Stephon

Castle

Castle was one of three Spurs to score at least 20 points on Sunday, with Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson being the others. The second-year guard may not have recorded any defensive stats, but he was efficient on the other end of the floor. Since the All-Star break, Castle has recorded two turnovers or fewer in seven of San Antonio’s ten games. Wemby may be the headliner, and with good reason, but Castle’s improved efficiency as a playmaker has also given the Spurs, 9-1 since the break, a boost.

Castle recorded a second straight double-double, making this the 10th time this season he’s finished with at least 10 assists. He didn’t do much scoring, but with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron fox combining for 67 points, he didn’t need to. Castle has been a solid source of assists and steals in his second season in the league, though he has been limited in category leagues by in inefficiencies. However, he has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in each of his last two games and has a total of four turnovers over his last four games. It’s a solid stretch, but managers shouldn’t expect the trend to continue.

San Antonio’s starting guards struggled on Sunday, with Fox and Stephon Castle (13/4/4/1 with one three-pointer) shooting a combined 8-of-23 from the field. The former was responsible for six assists, so all wasn’t lost for Fox managers, but they were certainly hoping to get more out of him offensively. The seven points were the fewest in a game for him since December 23, when Fox matched his season-low with six points in a win over the Thunder. Fox and Castle will look to bounce back on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Initially questionable for Thursday’s game with a hip injury, Castle logged 25 minutes in the Spurs’ 126-110 victory. He didn’t have a great night shooting the basketball, but the reigning Rookie of the Year was responsible for only one turnover. Since recording six in a February 7 win over the Kings, Castle has been responsible for three turnovers or fewer in six of his last seven appearances.

Castle was initially listed as questionable for the second leg of this back-to-back, but he will be good to go against Brooklyn. He logged 28 minutes in Wednesday’s win and should see a similar role in this game.

Castle played 28 minutes last night in a win over the Raptors and must have come up a little sore the next day. With the Spurs coming in as heavy favorites over the Nets, it would make sense for them to give Castle some rest. That would likely mean more minutes and usage for both Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper.

All five Spurs starters, including Castle, were in double figures in scoring in this one. The 21-year-old point guard wasn’t particularly efficient with 16 points on 16 field goal attempts. Castle also had 11 assists, earning the double-double. The Spurs road trip continues Wednesday against the Raptors.

Castle has been a top-50 fantasy player over the past week, and his improved efficiency as a scorer is why. The reigning Rookie of the Year is shooting 70 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line over the past week. Add in what Castle continues to bring to the table as a rebounder and defender, and fantasy managers received a welcome boost to end Week 17. The Spurs hit the road for all four of their games in Week 18, starting with the Pistons on Monday.

Castle led all Spurs players in scoring on Thursday and only needed 21 minutes of game action to do so. The second-year guard shot efficiently and made good on most of his scoring opportunities while also contributing as a facilitator and disruptive defender. His minutes were low, potentially due to the large second-half lead the Spurs held or to the fact that he finished the game with five fouls. Either way, fantasy managers should expect that Castle will see more minutes and have more opportunities to put up a big line on Saturday against the Kings.

Castle suffered a pelvic contusion during Tuesday’s win over the Lakers. The reigning Rookie of the Year said after the game that he wanted to play against the Warriors, and he has been cleared. Castle will take his usual spot in the starting lineup, and Harrison Barnes remains with the reserves.