'Ain't Ducking Nothin': Spurs' Stephon Castle Shoulders Load Against Curry, Warriors

Guarding Stephen Curry was just half the battle for San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who stepped up on both ends to fuel the Silver & Black to its third straight win.

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) before a game against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO — An hour before tipoff, both Stephon Castle and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Matt Nielsen had their hands on a single basketball.

The drill was simple. As soon as Nielsen initiated movement, Castle was to rip the ball out of his hands and drive to the basket. Whatever shot he was able to get off after his two steps was what he had to roll with.

On the first go, Castle Euro-stepped into the middle of the paint and let a floater go over Nielsen's head: all net, though there was a bit of contact.

The point guard backpedaled and a shy smile crept onto his face.

"And-1," he said quietly.

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The pair drilled the same thing a few more times before Castle moved on to work on his 3-point shooting. On the season, he was just a 25 percent shooter from beyond the arc, playing into the major concern that hung over his head entering the league as the No. 4 overall pick.

Against the Golden State Warriors, he didn't shoot much better — just 28 percent from 3 — but when the fourth quarter rolled around, he was the one who pulled up. From 27-feet, in fact.

"He's clearly been watching Vic," Harrison Barnes said of the rookie following the Spurs' 104-94 home victory over the Warriors. "He's rubbing off on everyone."

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) brings the ball up in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

On that play, Victor Wembanyama, just a few feet inside the arc, held the ball with the game tied at 90 points a piece and 3:53 to play. He saw no immediate passing options, so he pivoted around and handed the ball off to Castle as he crossed mid-court.

Castle received the ball, set his feet and fired: back rim this time, but a make. From that point on, the Spurs didn't trail again.

"That was the biggest shot of the game," Chris Paul said of Castle, who finished the game with 19 points, three assists and three rebounds. "That was a big shot. He just turned 20, but he acts like he's the 39-year-old."

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A few games before, Castle and the Spurs had found themselves in a tight game with the visiting Los Angeles Lakers. The rookie amassed 22 points in a loss, and since then had become one of San Antonio's more consistent pieces.

Beyond his natural progression, such success seemingly stemmed from a slight mindset shift.

"Chris Paul always says something really interesting," Wembanyama explained. "(He says) we should expect to win. That there’s no game we should come into not expecting to win."

With pieces missing, including Wembanyama for three games, the Spurs couldn't afford to take a step back. Instead, heeding Paul's advice, they focused on doing enough to win games, whether that meant committing fewer turnovers or swinging the ball a few more times.

"It's something we've gotten used to," Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. "This is just part of the season ... it's next-man-up. It's nice to see everybody embrace that."

Against the Warriors, Castle fronted that load. His big shot might have exemplified it, but his defense carried that effort — especially with the assignment he was given.

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While Castle and Nielsen worked through motion drills, Stephen Curry began performing his ritualistic pregame warm-up routine.

Dribbles between the legs, high arcing layups and even a walk through of a football play with his outermost layer set the stage for what he hoped was going to be another strong shooting night.

Facing his old teammate in Paul, Curry might have found a sense of comfort at Frost Bank Center in his first visit of the season, had he not run into the Spurs' "39-year-old" rookie whose mindset lay almost entirely on the defensive end.

Nov 23, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles in front of San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

On the evening, Curry went just 1-for-3 from the field in 34 possessions with Castle actively guarding, or rather, chasing him, and 3-for-10 from beyond the arc in total.

READ MORE: Spurs Stun Warriors, Notch 3rd Straight Win

The rookie might have grown up watching the four-time champion — a full-circle sentiment that faded after a few possession — but Saturday evening, he got the best of him.

"My confidence on defense is always high," Castle said. "It doesn't get shaken by makes or misses, but to do that to a guy like (Curry), it definitely raised it a little bit. I'll say that."

The shy smile crept back onto Castle's face as he reflected on putting clamps on Curry in what ended up being San Antonio's third straight win; a rare public moment of credence to his capabilities. But beyond him, it was Paul who was perhaps the most relieved of all.

"Are you glad to have Castle now so you don't have to chase Curry around?" he was asked.

"Absolutely," he replied. "Absolutely."

Entering the season, Paul's primary responsibility beyond "hooping" was to mentor Castle into becoming a future long-term point guard for the Spurs. On defense, the instinct was there, meanwhile the rookie's offensive prowess was very much a work-in-progress.

Seventeen games into his rookie season, however, one thing has become clearer: Castle is fixing to become a major piece of the contending roster San Antonio hopes to build. Part of that is through Paul's coaching, and part of it is his own work.

"The only way you can ever be that confident is if you put in the work, and he does it" Paul said. "I just love that ain't ducking nothin'. That's going to be good for him going forward."

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"We have the utmost confidence in him," Barnes added. "As a rookie, you love to see a guy like that step into moments with confidence."

So far, Castle's two-sided skill set has been more-than good enough for the Spurs. It's been good enough to slow down Steph Curry and chase down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a game on the line.

The only thing left? Making it good enough for himself.

And it seems he's already on that path.

"I don't think I've ever shied away from big moments," Castle said. "Shying away from them would be doing myself a disservice ... and my team."

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