Stephon Castle is quickly becoming one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire NBA in just his second season.
The San Antonio Spurs have the best defender in the NBA anchoring the paint, and no one would really argue against Victor Wembanyama's claim.
However, there's a growing case to be made that Stephon Castle is the second-best defender in the league. Drafted fourth overall in 2024, Castle entered the league as an NBA-ready defender and has only improved since then.
A few years ago, I wrote about how Jeremy Sochan slowed down Luka Doncic. Of course, neither player remains on the team they were on in 2024, and Castle has passed Sochan as the second-best defender on the Spurs.
Stephon Castle Is a Star-Stopper
In the Spurs' most recent come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Castle finished with only six points and four turnovers. However, he finished with the second-most minutes of anyone on the team, in large part thanks to his ability to slow down his opponents' best players.
Kawhi Leonard finished that contest with a game-high 30 points and shot 60% from the floor when guarded by Castle.
Leonard, as it turns out, is the exception, not the rule.
This season, Castle is holding superstars like Cade Cunningham (23.1%), Luka Doncic (38.1%), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.6%), and Devin Booker (22.2%) to subpar shooting numbers. He's one of the best star-stoppers in the league, and the Spurs can reliably count on him to take some of the best players out of a game.
Jalen Brunson has yet to make a shot this season while being guarded by Castle, although the New York Knicks are up 2-1 on the Spurs in the season series, including a win in the NBA Cup Finals.
In the playoffs, rotations tighten, and superstars are fed the ball. If the playoffs started today, the Spurs would play the winner of a play-in game between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
Castle has already proven elite against Booker, but has yet to slow down Stephen Curry. Still, his track record against stars suggests he can stop some of the best scorers in the league from getting hot, giving the Spurs an excellent advantage in a seven-game series.
Against either Phoenix or Golden State, the Spurs should be expected to win the series in a clean sweep.