Extra Point: Two Bench Players Could Play Big Roles for San Antonio Under the Right Circumstances

The combination of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama is as potent as any in the league, but the bench unit can come close to mirroring their productivity under the right circumstances.

Oct 31, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard Chris Paul (3) react after a play against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul form one of the NBA's most potent duos throughout the league despite San Antonio's 3-3 record to start the season.

However, the supporting cast must show up sooner rather than later, and there are two players in particular that could give defenses headaches under the right conditions - Stephon Castle and Zach Collins.

A seasoned veteran at this point, Collins has staying power within a Spurs bench that desperately needs production down low when Wemby checks out of a game. Collins provided that in the past, but this season is averaging just over five points per contest in almost 14 minutes. Nearly all of Paul's minutes get spent with Wembanyama on the floor, leaving Collins to work with rookie point guard Stephon Castle.

Drafted fourth overall this past season out of UConn, the organization held high hopes for Castle, but the rookie has yet to deliver on his untapped promise. It's just six games into the season, but the slow start to Castle's inaugural campaign has ground the offense to a halt at times when he sees the floor. Castle has all the physical tools necessary to be a successful point man, but with a split of just over five points per game 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists on 28.9 percent shooting, the results have yet to show.

San Antonio needs Castle and Colins to be, even if it's a watered down version of Wembanyama and Paul, a potent 1-2 punch in the second unit. Once Castle aclimates himself to league play and begins to build his chemistry with Collins, the rest should take care of itself. The young point man just needs a little shaping in order to do so.

Castle, Collins and the rest of the Spurs resume play tonight as the team travels to Los Angeles, California, to face off against the L.A. Clippers. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.