Pitiful Trae Young return exposes why Spurs can't leave Castle’s fatal flaw unfixed

The Hawks traded away their former franchise star in his prime to Washington for the expiring contract of 34-year-old CJ McCollum and a rotational wing piece averaging 9 points per game in Corey Kispert. That's it. No draft picks, no cash, and no gift card to Wingstop. It's a sad ending for Trae Young's chapter in Atlanta, but it's also fascinating.

ATL firmly believed Ice Trae was their future and treated him as such. Their front office made several moves to fit pieces around him, but as the league evolved and the team with it, the face of the organization was more of a liability on the court than an asset.

It wouldn't have been an issue had he ever evolved his game to be an off-ball threat, but despite his best efforts, it never translated to on the floor. The results of that failure have played out over the Young trade saga; most of the league didn't think he was worth it, so he winds up with the Wizards. That's the fate we want to avoid for Stephon Castle.

Castle's shooting will be the key to his future

In all honesty, I have faith in the younger half of Area 51. He has all the right stuff. He plays hard, he trains hard, and he cares about competing. The effort and confidence he plays with is all the proof that you need that he'll keep working on his jump shot. But it would be disingenuous to act like there isn't a percentage chance that it doesn't develop.

We're in the middle of watching Jeremy Sochan have those same struggles. He's been one of the best perimeter defenders in the league over the past couple of seasons, yet he's had his minutes slashed because of his offensive shortcomings (his shooting performance in the current game against the Lakers notwithstanding). It can happen to anyone.

Castle has been working on that shot. We've all seen the offseason videos. Unfortunately, the ball is falling through the net at a lower rate than last season. Steph shot 29% from deep as a rookie. That number is down to 27% right now. The bright side is, unlike Sochan, he gets to play with the ball in his hands and show off his other abilities.

Despite his tendency to build brick houses from range, his overall field goal percentage is up from 43% to 48%. He's been a terror in the paint, and he's improved his midrange pull-up jump shot. His court vision is better than it's ever been, and he's learning to control the game at a high level. Not to mention, he's a ferocious defender.

Castle brings an assortment of weapons to the table that'll no doubt keep him in the league for a long time. He'll make waves, too. But for a team that will always need a bit of space around Victor Wembanyama, it's fair to wonder what would happen if he never gets a respectable shot.