Stephon

Castle

Castle really got going in the third quarter and helped the Spurs maintain their lead in the second half. He was impacting the game on the defensive end and led the team in assists in this game. This was a pretty average performance from him, and it wasn’t even with heavy minutes since it was a blowout.

Despite a rough start, with Castle missing his first shot attempts, he still managed to record a double-double. The third-year guard then shot 6-of-13 from the field, salvaging what could have been a lost night for fantasy managers. Castle didn’t record any defensive stats, but there’s no need to worry.

Castle is available after initially being listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. He’ll occupy his usual place in the Spurs’ starting lineup.

Castle popped up on the injury report Saturday as questionable with a migraine. With Castle potentially on the wrong side of questionable, Julian Champagnie is a candidate to enter the starting lineup.

Castle’s ability to put up peripheral stats will be an important part of his fantasy outlook in dynasty leagues. The main thing that is notable at this point is that he has attempted 8.2 3PT attempts per game this season which is up from 3.6 last season. In the present, if you drafted him, you’d be feeling pretty happy with the start he has had this season. He’s gotten you points, rebounds, and assists on a consistent basis. If he is shooting 3’s on a consistent basis, he could be a fantasy monster and a staple in the top 50 for years to come.

Through three games, Castle has shot 23-of-51 (45.1%) from the field. While that isn’t great, it’s slightly higher than his career mark of 44.7%. Beyond the points, Castle offered solid assist and steal production against the Mavericks in 28 minutes. San Antonio opens Week 2 with a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back, so Castle’s playing time could stay in the high-20s in one of those games.

The three-guard starting lineup for the Spurs had a surprising effect. After leading the team in assists last season, Castle had far fewer assists than both De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. However, he ended up leading the team in scoring and set a new career high for three-pointers in a game. Castle should be used more as a playmaker in the future, but it was good to see him have a strong night as a scorer in this one.

Jeff McDonald also reported that coach Mitch Johnson intends to use this starting lineup on Tuesday against the Thunder. The Spurs will use their three guard lineup with Champagnie and Harris coming off the bench. We’ll see if the starting lineup sticks that way beyond this upcoming Tuesday, but you can feel good to draft Vassell to stream him in on opening night.

With the Suns sitting their projected starters, they struggled to find an answer for Castle on defense. He attempted only five field-goal shots, but the third-year guard’s ability to apply pressure off the dribble earned him 15 free-throw attempts. Turnovers and field-goal percentage limited Castle’s value in nine-cat formats last season, making him a superior option for those competing in eight-cat formats or points leagues.

Castle isn’t exactly a polarizing player in fantasy basketball, but his low field-goal percentage knocks him down the board in category leagues. He shot well on Thursday and posted a complete stat line, though he turned the ball over twice. If Castle becomes a more consistent shooter and keeps turnovers in check, he’ll have a higher fantasy ceiling.