Spurs must end the Stephon Castle experiment holding De'Aaron Fox back

Lost in the San Antonio Spurs' impressive NBA Finals run was an experiment that helped Stephon Castle and hurt star De'Aaron Fox. The Spurs had an embarrassment of riches at point guard last season, meaning that someone had to sacrifice touches to make it all work.

Fox drew the short end of the stick, and it affected him all season long. The Spurs went from having Castle play primarily off-ball as a rookie to having him be the de facto point guard last season.

That did wonders for his offensive development, with him proving to be an above-average passer. On the other hand, his turnovers were a big problem at times while Fox also struggled to adjust.

The Spurs must end the Stephon Castle experiment holding De'Aaron Fox back

Castle actually led the league in turnovers through his first 20 games last season. However, with Fox's help, he reigned in his turnover problem and emerged as the team's best passer.

Nevertheless, the Spurs should look to move away from having Castle play point guard and put the ball back in Fox's hands. Fox was forced to play more off-ball, and his production suffered.

That resulted in him looking nothing like the player they traded for. It's clear that he isn't a good enough shooter to play shooting guard and needs to have the ball in his hands to be fully effective.

To that point, he averaged 26.8 points and 6.9 assists during a 10-game stretch last season. Mind you, that was with both Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle out.

The Spurs must allow De'Aaron Fox to play point guard

Castle showed significant improvement as a shooter during the second half of last season and during the playoffs. Based on that, he may actually be the one best suited to play shooting guard.

That doesn't mean Castle wouldn't have the ball in his hands, just that Fox should clearly be the primary ballhandler when playing alongside each other. It would not only help Fox be far more consistent, but also help Castle unlock another side of his game.

The result could be Fox reemerging as a reliable 20 point per game score who can help shoulder the offensive load along with Victor Wembanyama. As for Castle and Dylan Harper, their offseason development could also lead to big improvements next season.

That would be great for the Spurs' championship hopes, as would Fox playing much more like a star than he did last season.

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