Spurs' Stephon Castle Just Revealed the Problem With Stopping Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama shot 5-of-15 against Utah ... and the Jazz lost by 22.

Two nights earlier, Stephon Castle didn't score a single point against Minnesota ... and the Timberwolves lost, too.

It may sound cliché, but good luck figuring out which player to stop against the San Antonio Spurs, because shutting down one of their stars isn't always enough.

And Castle knows exactly why.

"I feel like we have so many wrinkles and so many guys that can just make a play out of nothing," Castle said following Monday's 119-97 victory over Utah.

Castle had experienced both sides of that argument in a matter of days.

Against Minnesota, the third-year guard battled a migraine and missed all four of his field-goal attempts. No matter. Wembanyama erupted for 43 points and six blocks, Dylan Harper contributed 25 points, and De'Aaron Fox added another 22 in a 121-111 victory.

Then came Monday, when Wembanyama managed just 12 points in 24 minutes.

He still contributed 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, but San Antonio didn't need another scoring explosion to put Utah away.

Harper led the Spurs with 17 points and eight assists, Castle bounced back with 16, and the bench chipped in 51 points.

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But let's look beyond the individual numbers for a moment.

During the third quarter, Wembanyama, Harper, Castle and Fox each scored six points as San Antonio outscored Utah 35-20.

And they weren't simply taking turns putting shots up.

Wembanyama found Harper for a dunk early in the quarter. Later, Harper connected with Castle for an alley-oop.

That's four different scoring threats contributing to the same offensive surge, with multiple players creating opportunities for one another.

Fox can beat defenders off the dribble. Harper can get into the paint and find teammates when the defense collapses. Castle brings another physical presence capable of attacking the basket.

And none of them needs Wembanyama to set everything up.

Castle specifically praised Harper's court awareness during his postgame interview.

"It's really fun to play with Dylan," Castle said, pointing to his teammate's ability to read the floor and consistently get into the paint.

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Of course, San Antonio's defense deserves some credit here, too.

The Spurs held Utah to 35.4% shooting and outscored the Jazz 26-9 in fast-break points.

"We have a pretty talented group defensively with our personnel, so when they execute like that together, it can make it tough on teams," coach Mitch Johnson said.

Those stops give Fox, Harper, and Castle opportunities to run before opposing defenses can get organized. And when San Antonio has to operate in the half-court, all three can create something off the dribble.

Now, that doesn't make the Spurs unbeatable. Far from it. 

Oklahoma City held Wembanyama to 1-of-13 shooting in San Antonio's season-opening loss, and the Spurs couldn't generate enough offense elsewhere to compensate.

There will be more nights like that. Five consecutive victories don't erase the questions that come with such a young roster.

But there's a reason Castle sounds so confident about the options around him.

Wembanyama is still the first name circled on every opponent's scouting report. At 7-foot-4, with his combination of size and skill, how could he not be?

But Fox, Harper, and Castle aren't standing around waiting for their superstar to bail them out.

They can create their own offense. They can create for each other. And when one of them struggles, the others have shown they're capable of picking up the slack.

San Antonio isn't asking anyone to replace Wembanyama, nor is it trying to in any way. Instead, it's making sure he doesn't have to perform like the Superman every night just to give the Spurs a chance to win.