Castle's record-shattering night makes one thing crystal clear to his critics

You'll often hear fans of certain players say, "Stay on that side," to critics of their fave when things are going well, and those naysayers start to come around. You're not going to get that here. I want all Spurs fans on the same side, and that's the side of patience and optimism. It makes cheering for someone like Stephon Castle that much more exciting when he's going ballistic like he did last night.

There have been too many small cliques in San Antonio's fan base lately. Fans of De'Aaron Fox insult Castle, the Steph guys insult Fox, and Dylan Harper supporters have smoke for everyone. But they're all on the same team. You can tell by how excited they get for each other when any one of them is having an A+ game. Last night, the younger half of Area 51 looked at the rubric and just tore it up.

It was an incredible display that said, "Put all of your comparisons and critiques to the side, and enjoy some peak basketball from a young dawg." And that last part is important. He's still so young, and he does so much that the only word that should come to your mind when you think of this kid's growth into superstardom is "inevitable."

The Spurs have given Castle the keys for a reason

The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging seven assists per game. That's 10th in the league. So, you mean to tell me that on a team with Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, there's this second-year guy who can orchestrate the offense at an elite level, make impact plays off the ball, defend the other team's best player, and will get roaming steals like an old Kawhi Leonard? And he plays hard as hell?

That's a lot of ability in one guy. We can't take it for granted. When he missed time or came off the bench, some fans celebrated as if the team were better without his 17 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and more than a steal per game. He makes mistakes, but he's supposed to. He's still only 21.

Once a champion at UConn, Castle has a certain pedigree when he steps on the court. He's a fearless competitor with explosive athleticism, and he's willing to learn. The young brick wall stands his ground on defense against some of the best players in the league and can do so many things that having him out there is actually a cheat code.

Nights like last night are proof of concept. Everyone, including me, criticized Mitch Johnson's decision to run the offense through Castle with Swipa here. He's not going to have 40-point triple-doubles every other night, but the potential for a truly special floor general is there. We just have to let it happen and stop trying to tell him what position he should play.

The Spurs are 36-13, with the second seed in the Western Conference, and have 33 games left. They've gotten there mostly by playing with Steph leading the offense. That counts for a lot in my book.