Spurs ROY Stephon Castle’s worrisome trend draws concern from NBA writer

The San Antonio Spurs struck gold for two consecutive years by selecting 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle in back-to-back NBA Drafts.

Following a superb rookie campaign in 2024-25, the latter of the pair has run into a few roadblocks while the former has ascended to another stratosphere in 2025-26.

Specifically, Castle's unbelievable 6.3-turnover figure through his first three games of the young season has become impossible to look past, even in the midst of Wembanyama's MVP-level rise and the Spurs' perfect 3-0 start.

The NBA world has slowly begun to take note of Castle' turnover-prone performances, including Spotrac's Keith Smith.

"Something to keep an eye on: Stephon Castle is really struggling with traps and increased ball pressure," Smith shared via X/Twitter on Sunday.

"He had 10 turnovers last game. Already has a couple today (against the Brooklyn Nets) and a couple more near-turnovers."

"Just something I have my eye on moving forward."

During the Spurs' most recent 118-107 home victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon, Smith could not help but point out Castle's evident troubles with operating in tight spots as a lead ball-handler.

The 21-year-old's five turnovers against the Nets on Sunday resulted from Brooklyn swarming the young point guard with traps on screening actions, leading to errant passes from Castle.

Aside from his immense difficulties with limiting mistakes, Castle has appeared to have leveled up his aggressiveness as a scorer and his efficiency as a three-point shooter. 

The only problem is that his aggressive drives to the basket often end with the ball getting poked away or simply slipping out of his hands.

A startling amount of Castle's turnovers have also come while attempting to hit the Spurs' impossible-to-miss target Wembanyama with entry passes or passes out of double-teams, an especially concerning part of this stretch. 

Somehow, the Spurs have come out on top in each of their first three games this year, even including Castle's 10-turnover night against the New Orleans Pelicans, an overtime contest San Antonio eventually took by a score of 120-116 on Friday. 

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