tonight?

[Mr. Body]

How’d he look tonight?

For the most part it was a Gregg Popovich "don't get a fat head"/"don't play the rookie much after a good game" game. Then he played a lot in the fourth when they ran a very scrappy defensive unit. He's a playmaker on both sides.

[onechance87]

How’d he look tonight?

he looked good.Gotta find a way to him more playing time.

[tim_duncan_fan]

How’d he look tonight?

I'm already like, "he needs to shoot more."

[John B]

Wow Minix had 8 pts in 5 minutes?

[cutewizard]

Suddenly our Spurs are relevant again

Wemby
Castle and hopefully Khaman next year

[couchman]

I like Pop’s approach with Castle.
He has everything except an outside shot.
That will take time and thousands of reps.
Low minutes is the best low-pressure situation to work on it while developing his whole game.

[heyheymymy]

https://i.ibb.co/ZRs6vp9/will-you-and-stephon-castle-keep-locking-teams-down-v0-ipgglnztmhud1-jpeg.webp

[DAF86]

rtt7XpWBCwE?si=QlHGmc5wuRfMCF_P

[DAF86]

h5NCUkbjX70?si=US7ciI76cGT1Ois4

[Mr. Body]

rtt7XpWBCwE?si=QlHGmc5wuRfMCF_P

1:25 - I didn't realize watching this live that Wemby was pointing out the right read. Dude's smart.

[DAF86]

Even if he doesn't develop a 3pt shot, I can definitely see him being effective on ball with his mid range jumper off the drible ala Tony or Dejounte.

If he develops at everything else (defense, playmaking, finishing, getting to the line) as he projects: ranging from solid to great; he could be great for us, maybe even borderline all-star level. For that to happen, though, the other 3 players besides him and Wemby need to be good 3 pts shooters, which probably means Sochan doesn't have much of a future on the SL or the even the roster altogether.

[DAF86]

Support this channel with a like, they post complete Castle highlights as quick as possible.

rT343wrmE50?si=fWsxeCKrPpzKqFsD

[couchman]

By my count he went 4-15 from 3pt in the preseason
The talent is obvious. So is the hideous shooting.
It will probably take a few years to fix.

[Ice009]

By my count he went 4-15 from 3pt in the preseason
The talent is obvious. So is the hideous shooting.
It will probably take a few years to fix.

Man, every 3 he takes, I want it to go in badly for him. Not for me or the team, just want that shot to go in for him as that would really unlock his game even further. I just want him to keep shooting it if it's there. I like that he also is taking some mid-range shots to mix it up.

[Atl Spur]

Trust, this dude has confidence in spades! Missing shots is just part of the growth…he will only get better and he’s here for it! Super competitive

[Maddog]

By my count he went 4-15 from 3pt in the preseason
The talent is obvious. So is the hideous shooting.
It will probably take a few years to fix.

4-22 in conference and NCAA tournament play last year.
The encouraging thing is his FT% isn't bad and his mid range wasn't bad last night. Nonetheless to date he hasn't shown any ability to hit the 3.
Offensively he reminds me a bit of DeMar DeReRozan both in a good and bad way

[LeBowen]

4-22 in conference and NCAA tournament play last year.
The encouraging thing is his FT% isn't bad and his mid range wasn't bad last night. Nonetheless to date he hasn't shown any ability to hit the 3.
Offensively he reminds me a bit of DeMar DeReRozan both in a good and bad way

His jumpshoot looks fine and that's the most important thing.

Developing a non-shooter into a bad shooter is way more difficult than developing a bad shooter into a good one.
He'll never be a sniper, but if he can get to 33-36% on ~4 attempts, it's good enough for his archetype.

For example Fox was a career 32% 3pt shooter on 4 attempts per game up until last season.
Then he made a huge improvement and shot 37% on 8 attempts.
Shooting takes time, but can be developed.

Castle's size, feel for the game, playmaking ability and natural instincts to get inside and draw fouls are way more difficult to develop than shooting.

[Dejounte]

Castle looks way more of a future star than Vassell ever did, tbh. Buying his jersey now and everyone should too.

[exstatic]

Castle looks way more of a future star than Vassell ever did, tbh. Buying his jersey now and everyone should too.

Devin was never projected to be a star, or anything other than a 3 and D guy. He’s hit like his 85-90% outcome by becoming a 3 level scorer, something no one had on their dance card. I agree that Devin didn’t look like a star as a rookie, so let’s just hope that Stephon hits his 85-90% outcome,too.

[LeBowen]

Devin was never projected to be a star, or anything other than a 3 and D guy. He’s hit like his 85-90% outcome by becoming a 3 level scorer, something no one had on their dance card. I agree that Devin didn’t look like a star as a rookie, so let’s just hope that Stephon hits his 85-90% outcome,too.

So far Devin has been on Middleton trajectory.
If he can become a reliable 21-23ppg scorer while also being a good team defender, that's all we need.
I'm really interested to see how he develops this season, he should do way better with an actual point guard playing next to him.

His stats went up last season after Tre was moved into the starting lineup.
21/5 on 48% and 38% from 3pt.

[Mr. Body]

Devin is like a third guy. Keep defenses honest, pour it in on kick-outs and get shots occasionally on his own if needed.

Castle, I think, is already an offensive threat even without a deep jump shot. He's very, very clearly a point guard who can play off ball just fine. He's showing he can break down the defense even without a bomb threat. He's not even that bursty but a big on him is kind of toast. Smaller guys can get bodied. But what I see is a playmaker with the ball and in circulation. He's also really aggressive. Most of the team are guys who don't want to shoot or play hot potato. Castle will attack.

[couchman]

By my count he went 4-15 from 3pt in the preseason
The talent is obvious. So is the hideous shooting.
It will probably take a few years to fix.

Correction: nba.com says he was 4-16 from 3 in preseason

[onechance87]

Correction: nba.com says he was 4-16 from 3 in preseason

man,Hopefully he can figure it out.We need a second star next to wemby soon.Not sure we gonna
get one thru free agency.

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5NCUkbjX70

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpl8deDFrmM

[Pauleta14]

man,Hopefully he can figure it out.We need a second star next to wemby soon.Not sure we gonna
get one thru free agency.

If Ingram wasn't asking for the max I'd have loved to see what Pop can do with him

But he's such a high risk investment tbh

[spurraider21]

Castle looks way more of a future star than Vassell ever did, tbh. Buying his jersey now and everyone should too.
vassell was seen as basically a 3-D prospect coming out, and his first couple of years thats all he really did (he was better defensively as a rookie than sophomore tbh). then in his third year his offensive game really took off and he started showing way more aptitude at the midrange game and on-ball creation. really felt like it came out of nowhere since there were very few glimpses of that year 1 and 2

meanwhile by year 1 castle is already showing a lot of on-ball chops and is still playing well in an off-ball role despite his lack of shooting. a lot of people likened him to jimmy butler, and its not like butler came into the NBA with his turnaround midrange game in his bag.

[onechance87]

Also branham needs to be cut.Dude take so much shots away from castle.We need castle to develop his jumshot and
3 point shot.Thats not gonna happen with branham taking more shots then castle when they most likely gonna come off
the bench the same time.

[Davidicus]

His jumpshoot looks fine and that's the most important thing.

Developing a non-shooter into a bad shooter is way more difficult than developing a bad shooter into a good one.
He'll never be a sniper, but if he can get to 33-36% on ~4 attempts, it's good enough for his archetype.

For example Fox was a career 32% 3pt shooter on 4 attempts per game up until last season.
Then he made a huge improvement and shot 37% on 8 attempts.
Shooting takes time, but can be developed.

Castle's size, feel for the game, playmaking ability and natural instincts to get inside and draw fouls are way more difficult to develop than shooting.

This. His shot looks good. Keep shooting Stephon.

[exstatic]

If Ingram wasn't asking for the max I'd have loved to see what Pop can do with him

But he's such a high risk investment tbh

Ingram is a terrible investment, because like DeRozan, he can shoot 3s, but doesn’t, making him less efficient as a player.

[spurraider21]

ingram's first couple of years in new orleans he was hitting 39-40% of his 3's on attempts. not really sure why he started taking less and less. though i think with DeJounte there, he will have no choice but to spot up more

[Pauleta14]

Ingram is a terrible investment, because like DeRozan, he can shoot 3s, but doesn’t, making him less efficient as a player.

I know, hence my "what Pop can do with him"

He doesn't like/want to be a volume shooter but he has so many other skills, size and length, with the proper system and teammate who knows...

It's the cost/timming that makes it not worth it to me more than his disapointing productions that ccould have many origins (why did he suddenly disapeared in the play-in when he was hot to finish the season for ex? coaching? mental? team chemistry/issues?)

He's a really nice player but there's like a mystery about him, he should be a superstar with his attributes and skills.

[Pauleta14]

ingram's first couple of years in new orleans he was hitting 39-40% of his 3's on attempts. not really sure why he started taking less and less. though i think with DeJounte there, he will have no choice but to spot up more

Yep. I was listening to a podcast talking about it and they had no answer either. It has to be a mental thing bc he can shoot the 3 pretty well

[KobesAchilles]

I feel bad for Castle bc a lot of his positive plays are going to be taken away by how shitty our bench unit is. Collin’s sucks. He can’t hit a 3 to save his life and can’t finish around the basket either. Branham might be the worst NBA player in the league. Champ is garbage as well. And Tre Jones will prevent Castle from being our back up point guard because….

Well there’s actually no really good reason for that other than Pop is playing him as PG over Castle. Castle is bigger, stronger, faster, a better passer, and seems to have a knack for the game already at 19. I’d prefer him to start and push Sochan to the bench but that will never happen. Instead, the lane will be clogged for Wemby as teams clog the lane with Sochans man and CP3s man. And teams will clog the lane for Castle as he literally has zero shooters to play with on the bench.

btw I was wrong about Castle. The dude is a star right now and I believe would win ROY if Pop has the balls to do what’s best for the franchise

[Mr. Body]

I feel bad for Castle bc a lot of his positive plays are going to be taken away by how shitty our bench unit is. Collin’s sucks. He can’t hit a 3 to save his life and can’t finish around the basket either. Branham might be the worst NBA player in the league. Champ is garbage as well. And Tre Jones will prevent Castle from being our back up point guard because….

Well there’s actually no really good reason for that other than Pop is playing him as PG over Castle. Castle is bigger, stronger, faster, a better passer, and seems to have a knack for the game already at 19. I’d prefer him to start and push Sochan to the bench but that will never happen. Instead, the lane will be clogged for Wemby as teams clog the lane with Sochans man and CP3s man. And teams will clog the lane for Castle as he literally has zero shooters to play with on the bench.

btw I was wrong about Castle. The dude is a star right now and I believe would win ROY if Pop has the balls to do what’s best for the franchise

Why do you watch this team?

[KobesAchilles]

Why do you watch this team?
To see them win 30 games and miss the playoffs. Apparently that’s your wet dream of a season.

Fans stay by their team even when they suck. But I see a path to this team being good and they constantly are deviating from this path and saying one more season. One more season. We have youth that are developing. And they don’t develop. It’s frustrating to watch but unlike you, I still have standards that I expect the team to one day get to. You like watching the Spurs lose. I want them to win. That’s the difference.

[Ice009]

I feel bad for Castle bc a lot of his positive plays are going to be taken away by how shitty our bench unit is. Collin’s sucks. He can’t hit a 3 to save his life and can’t finish around the basket either. Branham might be the worst NBA player in the league. Champ is garbage as well. And Tre Jones will prevent Castle from being our back up point guard because….

Well there’s actually no really good reason for that other than Pop is playing him as PG over Castle. Castle is bigger, stronger, faster, a better passer, and seems to have a knack for the game already at 19. I’d prefer him to start and push Sochan to the bench but that will never happen. Instead, the lane will be clogged for Wemby as teams clog the lane with Sochans man and CP3s man. And teams will clog the lane for Castle as he literally has zero shooters to play with on the bench.

btw I was wrong about Castle. The dude is a star right now and I believe would win ROY if Pop has the balls to do what’s best for the franchise

Hopefully he gets court time right away, if not, I don't know if he's the type of player to ask out if he gets buried on the bench.

I'm also want to win more than anything else. Not interested in all these games Pop seems to play. I don't recall him pulling this shit with TD. If he did, TD probably leaves to Orlando or another team and doesn't look back. I don't know, maybe these losing seasons are getting to me, but it doesn't seem like the same approach to me.

[Leetonidas]

To see them win 30 games and miss the playoffs. Apparently that’s your wet dream of a season.

Fans stay by their team even when they suck. But I see a path to this team being good and they constantly are deviating from this path and saying one more season. One more season. We have youth that are developing. And they don’t develop. It’s frustrating to watch but unlike you, I still have standards that I expect the team to one day get to. You like watching the Spurs lose. I want them to win. That’s the difference.

No, you criticized the team and didn't get on your knees to blow PATFO and didn't blindly agree with everything they do therefore youre not a Spurs fan and obviously hate the team

[rankingtear]

KobeAchilles liking Castle does not bode well for this kid's future.

[KobesAchilles]

KobeAchilles liking Castle does not bode well for this kid's future.
Tbh my GMing has been pretty good the past 5 seasons. I had us drafting Sengun and Haliburton as well as Wemby (lol) and Sochan.

Also I haven’t really been wrong on a player since DJ. And even then, was I really wrong? Dude is immature and has no idea how to play basketball other than to look for himself.

[Ice009]

Tbh my GMing has been pretty good the past 5 seasons. I had us drafting Sengun and Haliburton as well as Wemby (lol) and Sochan.

Also I haven’t really been wrong on a player since DJ. And even then, was I really wrong? Dude is immature and has no idea how to play basketball other than to look for himself.

Pretty good calls if you wanted those guys. I wasn't clued in enough those seasons. I do remember people mentioning Haliburton that draft, though. Having said that, would have have been happy to take those guys as that would likely have taken the Spurs out of the running for Victor? I don't think I would want them knowing that the Spurs were able to draft Victor instead.

This season, however, I was interested in Edey or Cody Williams at number 8 (of the guys that were left), and it's very, very early, but they're both looking like that can make it. I also would have loved to have taken Donovan Clingan if he was still on the board (Do you guys think the Spurs would have taken him if he was still there?). Tidjane Salaun, I don't/didn't know much about, but I'm guessing he was their main target at that spot. I also wonder, would the Spurs have taken Holland or Clingan if they were there at number 8?

[ambchang]

I’m not all sold on Halliburton because he’s very ball dominant to be effective on offence, but his defence will be tough to cover to make a team a true contender. Great player, can lead his team to the playoffs, or even past a couple of rounds, but not sure if he is someone you build around, and not sure if he would be an effective 2nd or 3rd banana.

Sengun I’m not sold at all tbh, not entirely sure why people are so enamoured with him. He reminds me of a new age Vucevic. Stats, maybe borderline allstar, but doesn’t give you much in wins.

Edey I’m not sold on either, his lateral movements are just so slow, wouldve been an allstar 20 years ago, if he’s just not really suited to today’s game.

I want Cody Williams but then I’m not that sold on him either, he could be the net J-Dub but could also be the Mo of the wagners. Just can’t call these things too early.

No issues with trading away dillingham, could be useful for a lot of teams, just not ours. Now or ever tbh.

Buzells I’m not sure. He could be really good or a total flameout, I just don’t know on this one.

But to get an unprotected 1st round pick and a top 1 protected swap from an 8th pick in a comparatively weak draft is a great move. I still don’t understand why people are so up in arms overt this. The spurs aren’t contending this year, they have picks up the wazoo over the next few years so there wouldn’t be a shortage of good prospects if need be to feed the pipeline. 7 years is a long time, but look at 2017, spurs, rockets, jazz, raptors and wizards were all high up the standings. Which is where the wolves are now. If the spurs get lucky they would get potentially two high picks for Rob dillingham/cody Williams/eddy/ or Buzelis. Sounds like a good deal. Of course the wolves can be like the Celtics, cavs bucks and even warriors, who would yield lower lottery picks or even picks in the 20s, but trades come with risks. So does developing young players, you can get a primo or you can get a nephew.

[tim_duncan_fan]

Please, Steph Castle. I know you are 5 years old, relatively, but we need you to become a shot-maker ASAP.

[cutewizard]

How was he in his first game?

[TheBallsbreakers]

How was he in his first game?
Very impressed.

[Guru of Nothing]

Ascending.

[onechance87]

How was he in his first game?

He played good.So obvious he should be getting more then 18 mins.

[Atl Spur]

Start #5 ; Paul does not need to.

[DAF86]

The only good thing about this abortion of a game, and if it wasn't for garbage time, the old fart would have played him 10 minutes. It's tiring being always right about the dumb shit Popovich will pull.

[onechance87]

Castle gotta get his floater and jumper going.It will help him get some points and break down the opponent defence.

[spursparker9]

Already looking more mature than usual rookie. He need more playing time tbh.

[DAF86]

Already looking more mature than usual rookie. He need more playing time tbh.

If we are being completely honest, he looks way more mature than Wemby out there. Tonight I found myself enjoying watching Castle play a lot more than Wemby.

[spursparker9]

There were a few passes by Castle that were bullet speed. Manuesque passes tbh

[xellos88330]

I liked what I saw from Castle. He didn't seem afraid to mix it up and bump on defense.

[DAF86]

g-Dfv_TFQiY?si=EMovAO24q6GKYKab

[DAF86]

-Good, steady handles to get where he wants to.
-plays at his own pace.
-gets to the lane.
-gets to the line.
-terrific passer off the bounce.
-High IQ player.

If he develops a mid range jumper ala Tony or Dejounte, he can become an all-star level PG even without ever developing a 3pt shot. They need to give him that starting PG spot as soon as CP3 is off this team.

[tim_duncan_fan]

He makes me think of that Sixers guard Philadelphia drafted early out of Washington some years back, except when he tries to do something in the NBA it works.

You know. It's been a couple preseason games and 1 reg season outing, but Castle makes me feel like we're gonna be alright eventually. Maybe this year, maybe not, but definitely eventually.

Floor General is loading.

[chubbs]

-Good, steady handles to get where he wants to.
-plays at his own pace.
-gets to the lane.
-gets to the line.
-terrific passer off the bounce.
-High IQ player.

If he develops a mid range jumper ala Tony or Dejounte, he can become an all-star level PG even without ever developing a 3pt shot. They need to give him that starting PG spot as soon as CP3 is off this team.

:lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao

[chubbs]

g-Dfv_TFQiY?si=EMovAO24q6GKYKab

:rollin literally a video of him being incompetent until late in the 4th down 20

[TheBallsbreakers]

I love this kid.

[gilmor2002]

He makes me think of that Sixers guard Philadelphia drafted early out of Washington some years back, except when he tries to do something in the NBA it works.

You know. It's been a couple preseason games and 1 reg season outing, but Castle makes me feel like we're gonna be alright eventually. Maybe this year, maybe not, but definitely eventually.

Floor General is loading.

The poise he has at this young age is undeniable..

[Raven]

didn't think there was anything to write home about.. doesn't seem athletic, but decent player though

[Ice009]

didn't think there was anything to write home about.. doesn't seem athletic, but decent player though

Does Luka look super athletic? He's not an A+ athlete, but he's not terrible either.

[Raven]

Does Luka look super athletic? He's not an A+ athlete, but he's not terrible either.
how is this relevant?

[Ice009]

how is this relevant?

Because you're calling him out for not being super athletic? I think it's pretty clear.

[Atl Spur]

Throw him in the fire; he’ll rise to the occasion. We have two ball handlers ( castle & Paul ) jones can not handle pressure.

[Pauleta14]

Castle not only needs to start but he needs (because he can physically) to play +30'/game to accelerate as much as possible the process. Nothing better than PT

Also if Cp3 and Vic aren't working on a 1-2 P&R game (which they obviously don't), better put Paul on the bench to keep Vic's playmaking alive at least. IT kept opp thinking when this season with Cp his role is reduced and he becomes easier to defend.

[Raven]

Because you're calling him out for not being super athletic? I think it's pretty clear.

i'm just making an observation.

[DAF86]

didn't think there was anything to write home about.. doesn't seem athletic, but decent player though

His strength for a teenage rookie is elite, tbh.

[Ice009]

i'm just making an observation.

Well, OK, you're entitled to your opinion. I just thought you were taking a shot at him. I don't think fully agree about him not being athletic. He's not a top tier NBA athlete, but he's also not on the bottom rung either. He was the only guy I enjoyed watching play in last night's game. And like DAF86 said, I think he's pretty strong for his age, so that is already a step in the right direction.

[cd98]

He's a rookie. Let him learn from CP3 and get minutes at different positions. If he was running point guard right now, it would be problematic. Allowing him to play multiple positions gets him on the court. He can contribute this year, but he won't be good enough to be a starting point guard on a playoff team for at least two to three years.

[Mitch Cumsteen]

He needs to play starter minutes. There are going to be some rough patches as there are with any rookie. But they need to get him reps.

He's got good handles. He gets into the paint. He finds the open man. He draws fouls (he got two on Lively right in front of the basket last night). He plays elite perimeter one on one defense. Once he earns a little respect from the refs, he's going to be a menace. They need to jumpstart his development. And honestly, even with the rookie mistakes he's going to make, he's still going to be one of the more impactful players on the roster.

FREE STEPHON!!!

[objective]

I agree about him playing a lot more minutes, but just to manage expectations, nobody in the NBA has adjusted to him yet. Once everyone gives him 10 feet of space and ignoring him at the 3 point line like some college teams did, his success on drives will be impacted

[exstatic]

I agree about him playing a lot more minutes, but just to manage expectations, nobody in the NBA has adjusted to him yet. Once everyone gives him 10 feet of space and ignoring him at the 3 point line like some college teams did, his success on drives will be impacted

He was never ineffective in college. He’s big and strong enough to get into the paint and score or create,anyway. Are you going to back yourself up all the way under the rim? That’s just going to give him a layup. At some point,you have to engage him, and then it’s on.

[spurraider21]

I agree about him playing a lot more minutes, but just to manage expectations, nobody in the NBA has adjusted to him yet. Once everyone gives him 10 feet of space and ignoring him at the 3 point line like some college teams did, his success on drives will be impacted
its not like his outside shooting concerns is some secret only known within the spurs organization. the problem is giving a runway to a strong/physical driver is often a recipe for disaster. the main thing is he's going to have to deal with teams just going under every screen which makes the pnr game harder. he's not going to draw a lot of switches, nor is he going to invite drop coverage.

[rjv]

kahwi leonard's first NBA game: 14 minutes, 6 points (2 for 9-22.2% FG percentage), rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.

[spurraider21]

leonard was also coming off the bench for a team that saw itself as a contender, so the room to give a young/inexperienced player was harder to find

[rjv]

leonard was also coming off the bench for a team that saw itself as a contender, so the room to give a young/inexperienced player was harder to find

argument can go many ways here. one could argue that leonard was also the beneficiary of being on a better team. but he played 4 less minutes and shot the ball pretty poorly. the two steals were a sign of where he was already at, defensively. really, castle seems to be the better passer early on. neither one lit up from the three point line. a better comparison would be in just looking at the tape.

[KobesAchilles]

Why on earth do people think it’s a good idea for him to play multiple positions as a rookie? It’s the dumbest thing you can do for his development and is short sighted. So many people just spout out: well Castle should be playing multiple positions for development and don’t actually put any thought into that statement.

Point guard is hard to play. It’s probably the hardest position in the nba to learn. So playing part time point guard isn’t good for development. It’s actually bad. Bc you’re picking the hardest position to play and then divvying up your time between learning how to play point guard, and SG, and SF. How are you supposed to actually improve as a point guard by half assing it like that?

All 3 positions are fundamentally different positions. They all require different knowledge, they all require different skill sets, they require different asks on both offense and defense and they require different mindsets. A PG mindset is to get a good shot on every possession bc every possession is valuable. A SG mindset (like Vassell for instance) is there is no bad shot. Two completely different mindsets to have.

I want PATFO to pick a position for Castle and spend ALL of his time and effort alongside the Spurs resources to focus on this one singular task. That’s what they did with Kawhi. It’s what they did with TP. Danny Green. Splitter. All the great players and great role players on our team were made because they had ONE thing to focus on and they worked towards it. Our Lonnie’s and Sochans and even early rookie Vic never learned how to play basketball due to having too many things thrown at them at once.

[LeBowen]

Why on earth do people think it’s a good idea for him to play multiple positions as a rookie? It’s the dumbest thing you can do for his development and is short sighted. So many people just spout out: well Castle should be playing multiple positions for development and don’t actually put any thought into that statement.

Point guard is hard to play. It’s probably the hardest position in the nba to learn. So playing part time point guard isn’t good for development. It’s actually bad. Bc you’re picking the hardest position to play and then divvying up your time between learning how to play point guard, and SG, and SF. How are you supposed to actually improve as a point guard by half assing it like that?

All 3 positions are fundamentally different positions. They all require different knowledge, they all require different skill sets, they require different asks on both offense and defense and they require different mindsets. A PG mindset is to get a good shot on every possession bc every possession is valuable. A SG mindset (like Vassell for instance) is there is no bad shot. Two completely different mindsets to have.

I want PATFO to pick a position for Castle and spend ALL of his time and effort alongside the Spurs resources to focus on this one singular task. That’s what they did with Kawhi. It’s what they did with TP. Danny Green. Splitter. All the great players and great role players on our team were made because they had ONE thing to focus on and they worked towards it. Our Lonnie’s and Sochans and even early rookie Vic never learned how to play basketball due to having too many things thrown at them at once.

While I agree that Castle should be playing as many PG minutes as possible, SGA played together with CP3 and it worked out well.
Bigger problem is that Tre is ahead of Castle in the rotation.

We're not making playoffs, Tre is a finished product and a known quantity. He's on an expiring deal.
Where exactly is the value in him being ahead of Castle?

[KobesAchilles]

While I agree that Castle should be playing as many PG minutes as possible, SGA played together with CP3 and it worked out well.
Bigger problem is that Tre is ahead of Castle in the rotation.

We're not making playoffs, Tre is a finished product and a known quantity. He's on an expiring deal.
Where exactly is the value in him being ahead of Castle?
100% agree with this. And I posted this same sentiment a different post. Jones has no future on this team. Or if he does have a future it’s with Castle as the starting PG and Jones backing Castle up. Not the other way around. Plus limiting Jones minutes ensures we can sign him for cheap. It’s both bad business by the Spurs to play Jones as our back up PG and bad development to do so.

[spurraider21]

1849928139721371908

[BackHome]

Pretty solid takes and I agree at this point I am trying to find if Castle is our future at PG so he should be playing the most minutes at that position and he should be Pauls backup with minutes every game. I think this is going to happen and I think he will average around 18 minutes at that position.

[scott]

1849928139721371908

I love how Tom Orsborn just completely dismisses the possibility of some Point Sochan minutes instead...

[ace3g]

https://x.com/nicekicks/status/1849968952593510518

[exstatic]

https://x.com/nicekicks/status/1849968952593510518

Wow. MJ only picks the cream of the crop for his personal brand. Awesome.

[KingKev]

Wow. MJ only picks the cream of the crop for his personal brand. Awesome.

Literally anyone can get a team Jordan deal. Even back in the day Derek Anderson was a team Jordan guy.

[exstatic]

Literally anyone can get a team Jordan deal. Even back in the day Derek Anderson was a team Jordan guy.

If that were literally the case, then every NBA player would have a Jordan Brand deal. Sorry, you hit one of my pet peeves, the misuse of the word literally. :lol

I misstated the JB signing as the coup. The real coup is getting a JB shoe, although, other than Rui Hachimura, they seem more selective in signing athletes to the brand these days.

[KingKev]

If that were literally the case, then every NBA player would have a Jordan Brand deal. Sorry, you hit one of my pet peeves, the misuse of the word literally. :lol

I misstated the JB signing as the coup. The real coup is getting a JB shoe, although, other than Rui Hachimura, they seem more selective in signing athletes to the brand these days.

It’s just not much of an endorsement these days. 20-25 years ago when Jordan was endorsing guys who could jump out the gym and excite crowds it was.

Fun fact Derek Anderson is known as the originator of wearing low top J’s for games.

[ambchang]

Literally anyone can get a team Jordan deal. Even back in the day Derek Anderson was a team Jordan guy.

Well, you do remember jordan as the wizards exec? Jordan’s ability to pick talent is …. Well, suspect.

[John B]

1849928139721371908

With our luck it’s going to be Wesley, and again ST will be bitching about it non stop.

[spursparker9]

Fuck. I wanna see Castle vs Shephard ...

[Pauleta14]

With our luck it’s going to be Wesley, and again ST will be bitching about it non stop.

If it's not Castle I'd rather it be Wesley and his defensive intensity

[onechance87]

If it's not Castle I'd rather it be Wesley and his defensive intensity

wesley useless offense.Pretty sure they gonna defend the paint and dare spurs players to shoot from deep.

[Pauleta14]

wesley useless offense.Pretty sure they gonna defend the paint and dare spurs players to shoot from deep.

Yeah good point, I forgot about their tactics vs Wemby

Good day to see Sochan's improvements

[onechance87]

Yeah good point, I forgot about their tactics vs Wemby

Good day to see Sochan's improvements

Yea...Wemby as well.They gonna dare wemby to take the 3s as well.Wemby or sochan gotta knock down outside shots consistently.

[onechance87]

But the door is wide open for castle to shoot his way to top for rookie of the year.Pop gotta stop with his stupid rotations with wesley,jones and
branham,As well as keldon.Hes obviously better then all 3 of them.Just needs the mins.Hate him sharing pg duties with wesley as well.Castle is
the better playmaker and is better at drawing fouls.

[Pauleta14]

Yea...Wemby as well.They gonna dare wemby to take the 3s as well.Wemby or sochan gotta knock down outside shots consistently.

Wemby doesn't need to be darred to shoot 3s bro :lol

It's going to be a callenge for sure, I just wish we'd see his progress vs last season's stuggles vs them but with his rusty form I'm not sure what to expect tbh

Massive game for Sochan, a good perf can boost his season, he needs to knock them down when open

[Dejounte]

Yea...Wemby as well.They gonna dare wemby to take the 3s as well.Wemby or sochan gotta knock down outside shots consistently.

Sochan doesn’t need to do shit outside tbh. He took two shots last game, made one. That’s enough. He had excellent chemistry with Wemby in the paint and Wemby tapped many passes to his exact spot. Wemby is clearly a superior perimeter player than Sochan is, and it’s best to play players according to their strengths.

[onechance87]

Wemby doesn't need to be darred to shoot 3s bro :lol

It's going to be a callenge for sure, I just wish we'd see his progress vs last season's stuggles vs them but with his rusty form I'm not sure what to expect tbh

Massive game for Sochan, a good perf can boost his season, he needs to knock them down when open

Yea i know.Just wish he was more picky with his outside shots and not force them.

[onechance87]

Sochan doesn’t need to do shit outside tbh. He took two shots last game, made one. That’s enough. He had excellent chemistry with Wemby in the paint and Wemby tapped many passes to his exact spot. Wemby is clearly a superior perimeter player than Sochan is, and it’s best to play players according to their strengths.

Bro..Sochan gotta do more on offense.Just getting easy shots from passes wont cut it.He wants a big ass contract,He better be better and do more.
Hes just a average role player at this point.Which is not fine when you got drafted in the lotterey.

[Dejounte]

Bro..Sochan gotta do more on offense.Just getting easy shots from passes wont cut it.He wants a big ass contract,He better be better and do more.
Hes just a average role player at this point.Which is not fine when you got drafted in the lotterey.

He can do more on offense without needing it to be 3 point shots. There’s more to the game than 3 pters. He can mix it up and he has. The game before he scored 18 pts, and that’s a number that if he can keep up, is a big contribution to the offense. He’s an inside guy and there’s plenty of ways he can grow his game there.

[cutewizard]

The Fearless Prince

[DAF86]

B21iBgnNtW4?si=R1u3vcUdyA661aGM

Get this channel some love, so we can keep getting these complete Castle highlights.

[Mr. Body]

Fuck. I wanna see Castle vs Shephard ...

How did this go?

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

Loving Castle’s game!! Dude plays very under control but aggressive for a rookie. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite player on the team

[Ocotillo]

How did this go?

ROY Shephard, he won it in summer league, pretty much was load managed in the second half.

[Mr. Body]

ROY Shephard, he won it in summer league, pretty much was load managed in the second half.

Holding him back. Don't want to give away his secrets.

I don't mean to dog Sheppard. The Rockets are learning how to use him and he'll have more than his share of moments.

[Pauleta14]

So happy to see Pop using Stephon in the clutch tbh, I was worried of the treatment he'd get from the old man.

Now I need a small injury from Cp3 to force Pop to start him

[Mr. Body]

So... by conference play in college, Castle looked like the multi-year seniors on the UConn squad. I am truly impressed that he was not only closing this game out but was pointing out assignments and positions.

The refs gave him a hard time -- c'mon with the carry call -- and FVV and others seemed to test him, but the mistakes he made were mostly when the execution wasn't there. The thought patterns are all tremendous for his age and experience.

[CGD]

Was interested to hear that the Spurs had someone basically with him his whole year at UConn. Makes you wonder who they’re monitoring this year…

[Knoxxx]

Castles passing ability is amazing.

[Pauleta14]

Castles passing ability is amazing.

He hides his passes very well, waits the last moment to release.

[exstatic]

That OkeyDoke fake pass layup was fucking sick.

[Mr. Body]

That alley-oop lop for Collins was down low really sweet, where Collins got fouled. Castle geared up for that pass before even starting his move.

[Atl Spur]

Castle will impress…. He’s a better pg/player than some of you expect!

This guy is just getting started….

[NASpurs]

This guy is just getting started….

This dude is quoting himself like he's a fucking prophet or something. :lol When you throw enough shit on the wall...

[GAustex]

This dude is quoting himself like he's a fucking prophet or something. :lol When you throw enough shit on the wall...
Miss Cleo is fire!

[tim_duncan_fan]

Whoever said it first, I am just glad he's good. We needed this draft win.

[timtonymanu]

This dude is quoting himself like he's a fucking prophet or something. :lol When you throw enough shit on the wall...

The highest spurs pick outside of Victor turns out to be a good player. Nostradamus over here.

[RC_Drunkford]

This dude is quoting himself like he's a fucking prophet or something. :lol When you throw enough shit on the wall...

he‘s always talking to himself on this forum :lol

[mudyez]

What I love most is his meleability going forward. We may get our starting PG (eg somehow getting our hands on Traore) and he can be a star wing. We may not get one and he will be our big-PG. ...all while doubling as our stopper.

[Atl Spur]

he‘s always talking to himself on this forum :lol

Obviously you hear me:) You gotta get a hobby. Now if you want to do an audit on throwing shit at the wall, we can do it. I have quarter of the post you’ve made; make it make sense for us.

[Atl Spur]

The highest spurs pick outside of Victor turns out to be a good player. Nostradamus over here.

We have incompetent front office right? So why would the number 4 pick be a home run? You can’t have it both ways, pick a side big homie.

[Atl Spur]

This dude is quoting himself like he's a fucking prophet or something. :lol When you throw enough shit on the wall...

And now it’s your turn….. on second thought you being my personal clown is enough for now:) Gracias

[scott]

He's ahead of where Kawhi was his rookie year. Just need to develop that 3 point shot to go from starter-level prospect to star-level prospect.

[cutewizard]

Was interested to hear that the Spurs had someone basically with him his whole year at UConn. Makes you wonder who they’re monitoring this year…

,........do tell us more

[Pauleta14]

If only Chip Engeland was still here...

[exstatic]

If only Chip Engeland was still here...

He didn’t want to go through the rebuild. End of story.

[Ice009]

He didn’t want to go through the rebuild. End of story.

I was wondering if that was why he left, so is that one of the main reason? At the time, I was thinking maybe he didn't want to stick around on a rebuilding team, and it wasn't because he didn't like it there anymore?

[spurraider21]

He didn’t want to go through the rebuild. End of story.
Link to that being the reason?

okc was 24-58 the year before he got there. This just seems like cope

[LeBowen]

Maybe he just wanted a change of scenary after 17 years.
And obviously they probably paid more.
No need to overthink it.

Castle's shot looks fundamentally solid, I'm not worried about it in the long run.
It will take a couple of years, but he should get there.
Dejounte was shooting floaters from 3pt line in his rookie year and look how good his shot became.

[Ice009]

Link to that being the reason?

okc was 24-58 the year before he got there. This just seems like cope

Darn, I thought he went there when they had a better record than that. Throw that theory away then.

[exstatic]

Darn, I thought he went there when they had a better record than that. Throw that theory away then.

Why? They were clearly an up and coming team, and we were a down and tanking team. Shai had just put up a 24/6/5 line, and they drafted Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Their bag of picks was also far superior to ours at that point.

[Mr. Body]

Why? They were clearly an up and coming team, and we were a down and tanking team. Shai had just put up a 24/6/5 line, and they drafted Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Their bag of picks was also far superior to ours at that point.

Yeah, they very clearly were on a huge upswing. What, do we think Chip moved to bumfark Oklahoma to work with a non-championship caliber team?

[ginobilized]

He's ahead of where Kawhi was his rookie year. Just need to develop that 3 point shot to go from starter-level prospect to star-level prospect.

My thoughts, precisely. I think Castle's shooting form looks better than Kawhi's as rookie.

Lots to be positive about with this rookie. If CP3 was not on the team, Castle would be our best passer. Pop has a penchant for developing defensive guards/wings which bodes well for the future.

[Pauleta14]

My guess/hot take is that other than the classic professional consideration of being wooed and surely salary raised, Engeland didn't want to hang out on a daily basis with either old chunks of coals like Pop and Brett Brown or youngins

[Russ]

Regarding Chip Engelland's departure, money may have played a bigger role than the team's plight at the moment.

Pounding the Rock said a few years ago:


A breakup caused by Engelland simply deciding to move on and look for other challenges would have been bittersweet but understandable. The reason for his departure as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, however, makes things more unsavory. Engelland apparently wanted to stay badly enough to try to secure a new deal with the Spurs, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement. The important question to ask is why that happened . . .

All signs point to frugality as the driving reason for the breakup, or at least a laser focus on the money aspect of things which has been pervasive recently with the Spurs. Some of the decisions, like looking for games in other cities even if it means giving up the home court advantage, are understandable coming from any small-market team. Reducing payroll and reportedly being hesitant about eventually having to max out Dejounte Murray is fully defensible from a basketball perspective since the team is rebuilding. Even letting Engelland leave, on its own, would not be too worrisome. However, all of those moves put together paint of picture of a franchise that is trying to reduce spending while increasing revenue as much as possible even if it comes at the expense of the on-court product. There’s no need to jump to conclusions about the owners’ commitment to winning in the long term just yet, but it’s something to monitor going forward.

https://www.poundingtherock.com/2022/7/28/23281558/with-chip-engelland-gone-the-spurs-move-closer-to-the-unknown

Air Alamo seems to agree:


It's worth noting that Engelland's exit stemmed from an inability to reach a contract agreement with the team, a regrettable circumstance that has had lasting repercussions. After such an impactful tenure, that deal needed to get done. His departure underscores the importance of elite coaching and highlights its far-reaching implications for a team's performance.

https://airalamo.com/posts/underrated-2022-departure-still-haunts-san-antonio-spurs-heading-into-2024

While we might like better sources, these are the sources we have, such that they are. (Unsurprisingly, the New York Times never weighed in.)

[Raven]

He's ahead of where Kawhi was his rookie year. Just need to develop that 3 point shot to go from starter-level prospect to star-level prospect.

excuse me?

[spurraider21]

im also not sure how much a shooting coach is really concerned with the team's W/L record.

they want to be paid for their work and probably like having players receptive to their coaching

either way, nothing substantiates chip leaving because he wanted to avoid a rebuild or anything like that. weird to state it so confidently with the "end of story" as well :lol

[Ice009]

Why? They were clearly an up and coming team, and we were a down and tanking team. Shai had just put up a 24/6/5 line, and they drafted Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Their bag of picks was also far superior to ours at that point.

I just thought he went there when they have more wins, when they showed some of that upswing in the win column, but since I don't follow teams outside of the Spurs like I used to years ago, didn't know. I did know they were looking a lot better than the Spurs when he left, though, due to their draft picks and talent they were amassing.


Regarding Chip Engelland's departure, money may have played a bigger role than the team's plight at the moment.

Pounding the Rock said a few years ago:



https://www.poundingtherock.com/2022/7/28/23281558/with-chip-engelland-gone-the-spurs-move-closer-to-the-unknown

Air Alamo seems to agree:



https://airalamo.com/posts/underrated-2022-departure-still-haunts-san-antonio-spurs-heading-into-2024

While we might like better sources, these are the sources we have, such that they are. (Unsurprisingly, the New York Times never weighed in.)

Interesting. If any of this is true, that sucks if he wanted to stay that badly, and they ended up pushing him out by being as the article said "frugal." I'm also not sure why the Spurs wouldn't value him more highly as he is a darn good shooting coach.


im also not sure how much a shooting coach is really concerned with the team's W/L record.

they want to be paid for their work and probably like having players receptive to their coaching

either way, nothing substantiates chip leaving because he wanted to avoid a rebuild or anything like that. weird to state it so confidently with the "end of story" as well :lol

This is what I thought at the time. I thought there must be some other reason as he seemed happy enough prior to leaving.

[exstatic]

im also not sure how much a shooting coach is really concerned with the team's W/L record.

they want to be paid for their work and probably like having players receptive to their coaching

either way, nothing substantiates chip leaving because he wanted to avoid a rebuild or anything like that. weird to state it so confidently with the "end of story" as well :lol

He came on board in the wake of the 2005 title, and left when we traded an All Star in consecutive summers, stripping the roster to tank. I think he cares. :lol.

[RC_Drunkford]

OKC made him an assistant coach, not solely the shooting coach.

[spurraider21]

OKC made him an assistant coach, not solely the shooting coach.
i appreciate your input but unfortunately ex said "end of story"

[Pauleta14]

Wow I hope it's not just the money considering Pop gave himself a raise a cple seasons later...

[DAF86]

Maybe he just wanted a change of scenary after 17 years.
And obviously they probably paid more.
No need to overthink it.

Castle's shot looks fundamentally solid, I'm not worried about it in the long run.
It will take a couple of years, but he should get there.
Dejounte was shooting floaters from 3pt line in his rookie year and look how good his shot became.

Is that a good thing, though?

Kawhi came in shooting it like throw ins in soccer, so it was easy to spot the problem and therefore the fix.

When a guy, that has a fundamentally sound shooting motion, is a bad shooter, how do you find the answer to the problem?

[DAF86]

Why? They were clearly an up and coming team, and we were a down and tanking team. Shai had just put up a 24/6/5 line, and they drafted Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Their bag of picks was also far superior to ours at that point.

Why would a shooting coach care about rebuilding or not rebuilding? Stop trying to put excuses, Chip didn't go away because of that. The most likely scenario is money, or he got into bad terms with someone within the Spurs organization.

[spurraider21]

Is that a good thing, though?

Kawhi came in shooting it like throw ins in soccer, so it was easy to spot the problem and therefore the fix.

When a guy, that has a fundamentally sound shooting motion, is a bad shooter, how do you find the answer to the problem?
its a yes and no

obviously if a guy has a cartoonishly bad form its easy to spot a huge issue that can be fixed. but that also requires a LOT of muscle memory rework and can be a challenge. rebuilding your shot from the ground up is very hard because there are a lot of moving parts to a jump shot

if somebody has a solid base to work with and you just need to trim around the edges it can be a more painless process.

[SpursBills]

He's looking great and carrying over what he showed in preseason - I previously thought that his offensive ceiling as an initiator would always be capped unless he became a free throw merchant like SGA/Butler. After the first 2 games into the season, the dude had a Butler-esque 0.600 FTr on limited sample size, so he may yet get there which would open up all-star outcomes.

I think long term the fit with Sochan may still be awkward from a shooting standpoint if neither improves dramatically, but it's been done before. The team that comes to mind first is the 2018-2019 Sixers, featuring:

1. A physically imposing center who preferred a perimeter based game offensively and could shut down the paint defensively
2. A 6'9" point forward who could switch across all positions defensively, mainly lived around the rim, and was a 60% FT shooter
3. A 6'7" do-it-all forward who was a versatile defender, drew a ton of fouls, and got in opponents' heads

I'm not saying it's exactly a 1:1 comparison, and we have nobody on this current roster with the advanced playmaking of Simmons yet unless Castle develops the way we want him to, but that core probably would have gone deep into the postseason if it had been kept together with the right pieces and Embiid/Simmons weren't so mentally soft. Add a Middleton-type to those 3, maybe use one of the Spurs' many future draft picks to draft a bigger/better defending JJ Reddick, and you might have something here.

[DAF86]

D2cVducoUII?si=6Gm_0dB2SUqgasjv

[couchman]

It’s hard to compare rookie years of Castle and Kawhi.

Kawhi shot 38% from 3 his rookie year.
Stephon shot 25% from 3 in preseason, so far has missed all 5 regular season attempts, and suddenly looks extremely hesitant to even shoot them.

OTOH Castle is a better passer right now than Kawhi ever has been.
He also has better handles than Kawhi did as a rookie.

Rookie Kawhi gets the edge on defense, with rebounding being a big component, but it is close.

I was strongly against drafting Castle because the shooting is just so bad and we already have Sochan and W y chucking shit up. However I must admit that Castle already looks better than I expected at everything else. My concern is that his shot is broken and yet there’s nothing that looks bad about it. If the break is mental that could be tough to ever fix. I really hopes he figures out at least a midrange. That could unlock all-star potential.

[spursparker9]

It’s hard to compare rookie years of Castle and Kawhi.

Kawhi shot 38% from 3 his rookie year.
Stephon shot 25% from 3 in preseason, so far has missed all 5 regular season attempts, and suddenly looks extremely hesitant to even shoot them.

OTOH Castle is a better passer right now than Kawhi ever has been.
He also has better handles than Kawhi did as a rookie.

Rookie Kawhi gets the edge on defense, with rebounding being a big component, but it is close.

I was strongly against drafting Castle because the shooting is just so bad and we already have Sochan and W y chucking shit up. However I must admit that Castle already looks better than I expected at everything else. My concern is that his shot is broken and yet there’s nothing that looks bad about it. If the break is mental that could be tough to ever fix. I really hopes he figures out at least a midrange. That could unlock all-star potential.

Nephew had Chip England as shooting coach.

All-Star tbh is 100% depending on having top seeds team records.

[BacktoBasics]

He's looking great and carrying over what he showed in preseason - I previously thought that his offensive ceiling as an initiator would always be capped unless he became a free throw merchant like SGA/Butler. After the first 2 games into the season, the dude had a Butler-esque 0.600 FTr on limited sample size, so he may yet get there which would open up all-star outcomes.

I think long term the fit with Sochan may still be awkward from a shooting standpoint if neither improves dramatically, but it's been done before. The team that comes to mind first is the 2018-2019 Sixers, featuring:

1. A physically imposing center who preferred a perimeter based game offensively and could shut down the paint defensively
2. A 6'9" point forward who could switch across all positions defensively, mainly lived around the rim, and was a 60% FT shooter
3. A 6'7" do-it-all forward who was a versatile defender, drew a ton of fouls, and got in opponents' heads

I'm not saying it's exactly a 1:1 comparison, and we have nobody on this current roster with the advanced playmaking of Simmons yet unless Castle develops the way we want him to, but that core probably would have gone deep into the postseason if it had been kept together with the right pieces and Embiid/Simmons weren't so mentally soft. Add a Middleton-type to those 3, maybe use one of the Spurs' many future draft picks to draft a bigger/better defending JJ Reddick, and you might have something here.

I don't see Sochan as being a fit problem. Every team needs a guy like Sochan. We should be able to make up shooting at other positions in a way that still keeps Sochan productive. I don't know what's going on with this new hitch he's got but its not like he was Ben Simmons last season.

[Atl Spur]

Where’s that Sochan thread? As far as fit, the kid does a little bit of everything; think Lou Dort without a three ball but post up & rebounding. Every team needs a Sochan type player.

[Raven]

Where’s that Sochan thread? As far as fit, the kid does a little bit of everything; think Lou Dort without a three ball but post up & rebounding. Every team needs a Sochan type player.
he really doesn't... he is playing pure pf.

[Atl Spur]

he really doesn't... he is playing pure pf.

Speaking skill set not actual position ( okc runs 3 guard line up )

[spurraider21]

Speaking skill set not actual position ( okc runs 3 guard line up )
he's taking over 80% of his FGAs from within 10 feet

[Atl Spur]

he's taking over 80% of his FGAs from within 10 feet

Hence post up….

[sfernald]

I hope no one was expecting that he would get the best of the prospective rookie of the year Ajay Mitchell...

[Raven]

think it is to time cut down his minutes.

[DAF86]

wXal47pLRFI?si=5p9yiY4pKUlz1mhw

[DAF86]

think it is to time cut down his minutes.

These are the types of comments that make wanna punch people.

[tim_duncan_fan]

I didn't realize he hit a 3 tonight. Technically he shot 50% from 3 tonight. Gotta start somewhere. Hopefully, this starts some confidence about it.

[Ice009]

It's shocking to say, as I likely wouldn't say this about a player normally, but I am glad he hit one three pointer. I still have confidence in him.

[Raven]

These are the types of comments that make wanna punch people.

i think it is very fair, i don't see why he would ever play alongside chris paul, like why... he is not yet a good defender, he is an excellent perimeter defender, but gets bullied in the paint and on drives. He is a very good pg that needs to work on his shot, but we need shooting right now there is no doubt about that.

[LeBowen]

he is not yet a good defender, he is an excellent perimeter defender, but gets bullied in the paint and on drives.

You can't be serious with this bit.
Castle is already our physically strongest guard and if he gets bullied on the drive, every other guard would be the same.
The only issue is that he has no respect from refs yet and gets called for minimal contact on drives.

Wesley, Branham, Tre and even Devin are all obviously worse defenders than Castle.
The only reason to not play him would be his lack of jumpshot.
But then again, Wesley and even Tre aren't much better in that department.

It's better for Castle to play alongside CP3 and another shooter than to have those 3 non-shotoer bench lineups.

[Pauleta14]

think it is to time cut down his minutes.

I think it's time to raise them and I can't wait for a small injury from cp3 to start him.

He needs to do as many mistakes as possible as fast as possible, let him hit the rookie wall as well etc

That's how you get better (if you're made of the proper wood which he seems to be)

[Mr. Body]

Play him as much as possible. He clearly is smart enough to know the plays and defensive schemes. Let him play through mistakes and get used to the league. He's our best man defender already and it's not like the rest of the roster is drowning in talent right now other than a few players.

[DAF86]

i think it is very fair, i don't see why he would ever play alongside chris paul, like why... he is not yet a good defender, he is an excellent perimeter defender, but gets bullied in the paint and on drives. He is a very good pg that needs to work on his shot, but we need shooting right now there is no doubt about that.

Replacing Wesley with Mamu in the rotation takes care of that. Now Castle being the clear backup off the bench, with decent to good shooters around him, should work well enough.

[Mr. Body]

One thing that impresses me about Castle is his disposition. The refs are really giving him the rookie treatment. He'll react, as any normal player would, but just moves on.

[tim_duncan_fan]

He definitely needs to play, and he needs to continue taking open shots. TP couldn't shoot at all at first, but eventually became a demi-god in the mid-range.

Castle is a smart and probably introspective guy. He knows how important the three is to the modern game, and how much it will continuously either hamper or heighten his career. He just needs to keep pounding at it.

It is not the time to reduce his minutes.

[DAF86]

z67OkaBor7c?si=OP3nSmd3u9iLTsKL

[3&D_TBH]

Should be the first dude off the bench every night tbh.

[DAF86]

8JoTfEH5rDg?si=_sYJ1E7mMRml3kVZ

It is crazy how much he goes to the line relative to the playing time and usage % he gets. Once he's given the keys, he could be a FT merchant. He only needs to add a reliable middie and he's set as an upper echelon starting PG in this league.

[exstatic]

8JoTfEH5rDg?si=_sYJ1E7mMRml3kVZ

It is crazy how much he goes to the line relative to the playing time and usage % he gets. Once he's given the keys, he could be a FT merchant. He only needs to add a reliable middie and he's set as an upper echelon starting PG in this league.

He bullies his way into the lane. He’s extremely physical and very well balanced, with good handles.

[tim_duncan_fan]

He's so good. I really hope he doesn't let shooting continue to be a problem for long. There is money to be made and championships to win.

[Raven]

i think it is very fair, i don't see why he would ever play alongside chris paul, like why... he is not yet a good defender, he is an excellent perimeter defender, but gets bullied in the paint and on drives. He is a very good pg that needs to work on his shot, but we need shooting right now there is no doubt about that.

again with this. can we decrease his minutes and play him ONLY when chris paul is not on the floor?

[Pauleta14]

again with this. can we decrease his minutes and play him ONLY when chris paul is not on the floor?

Whoever he'd be eplaced by will also have huge deficiencies in another area. Pick your poison with this roster

[scott]

In order to improve his shot, he should starting shooting as much as possible. This is the new Spurs development program.

[objective]

I'm all for playing him more.

But I'm a little surprised this is the early season results for a player the Spurs have been hyping up hardcore behind the scenes to anyone in the media that will listen. Windhorst for one multiple podcasts I feel has emphasized just how much in love they are with Castle and their constant praise of him.

This is the guy who was so incredible that the Spurs had someone at every one of his practices instead of say, scouting other players?

Him?

[arrested development style]. Him?

[Mugen]

Aside from the shooting woes, Steph really needs to working on getting the team in their sets (no matter how crappy they are) more quickly. He's wasting about 6-7 seconds just getting the ball across half court any time he's met with ball pressure.

[John B]

Nah I’m not worried about Castle. Just keep sending him out there.

This team is not ready to win now, still developing our players. What better way to get experience and honing his skills than playing in the best basketball league (arguably) in the world? We have to remind ourselves that today’s rookies are teenagers. Castle barely turned 20. It’s hard enough to play against grown professional athletes. It takes a lot of adjustments, getting stronger, and he is already bullying his way into some defenders. Just continue shooting, he’ll find his way out there.

[spurraider21]

Aside from the shooting woes, Steph really needs to working on getting the team in their sets (no matter how crappy they are) more quickly. He's wasting about 6-7 seconds just getting the ball across half court any time he's met with ball pressure.
5 points and 0 assists in 25 minutes tbh... he has a lot to work on

still think we've seen enough glimpses to know the potential is there. he does look very comfortable pulling up for the midrange jumpers which will be big for him similar to Paul, oddly enough

[Mal]

I think, those 2030s picks must be used as trade bait. No way, even if you draft high with those, you get instant impactful player - just like Castle, Sochan or Wemby. They all need time

[Raven]

Nah I’m not worried about Castle. Just keep sending him out there.

This team is not ready to win now, still developing our players. What better way to get experience and honing his skills than playing in the best basketball league (arguably) in the world? We have to remind ourselves that today’s rookies are teenagers. Castle barely turned 20. It’s hard enough to play against grown professional athletes. It takes a lot of adjustments, getting stronger, and he is already bullying his way into some defenders. Just continue shooting, he’ll find his way out there.


run the correct set, once. That would already be a far better achievement than a season spent with megatosb paul using him as a 3 and d guy.

[Bruno]

It may sound anachronistic in this era with tons of advanced stats, but, to me, the main thing about Castle is that he pass the eye test. It's as simple as that.

[dn0774]

Aside from the shooting woes, Steph really needs to working on getting the team in their sets (no matter how crappy they are) more quickly. He's wasting about 6-7 seconds just getting the ball across half court any time he's met with ball pressure.

Yea this kind of goes along with what I am seeing as well. He needs to be more deliberate and decisive on offense, feel like he is doing a bit too much probing and if a home run play isn't there then it goes downhill quick. Standard rookie stuff in that regard. His initial reaction needs to be to put pressure towards the rim and/or swing the ball to a shooter (lol like we have those), stop getting caught dribbling without even attempting to gain an advantage.

He had a play last night where he made a great steal and had a fast break opportunity against Jalen Green and he ended up backing out of a great advantage play due to Green's presence. That should've been a layup or free throws 99 times out of 100 but he completely let Green off the hook and didn't even test him and we ended up with a worse look later in the possession.

[onechance87]

It may sound anachronistic in this era with tons of advanced stats, but, to me, the main thing about Castle is that he pass the eye test. It's as simple as that.

he pass the eye test to be our starting pg for the future?He cant shoot and is barely making plays cause his offense is so bad.My eye test
is telling me so far hes gonna need a few years to develop.

[LeBowen]

You guys are overthinking it.

For comparison, rookie Devin was a way better offensive player and he averaged 5.5ppg on 40%, 17mpg.
Castle is at 6ppg on 30%, 20mpg before even figuring how things even work in the NBA. I wouldn't look too much into it before the all-star break.
We all know his shot needs a lot of work, but talking about decisiveness 8 games into his rookie year is just boredom, tbh.

Not to mention that playing point is the most difficult thing to do for a young player. Especially for someone who didn't play the role in college.

[RC_Drunkford]

I'm not worried about this kid. He's one of the few players on this team with a high basketball IQ. He'll figure things out.