LAS VEGAS – His UConn teammate Donovan Clingan knew what the Spurs were about to get: He and Stephon Castle had just won a national championship together.
“He’s a special player,” Clingan said. “He can facilitate the game at a high level, he can pass the ball at a high level and he can certainly score. He’s got a great career ahead of him.”
All of that, plus his solid defense, was on display in Castle’s first Summer League game in Las Vegas. While Summer League performances can be fool’s gold, Castle showed the potential to be the kind of two-way star every team looks for — the Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown/Paul George/Mikal Bridges/Jrue Holiday mold of a player.
The type of player Spurs need alongside Victor Wembanyama if they want to win crowns in the coming years.
On Saturday night, he did a little bit of everything, often as a point guard. His strength is defense, and he looked good on that end of the court (as much as any player looks good on defense in chaotic Summer League games). More importantly, he showed off his offense, scoring 16 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, getting a floater in the zone over Clingan (though Clingan blocked him on a subsequent drive), and his court vision in finding the open man on drives was impressive.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself in that regard and I feel like our team and our coaching staff do as well,” Castle said. “So, just that ability to go out here and play my game has been a luxury for me.”
The Spurs want that versatility.
“I think he just wants to be a good basketball player, I don’t know if he necessarily wants to be a point guard,” Spurs Summer League coach Kenny Trevino said. “He’s very good with the ball in his hands, but he’s also crafty enough to make plays without the ball.”
“We talked about him coming into our big club plan and playing with Victor (Wembanyama), playing with Chris Paul, he’s not going to have the ball in his hands for too long. So he has to be able to influence the game in multiple ways.”
Castle showed that potential on his first night in Las Vegas — the potential to be a true foundational piece for the Spurs going forward. If he can live up to that potential in the coming years (and he has a lot of work to do to get there), this could be a steal for a team that’s already a rising threat in the West.