The San Antonio Spurs are headed to the tanking races. The squad was hammered by the Charlotte Hornets, who are also supposed to be tanking but were unable to outtank the Silver and Black last night. To be honest, the players on the floor are constantly striving to win the game; the front office staff are probably wishing for more losses. Last night, that objective was completed.
The Hornets played similarly to the 2017 Golden State Warriors. The amount of 3-pointers they hit the Spurs with was insane. Nick Smith Jr. shot 6/7 from deep, while LaMelo Ball went 7/11. They shot 56.5% from deep as a team. When your opponent does it, you’re not likely to win the game.
However, the San Antonio fans can still be optimistic about what they witnessed from Stephon Castle.
Castle can be the third option right away.
Victor Wembanyama has been out since mid-February, and De’Aaron Fox was recently ruled out for the season to have finger surgery. That meant Castle had a clear path to dominate the ball and show the crowd more of his abilities. The kid did not disappoint.
Steph Curry scored 26 points, grabbed three rebounds, assisted once, stole one, and blocked one shot. The rook was 10/17 on the field and 3/7 from distance. He even went to the free throw line and made 3/4 tries.
Castle has had his share of outstanding performances this season, but things are different now. He boasts the team’s third-highest use rate, trailing only Wembanyama and Fox, so opponents know he’ll be aggressive—he usually is. Charlotte should have had an easier job corralling Steph without having to worry about the squad’s two top dogs, but that did not happen.
San Antonio’s offense was excellent, thanks in large part to their fourth-round choice. The Hornets simply had a better one. If they could have solidified the defense at all, they could have won the game, but that’s fine. Winning isn’t the top priority for this franchise right now.
Don’t get me wrong: when they win, they deserve credit. It is difficult to win in this league, and if they can do so without their top players, it bodes well for the future. However, I will not be unhappy about the losses.
This team requires a higher draft selection to improve its lineup. They don’t have enough for now. But they have Steph Castle. At this time, the top three candidates could already be written in stone. The three-headed monster of Wembanyama, Fox, and Castle will be a challenge for teams as they recover and grow together.
Much will depend on last year’s NCAA champion’s ability to improve his three-point shot. If he can become a consistent danger from deep, the sky is the limit, and the team’s youngest player might replace Fox as San Antonio’s second option. He has been that good.
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