Stephon

Castle

Victor Wembanyama carried the Spurs offense in Game 1’s victory with 35 points, but left Game 2 early with a concussion. In his absence, none of the other Spurs starters stepped up the scoring. Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell combined to shoot 19-of-52 from the field in Game 2 and no Spurs player eclipsed 20 points. With Wembanyama potentially set to miss more time in this series, someone else on the Spurs will need to score more points.

Castle was one of many Spurs starters to conclude with a strong stat line on Sunday. In 33 minutes, the second-year guard made his mark as one of San Antonio’s best facilitators and rebounders, while constantly putting pressure on the defense to make his way to the charity stripe. Better efficiency on his shot attempts would have boosted Castle well into the twenties in regard to total points. Nonetheless, he finished as one of the team’s top scorers on the evening and, as mentioned previously, contributed in several other areas of the game.

Castle will be back following a two-game absence, and with Victor Wembanyama (ribs) sidelined, he should be able to provide more production than usual. Dylan Harper has been starting in place of Castle but may return to the bench for this game.

While Wembanyama and Castle played in Friday’s win over the Mavericks, Castle did not. The Spurs are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and the Wemby and Castle have played enough to be eligible for postseason awards. Players like Carter Bryant and Harrison Ingram could play plenty on Sunday.

Castle will be unavailable for a second straight game, which means Dylan Harper should be in line for another start. Harper posted a 13/6/4/2/2 line in 33 minutes on Wednesday and should be in for another productive outing as a starter.

Castle did not play in Wednesday’s win over the Trail Blazers, which opened up a spot in the starting lineup for Dylan Harper. That would remain the case if Castle has to miss a second consecutive game.

No surprises here, as Castle and Wemby were listed as doubtful on Tuesday. San Antonio is locked into the No. 2 seed in the West, so absences or limited playing time could be the norm for the Spurs’ starters over the final week of the season. Dylan Harper and Luke Kornet should see additional run against Portland.

Castle, who finished Monday’s win over the 76ers with a triple-double, is dealing with a sore right knee. The doubtful tag suggests that he’s heading toward not playing on Wednesday, which would free up playing time for Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant. For those in active fantasy leagues, Harper offers a higher ceiling.

Castle had himself a night. He was sensational as a facilitator, as reflected in the 13 assists he compiled, while his double-digit defensive rebounds were equally as impressive. The second-year guard also scored enough to finish as San Antonio’s leading scorer on the evening, despite not reaching the 20-point mark. Castle’s Year 2 leap has helped the Spurs become a legitimate title contender. His ability to impact multiple areas of the game also led him to a strong fantasy season.

While Castle did not record any defensive stats in Saturday’s overtime defeat, his work on that end of the floor helped limit Jamal Murray to 15 points. And the second-year guard had a good day offensively, as he scored 20 points on 50 percent shooting and dished out nine assists. While Castle’s season-long fantasy value has been low, he has been an improved option for category league managers since the All-Star break.