De'Aaron Fox has quietly helped erase monster Stephon Castle problem

Through the first two games of the Western Conference finals, Stephon Castle struggled mightily with turnovers. But since then – more specifically, since De’Aaron Fox returned from his injury – Castle’s turnover problems have disappeared. Having an extra high-level ball-handler in the lineup has, evidently, really helped Castle.

At his best, Castle can be one of the Spurs’ top ball-handlers. But he’s still young. He’s still at the tail end of his second season in the NBA. San Antonio having other options to take the pressure off him is still super valuable, and for the past two games, that guy has been Fox. The Spurs need options. Fox gave them that.

Now, Castle can settle back into what he does best without as much constant pressure being put on him.

De'Aaron Fox's presence has helped Stephon Castle cut down his turnovers

In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Castle turned the ball over a whopping 11 times. Then, in Game 2, he played better, but he still turned the ball over nine times.

That’s a combined 20 turnovers in just two games. Not exactly an ideal start to a series for a guy who is going to be one of the Spurs’ go-to ball-handlers, leading the way for them on offense at times.

Then, Fox came back. He returned to the Spurs’ lineup for Game 3, which they ultimately lost, but based on the stats, it clearly made a difference for Castle.

He went from 11 turnovers and then nine to just one turnover in Game 3. And it wasn’t a fluke performance, because in Game 4 on Sunday night, for the second straight game, he only turned the ball over once.

For the first two games, it was Castle and Dylan Harper. Those were the guys. A second-year player and a rookie leading the Spurs’ ball-handling duties.

Now, San Antonio has another steady hand in the mix. Fox is more than ready to lead the Spurs’ offense, allowing Castle to act as more of a secondary ball-handler at times.

He’s still fully capable of running the offense when called upon, but not having to do so as consistently has certainly taken some serious pressure off him, which has clearly led to fewer turnovers.

Castle’s turnovers were one of the biggest talking points early on in the series, but now – at least, for the time being – they seem to be a thing of the past.

And Fox’s presence has definitely helped erase them.

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