{"id":572468,"date":"2026-01-31T07:26:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T07:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/572468\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T07:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T07:26:06","slug":"how-stephon-castle-is-making-victor-wembanyama-thankful-every-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/572468\/","title":{"rendered":"How Stephon Castle is making Victor Wembanyama thankful ‘every game’"},"content":{"rendered":"

As good as Stephon Castle was in his first NBA season<\/a>, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors,\u00a0he’s been better this season<\/a>.\u00a0It’s something San Antonio Spurs<\/a> superstar teammate Victor Wembanyama<\/a> realizes daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s his worth. That he can shut down guys,\u201d Wemby continued following a 111-99 victory vs. the Houston Rockets<\/a> in which Castle guarded the Rockets best players while filling the stat sheet offensively.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a guy so good on both sides of the floor is just amazing. Every game, I’m so glad we got him in the draft. It’s amazing,\u201d the generational talent added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s his worth\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just amazing<\/p>\n

Every game I\u2019m so glad we got him in the draft\u2026\u201d \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n

-Victor Wembanyama on Stephon Castle after Steph put up 16, 6(a), 5(r), 2 steals while guarding Durant & Sengun in a 4th that led to a 111-99 #Spurs<\/a> win in Houston#PorVida<\/a> #GoSpursGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/paLmQoxL51<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Spurs’ second-year guard put up 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals while tasked with honing in defensively on Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun in a fourth quarter that proved the difference.<\/p>\n

Stephon Castle opens up about defense<\/p>\n

Durant and Sengun both stand 6-foot-11. Castle is 6-foot-6, yet the Spurs’ best perimeter defender handled both. Though they share the same height, Durant and Sengun’s offensive games don’t mirror one another. It didn’t matter to the Covington, Georgia native, who bothered Durant on the wing and up top, and Sengun near the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to hang my hat on that end, so any challenges that the coaches give me on that end, I accept it,\u201d the former UConn star said. \u201cI thought we did a great job, team defending. Those guys, you can’t guard them, really, one-on-one. We had great communication behind me when I was guarding those guys, so I was able to get a few stops in the fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s always the goal, \u201cWembanyama added. \u201cBut how many points did we score in the fourth?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

When told it was 13, the 7-foot-5 center continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re never going to end with 52 points,\u201d Wemby said of the Rockets’ second-half output,\u201d but, it’s the goal to get closer and closer to that. And also, to reduce their best stints.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, Castle sees his defensive effort<\/a> as the main aspect of his job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like that’s a non-negotiable, whether shots are going in or not. I find that can’t change my aggressiveness or my energy on that end. I thought it was a great showing (vs. the Rockets).\u201d<\/p>\n

Castle and Wembanyama outline focus<\/p>\n

Just a week before, the Spurs lost a 16-point lead and the game in Houston. Wembanyama credits his team’s focus for the difference this time around.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure. The goal is to have this level of dedication every night.\u201d<\/p>\n

That aforementioned loss to the Rockets was one of four the Spurs have dropped in their last nine games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like if we do those things, the little things, we’re going to win majority of the games that we play in,\u201d Castle said of the more recent effort against their in-state rivals.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the games that we lose, we understand why,\u201d the Spurs star guard continued. \u201cWe’re not coming out of games confused on why we lost. We know exactly why. So, fixing up those things, it feels good when you do it the right way and come out with a win.\u201d<\/p>\n