The San Antonio Spurs drafted Stephon Castle fourth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and the general consensus was that he would be the point guard of the future. Last season, it was abundantly clear that Victor Wembanyama plays best next to a pass-first guard, and Castle is an upgrade over Tre Jones, although he likely isn't yet ready to be a high-level floor general. The Spurs are expected to play him off-ball and have him learn from their marquee free-agent signing, Chris Paul.
Castle made it clear before the draft that he wanted to play point guard at the highest level. He refused to work out for teams with an established point guard, and even told reporters that, "I feel my true position is point guard, and I feel the last few months I had to sacrifice for the betterment of the team."
The Spurs and Castle seem to agree that he will be the point guard at some point, but not right away. They allowed him to run the show in the Summer League but will defer to the more experienced Paul and Jones during the season until Castle has proven that he can handle the responsibility.
With Devin Vassell out to start the season, the Spurs are scrambling to see who will start in his absence. Castle is an obvious choice, but his woeful 26.7 percent mark from three in college should give the Spurs pause. However, his versatility has really shined through, and the Spurs think he can play all over the court.
"He can play one, two, or three right now," said Gregg Popovich. He added that the Spurs will "pretty much" use him in the same role he played in college to start his NBA career. Popovich also had a lot of praise for Castle and thinks he will fit in seamlessly.
"I'm very impressed," he marveled. "Really mature young man. Has a great demeanor and way about him. Goes to the next play. He has a good basketball IQ. He's strong. He learns quickly. He's a good one."
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As the Spurs prepare to start the season short-handed, Castle could play significant minutes at both guard positions and as a small forward. He can defend all three positions with ease and has the ball-handling skills to run point guard. If he can add some shooting in the preseason, there's no reason he can't solidify himself as a starter earlier than initially thought.