Origin of Stephon Castle's struggles and what Spurs should do are painfully obvious

We have too many people complaining about Stephon Castle right now, and it's all Victor Wembanyama's fault. I'm kidding (kinda). I don't think Wemby is putting any unnecessary pressure on the second-year guard, but his presence makes everyone else impatient. They want to see Vic on the biggest stages and believe Steph may hold him back after his recent stretch of struggles, but it's not that deep.

The ex-UConn star is going through his sophomore slump. It's such a consistent phenomenon that it has a name, and yet people are acting like they don't understand what's wrong with the reigning Rookie of the Year. It's literally something that almost every player in the history of the league goes through in year 2.

So, while people are screaming from the mountains to either trade him or bench him, I have a better idea. Do neither of those things.

Castle must play through his sophomore slump

I get that fans want the team to win games, and their performance since Christmas has been inconsistent, at best, but Castle isn't the one preventing the team from getting dubs. It's a total group effort that goes from the coaching staff down the roster, and trying to put it all on him is lazy and flat-out wrong.

Coach Popovich isn't leading from the sidelines anymore, but you should still be able to hear his voice echo the words, "We're not going to skip steps." Steph is still one of San Antonio's best perimeter defenders, and his explosiveness is an asset opponents struggle to deal with. He doesn't need to be sat down; he needs everyone to have some patience.

This is still the second seed in the Western Conference, and the last thing you want to do is hurt your young potential star's confidence by overreacting to a predictable stretch of struggles. It was bound to happen. Let's not forget that the 2024 fourth-overall pick was playing like a borderline all-star during the first few months of the season.

He's averaging 17 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds as a sophomore on a team with Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, and De'Aaron Fox. There are a lot of shots that have to go around, but Steph has earned his right to attack the basket and do damage his way, and that's why the staff trusts him.

Don't get me wrong. I'd prefer if he played off the ball more often, just because that's his strength right now. With Swipa and Dylan Harper on the team, Steph doesn't really have to be the primary playmaker ever. But that opinion won't make me flip out every time he has a bad game as the team's initiator, since he's also had so many good ones.

This is a hard-working young player who wants to do everything in his power to help his team win. He's not the perfect shooter, but that skill can improve with time. Don't let a month of bad ball turn you against such a promising young player.