The Stephon Castle leap Spurs must see to make him fit next to Victor Wembanyama

After making a big leap in his sophomore season, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle must make one change to fit perfectly next to Victor Wembanyama. Castle and Wembanyama formed area 51 last season, a potent dynamic duo that was a menace on both sides of the ball.

Castles' underrated playmaking quickly proved to be a revelation, resulting in Wembanyama getting plenty of easy baskets. That resulted in him increasing his scoring to a career best of 25 points per game.

Meanwhile, Castle increased his output to 16.9 points. That's all well and good, but for Castle to fit perfectly next to Wembanyama, he will need to hone his shooting.

Stephen Castle must continue his transformation into a good shooter.

Castle made strides as a shooter last season, particularly during the second half of the year. He also shot well in the postseason, connecting on 35% of his 4.3 3-point attemps per game.

That was a big deal, with both the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves attempting to sag off on him and go under on ball screens set for Castle. That's a good first step, and Castle already appears to be working on the next step. Specifically, speeding up his shot mechanics.

He has a fairly deliberate shooting motion, though I wouldn't categorize it as slow. Yet, speeding his shooting release without sacrificing accuracy could lead to him taking more threes next season.

Given how well he shot post All-Star break and during the playoffs, I'd say that's a good thing.

Castle becoming a reliable shooter is the last piece needed to be a star

Castle isn't just working on a quick release jumper. He is also working on shooting off the dribble.

A recent offseason workout video shows him shooting while dribbling around screens, which offers a tantalizing evolution to his game.

He has been an underrated mid-range shooter thus far in his career, and those shots have been self-created. However, if he can shoot threes off the dribble reliably, it could change everything for the Spurs.

Imagine teams having to defend an Area 51 pick and roll. Especially if Castle can use a Wembanyama ball screen to drill threes or attack the paint and either finish at the rim or throw a lob to his trailing 7'4 teammate.

Castle's shooting improvement would unlock both Wemby and the Spurs

That would be nightmare fuel for opposing teams. As is Castle being able to play off-ball. That would potentially free De'Aaron Fox to play more point guard, which could make him far more effective next season.

It could further unlock Castle's game with him able to punish teams for leaving him open when spotting up. Or, attack closeouts and either drive and kick, finish at the rim, or draw free throws.

It would also free San Antonio up to play Fox, Castle, and Dylan Harper together with Wembanyama. That would unlock another weapon in the Spurs arsenal and underscores the importance of Castle improving as a shooter.

Not only could it make life easier on Wembanyama but also make Castle the Spurs' third star.

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