{"id":594282,"date":"2026-02-10T09:41:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/594282\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:41:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:41:29","slug":"how-spurs-stephon-castle-can-make-award-winning-stretch-permanent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/594282\/","title":{"rendered":"How Spurs\u2019 Stephon Castle Can Make Award-Winning Stretch Permanent"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Stephon Castle<\/a> has earned Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career, the league announced. Can the Spurs<\/a> guard maintain the award-winning level he reached last week?<\/p>\n

How Spurs\u2019 Stephon Castle Can Make Award-Winning Stretch Permanent
\nSustaining the Surge
\n\"\"Dec 23, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) and forward Julian Champagnie (30) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Castle earned the recognition after a dominant week that ended with a 40-point triple-double. Only David Robinson<\/a> had previously achieved that feat in Spurs history. Over the three-game span, Castle averaged 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 27 minutes per game. He shot 63.0 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three. Castle led San Antonio to a 3\u20130 record. Castle became the first Spur to win the award since Victor Wembanyama<\/a> in the season\u2019s opening week.<\/p>\n

Can Stephon Castle continue this award-winning play for the Spurs? Yes, it all depends on how consistent his shooting can become. It\u2019s no coincidence that a spike in his production coincided with better shooting numbers. For a lot of players, this can be inflationary of their impact. With Castle, his shooting opens everything literally for his backcourt pairing with De\u2019Aaron Fox.<\/a><\/p>\n

Off-ball, guard-to-guard screens will open up free driving lanes or shots for both Castle and Fox due to defenders having to step up on both their shots. This in turn, creates opportunities for Castle to drive into the lane creating easy two-point opportunities for himself through runners, floaters, jumpers and free throws. Castle\u2019s best attribute is his playmaking and feel for the game, which will be better appreciated in this setting with opportunities for him to drive and kick.<\/p>\n

San Antonio needs his development into a star to sustain its rise in the Western Conference. The Spurs already sit second and look toward playoff matchups. They are set to end a six-year playoff drought.<\/p>\n

What the Numbers Say<\/p>\n

So far, the eye test says yes. The box score supports that view. In an expanded starting role, Castle averages 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and over one steal in 30 minutes per game. These marks all exceed his rookie-season numbers. The advanced metrics also back the leap. He contributes to four more expected wins. His defensive impact stands out. Opponents score seven<\/a> fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. That places him in the 92nd percentile. Castle already profiles as an elite defensive guard. He looks poised to establish himself as a two-way force.<\/p>\n

Castle still has work to do offensively. He shoots 29 percent from three. San Antonio gets outscored by nearly six points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. That ranks in the 16th percentile. Several players have made similar leaps. Aaron Gordon<\/a> and Brook Lopez<\/a> both entered the league as non-shooters before becoming reliable threats.<\/p>\n

What matters most is Castle\u2019s synergy with San Antonio\u2019s core. The franchise is building this team around Wembanyama. Chemistry with him serves as a litmus test for short- and long-term value. The three-man lineup of Wembanyama, Castle, and Dylan Harper<\/a> posts a +39.7<\/a> net rating in over 100 minutes. Another key trio, Castle, Wembanyama, and\u00a0Fox, sits at +4.8 across 316 minutes. Those signs bode well for the future.<\/p>\n

Credit:\u00a9 Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Stephon Castle has earned Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3797],"tags":[8218,7,6,969,474,4075,4074,534,930,79579],"class_list":{"0":"post-594282","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio-spurs","8":"tag-2025-26-nba-season","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-san-antonio","12":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","13":"tag-sanantonio","14":"tag-sanantoniospurs","15":"tag-spurs","16":"tag-stephon-castle","17":"tag-western-conference-player-of-the-week"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116045682730575671","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}