Last season, the San Antonio Spurs burst onto the scene as one of the very best teams in the NBA. Victor Wembanyama cemented himself as a perennial MVP candidate, De’Aaron Fox was an All-Star, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper were both ahead of schedule, and the supporting cast remained excellent.
Of course, the Spurs and their fanbase are both bitter about losing the Finals, but the season was absolutely a success. Looking ahead, the Spurs have the brightest future of pretty much any team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean they can’t improve.
San Antonio was not without weakness. They were league-average in 3-pointers attempted per game and were 14th in 3-point percentage, making 35.9 percent of their triples. Neither Fox, Harper, nor Castle has found sustained success as a shooter yet. Castle spent the summer working on his shot, but even if it doesn’t fall, he isn’t worried.
He thinks the Spurs have plenty of offensive advantages and they don’t have to rain in buckets from deep.
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Why Stephon Castle Isn’t Worried About Spurs’ Shooting
Last season, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, and Devin Vassell were the only above-average volume shooters on the roster.
Sure, Wembanaya can space the floor, but it’s not like he’s a sniper. He’s at his most efficient in the paint, which is to be expected for a seven-footer. Plus, fringe rotation guys like Carter Bryant still have strides to make.
While the Spurs aren’t the best shooting team, they are excellent at getting into the paint. Their trio of guards is among the best slashers in the NBA, and Keldon Johnson has no problem getting to the rim. Castle believes that the Spurs can use that to their advantage and use 3-point shooting as a secondary scoring method.
“I think just our ability to touch the paint whenever and playing off of our defense would definitely help being able to get easy transition looks,” said Castle, unconcerned with the lackluster 3-point shooting in the backcourt. “I mean, it really just starts with just touching the paint and creating advantages for each other.”
Plus, the Spurs will have two point guards on the floor at any given moment. Fox, Harper, and Castle are not great shooters, but they can put the wings and Wemby in a position to take uncontested shots, boosting their efficiency.
It’s easy to say “Oh, the Spurs are a below-average shooting team and need to improve.” The reason why they don’t take more shots from distance is that they don’t have to. A shot at the rim will always be more efficient, and all of the core players have mastered that.
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