The rebuild continues for the Spurs as they look to add pieces around Victor Wembanyama. Utilizing the fourth pick in this year’s draft, the Spurs picked Stephon Castle.
At 6’6”, 210lb Castle is a sturdy guard out of MCAA National Champion Connecticut. With his size, Castle can use his physicality and change of pace to create offensive advantages and finish at the rim. He’s shown a nice passing ability, and he’s a tough defender. His downside? His shooting is a project. Castle went 20-for-75 (27%) from deep, and his 83-for-110 (76%) efficiency from the charity stripe is acceptable. Defenses routinely played far off him, daring him to shoot from deep.
Overall, Castle should be able to impact the game physically on both ends of the floor, getting his teammates involved on offense and tiring out the opposing team’s best guard/wing on the other end.
The Spurs used the #8 and #35 picks to draft Rob Dillingham and Johnny Furphy respectively. Dillingham was then dealt to Minnesota while Furphy was traded to Indiana for guard Juan Nunez picked at #36. The final pick for the Silver and Black in the draft was Harrison Ingram at #48.
The Spurs also stuck their toe in the free agent pool by signing veteran and future hall of famer Chris Paul to a 1-yr $11 million deal after he was released by Golden State. Paul is expected to be the starting point guard when the season starts.
At 39 years old, Paul’s scoring abilities are significantly diminished from his All-Star prime. But he remains a capable playmaker and floor general who can score in spurts. In 58 games, including 18 starts last season, Paul averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 turnovers and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 44.1% from the floor and 37.1% from 3-point distance.
Expectations should stay fairly low for the upcoming season as the Spurs seem committed to rebuilding. Stephon Castle should be part of a long term strategy for the team however while an aging Chris Paul will bring veteran leadership, I don’t believe it will translate into wins.
