Stephon Castle is already the third-best player on an NBA title frontrunner, and while his game does have room to improve, he's already one of the more complete players in the NBA.
Stephon Castle, Dyson Daniels, and the Thompson Twins are all a reliable 3-point shot away from being NBA superstars. All four of them are standout defenders and capable--albeit limited--offensive players.
Before each of the next ten seasons, Daniels, Castle, and the Thompsons are expected to be in All-Defensive conversations. Their offense should be enough to propel them to the All-Star Game here and there, as well.
But if any of them, especially Castle, want to be among the league's best, the prevailing belief is that they have to improve their outside shooting. Castle is a career 30.5 percent 3-point shooter, well below league average. If he could bump that up to around 38 percent, he'd be on an elite track.
But what if he doesn't?
Does Stephon Castle Need to Focus on Offense?
Castle is already an excellent facilitator and thrives as a creator, especially alongside a more traditional point guard.
The Spurs already have Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper to carry a big scoring load. Tobias Harris, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and maybe Carter Bryant can all space the floor.
That leaves less pressure on Castle to improve.
"Castle needs to grow offensively, specifically as a shooter and when creating for himself, but very few defend as he does at the point of attack," wrote The Athletic's James Edwards III. "His offense is clearly good enough as is for him to be a key piece on a team competing for a championship."
Now, "good enough" doesn't mean a whole lot to the Spurs. Sure, Castle is a great player after just two NBA seasons, but fans would be correct in their disappointment if he never added to his game. But even if he doesn't, he's proven he can be a starter on a championship-caliber team.
Worst-case scenario, he's an elite defender and above-average offensive player. That's not a bad ceiling. Of course, most of his value at the moment is tied up in things like "potential," so if he were to suddenly stop working on his game, fans would be right to sour on him. Even if he doesn't, though, the Spurs will keep winning.
