Spurs' sharpshooting onslaught and not-so-secret weapon drown out Blazers

The Spurs bounced back in a major way after the thrashing they received at the hands of the Houston Rockets last night. San Antonio took hold of the lead from the Trail Blazers in the first quarter and didn't relinquish it for the rest of the night, leading to a 118-105 victory at home. Their 41% from three was a season-high and the second time they've shot over 40% from deep this year.

Julian Champagnie was 4-8, Malaki Branham was 3-5, and Zach Collins went 2-3. Plenty of other guys contributed, including Victor Wembanyama, who went 2-6, and while that isn't great, it's better than he's been doing in that area. The Trail Blazers aren't a good team, so a better performance was expected, but it is still encouraging to see the ball go in the basket with such efficiency.

However, dead-eye shooting aside, the story of the night was the Spurs' 2024 first-round draft pick, Stephon Castle.

Castle's poise is unbelievable

Stephon Castle finished the evening with 14 points and six assists, with no turnovers to speak of. He accumulated eight of those points and half of his assists in the fourth quarter. The Trail Blazers tried to make their run, but the Spurs fought them off, and their rookie was a big reason why, as he orchestrated offense possession after possession.

He shared crucial, late-game minutes with the veteran Chris Paul, and CP3 deferred to Castle, allowing him to cut his teeth with the game on the line. If this were a test, the rook passed it with flying colors. It was a special performance that showed why the front office was so high on the UConn standout. He'll be ready for starting point guard minutes sooner than everyone thought.

He won't get them until Paul leaves, but that's okay. There's a ton the vet can teach Castle, and he'll be much better for it when he's finally handed the reins.

Wemby's struggles continue

Wemby is the biggest area of concern for most fans. He hasn't been living up to expectations and that didn't stop tonight. He went 4-13 from the field and had another four turnovers. His defense is still extraterrestrial, but his offense has left a lot to be desired.

However, fans know that nobody has higher expectations for the Spurs franchise player than him. He'll be hard at work to get out of his slump, and with Devin Vassell set to return Saturday against the Utah Jazz, defenses won't be able to key in on him as much. Hopefully, the added space will help him find his groove.