Spurs must rethink Stephon Castle's new offensive role as struggles continue

Despite the San Antonio Spurs being off to a strong start, Stephon Castle's new role may need to be changed due to his offensive struggles. Castle has been taking more threes this season, and initially, that worked out well with him drilling five threes in the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, his 3-point percentage has steadily decreased, resulting in a sharp drop in his efficiency and overall scoring with him now averaging just 15.3 points. In fact, he's now connecting on just 32.8% from three on 6.7 3-point attempts per game.

That dropoff has really done a number on Castle's effectiveness. Not only are most of his shots coming from outside the 3-point line, but he is shooting uncharacteristically bad from within three feet of the basket.

Last season, he made 71% of his shots within three feet of the rim; this season, that's down to 51.2%. His free throws have also dropped like a stone, going from attempting 5.6 attempts per game to just 1.9 this season, helping to explain his scoring issues.

It's still early on, but if Castle is shooting less from inside the paint and more from outside, then it puts pressure on him to have to be a more reliable 3-point shooter. That hasn't happened, and his new role should be rethought as a result.

Spurs must rethink Stephon Castle's new offensive role

I have been in favor of the Spurs moving Castle off the ball, and the results have mostly been positive, just not for him. De'Aaron Fox, despite seeing his scoring drop off significantly, is leading the team in assists and finally developing much-needed chemistry with Victor Wembanyama.

It has also opened the door for Dylan Harper to play more on the ball. He is currently second on the team in scoring, which suggests that he is indeed the team's second-best player.

However, all that wouldn't be possible if Castle didn't agree to play off-ball, but his production is beginning to suffer. It's a double-edged sword, but the Spurs must find some middle ground, one that continues to integrate Fox, and allow Harper and Castle to thrive.

Castle has had some increasingly ugly shooting performances, including going 6-20 against the Dallas Mavericks. Although he came alive in the 4th quarter, he still connected on just 2 of 9 from three.

Stephon Castle's new offensive role is holding him back

When his shot is falling from outside, everything is fine, including scoring 14 points in just 24 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers. The biggest change needed is for Castle to be less 3-point dependent.

More than half of his shots are threes. While shooting better from outside would certainly help, him leading the starting five in 3-point attempts per game shouldn't be his role. Ironically, Harper is shooting much better from three, suggesting he should be the one taking more threes.

Castle changing up his shot diet to prioritize more shots at the rim and mid-range jumpers would make a world of difference. He'll have to improve his finishing to make that work, but it would help boost his scoring and efficiency, as would him getting to the line more.

Even hanging out in the dunker's spot when Wembanyama is out of the paint could help him get easy buckets. We've seen more recent actions that have freed him up for alley oops, an encouraging sign. Despite that, Castle attacking off the dribble more, even while handling the ball less in his new role, is crucial to turning his season around.

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