Victor Wembanyama may be the best player on the San Antonio Spurs, but Stephon Castle takes pride in pushing him to new heights.
The San Antonio Spurs are firmly Victor Wembanyama's team, but the dynasty they're buildig does't just rest on his shoulders.
In 2024 and 2025, the Spurs added Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper in the respective NBA Drafts. Harper has mostly been relegated to the bench, but Castle has quickly developed into one of the best players on the roster and one of the best defenders in the entire league.
When Castle was picked fourth overall, he was keenly aware of his job: get Wembanyama the ball and make the emerging superstar even better.
So far, it's safe to say he's done a great job, and he prides himself on getting the most out of Wemby, and vice versa.
Stephon Castle Reveals Friendly Wemby Rivalry
Wembanyama and Castle were both drafted to a struggling and rebuilding Spurs' team, and were quickly tasked with bringing the franchise back to the glory days.
Based on their second-place standing in the Western Conference, they're well on their way, and Castle credits the accountability and standards the team holds each other to as a key reason for their success.
"As a group, I feel like we all challenge each other, but for me and Vic specifically, coming in back-to-back years, we have a lot of conversations on things we could do all over the court," Castle said on Monday. "Playing hard, even when we're up 30, diving on loose balls, just challenging each other to continue to do little things and play the right way."
Considering that the Spurs are riding a six-game winning streak, it's safe to say that the standards Wembanyama and Castle built are paying off, and the Spurs expect to see Wembanyama be rewarded with an MVP trophy at the end of the year.
"He's on a mission, and he's been playing like the best player in the league," Castle said.
While De'Aaron Fox, not Castle, was named an All-Star this season, the second-year guard has quickly established himself as a core player in San Antonio and a fixture of their future success. Once Harper steps into a bigger role, expect the Spurs to go all-in on youth, but for now, Castle is Wembanyama's best young running mate.