Why the Spurs should let Chris Paul and Stephon Castle play together often

When the San Antonio Spurs signed Chris Paul this summer, the immediate reaction was – unsurprisingly – jubilation, given the amount of pick and rolls we’ll see between him and Victor Wembanyama.

However, Paul’s true value lies not necessarily on the field, but rather in the development of Stephon Castle, San Antonio’s lottery pick last month.

Castle, who apparently described himself as a point guard in pre-draft interviews, is a 6-foot-6 dynamic player with the build of a wing but also has playmaking and ball-handler skills that make him one of the most intriguing players in his class.

With Paul on the roster, Castle will certainly benefit greatly from playing alongside one of the best point guards in basketball history. Not only in terms of executing a pick and roll, but also in terms of timing, professional conduct, leadership and dealing with adversity that is not necessarily visible on a basketball court.

We don’t know if Paul will stay in San Antonio after this season, but if Castle only gets one year with the former All-Star, the Spurs will have to make sure the duo shares the field with Wembanyama.

It’s one thing to take notes from a veteran teammate on the bench, but being on the court and learning by doing while Paul skates alongside you certainly leaves an impression, especially when Paul shows how to best pass the ball to his French teammate who seems poised to conquer the NBA at any moment.

Overall, Castle is an inexperienced prospect. He only played one year in college, his shooting is still questionable, and although his athleticism and body are developed, it is questionable whether he can play well in the NBA right away.

But even if Castle waits another year or two, Spurs cannot afford not to play him. It would be unwise to miss any opportunity to learn from Paul and prolong an adjustment period alongside Wembanyama. These are growing pains Spurs will have to endure, no matter how much they would prefer to avoid them.

Ultimately, the Spurs should play to Castle’s strengths in his first year, especially from an offensive standpoint. Unless the rookie is willing to tackle multiple projects at once, such as shooting, learning the point guard position while adjusting to the league’s pace, and also developing crucial chemistry with Wembanyama, the Spurs will need to break things down into bite-sized pieces for him to give Castle the best chance.

Fortunately, Castle’s approach to basketball seems to be much more mature than most other 19-year-olds. During his brief time in the Summer League, the guard showed a lot of patience in his drives, slowing down at the right moment and never rushing, much to the applause of the Spurs coaching staff.

If the stars align, Castle may have the best conditions to improve.

Unless otherwise stated, all statistics on NBA.com, PBPStatistics, Cleaning the glass or Basketball ReferenceAll salary information about Spotrac. All Quotes courtesy of FanDuel Sports Betting.

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