Nuggets still have no answer for Stephon Castle's elite overlooked skill

The San Antonio Spurs recently fell short against the Denver Nuggets in what could be considered the game of the year so far. That loss certainly stung, but an overlooked detail about Stephon Castle could make a big difference come playoff time.

The Nuggets are likely to be the Spurs' second-round opponent, assuming both teams get that far. While the Spurs lost to Denver in that potential playoff preview, they gleaned some valuable information about the matchup.

Despite getting into early foul trouble, Castle often matched up against all-star Jamal Murray and played terrific defense against him. In fact, Murray struggled to gain separation from Castle, with him being able to fight over screens due to his size and strength.

That could hurt the effectiveness of the vaunted Murray and Nikola Jokic pick-and-roll pairing.

Stephon Castle fighting over screens may wreck the Nuggets' offense

Castle was able to stay on Murray's hip and keep him from getting open. That, along with Victor Wembanyama's ability to shut down drives, might take away Murray's mid-range game.

Even finding Jokic for open shots could be a problem. Wemby has the length and speed to show and recover when defending the pick-and-roll and did so several times. That prevented Jokic from getting open threes.

Ironically, despite giving up 136 points in an overtime game to the Nuggets, the Spurs seem well equipped to slow them down. San Antonio's offense was what let them down with De'Aaron Fox, Castle, and Keldon Johnson combining to go 0-16 from three.

The Spurs are uniquely built to give the Nuggets problems

If even one of those shots had gone in, the Spurs would have won in regulation. If those three players had shot closer to their actual 3-point percentage, they would have combined to hit five threes. In that scenario, it would have turned a close loss into a comfortable San Antonio win.

The Spurs don't need to stop the Nuggets. Instead, they just need to make Denver less efficient and rely on their own offense. They nearly accomplished that feat and should be able to do so in a seven-game series, especially with Castle.

He isn't just a defensive stopper; he can put pressure on the Nuggets' offense by aggressively attacking the paint. His finishing ability and knack for getting to the line give San Antonio a reliable form of offense that will only become more valuable once the game slows down in the playoffs.

Stephon Castle could swing a potential Nuggets series

He is also terrific at tossing alley-oops to Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, giving San Antonio a vertical spacing threat and getting their two centers easy buckets. Castle has even developed into a 3-point marksman of late, nailing 40.2% of his threes over his last 30 games.

If Castle shoots like that in the postseason, then he wouldn't just be a problem defensively for the Nuggets but also give them fits offensively. He could play Murray to a stalemate, and Wembanyama and Jokic may largely cancel each other out.

San Antonio would still have De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell as offensive options that can help carry the Spurs. Defensively, the Silver and Black may not completely shut down the Nuggets' offensive attack.

Fortunately, Castle's physicality and ability to fight over screens could throw a wrench into the scoring machine that is the Murray and Jokic pick and roll.