Stephon Castle will leave no doubt about the Spurs' second-best player

Victor Wembanyama is and will be, for the foreseeable future, the best player on the Spurs roster, and there's no debate about that because he's about to be crowned the top guy in the entire league very soon. However, there's no consensus on who's Anakin to Wemby's Obi-Wan Kenobi. There are three viable options, but Stephon Castle will put that question to rest once the games begin.

Castle has too many ways to impact the game

De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are so talented that they'll each take turns as the Spurs' second-best player on any given night, but Castle will claim the title with more consistency in his full range of capabilities.

The former Huskies champion is already a pretty strong scorer in the league at 21 years old, but while he's still improving as a shooter, that's happening fairly quickly. His efficiency dropped off in the finals, but the younger half of Area 51 was draining 40% of his outside shots in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

There's also much more to running an offense than scoring, and Steph has been growing in all phases. He sets the table for his teammates. His ball security is a work in progress, but you don't average over seven assists per game by accident. Steph has gotten better at reading defenses and throwing skip passes, lobs, and wrap-arounds.

Not to mention his ability to get opponents in foul trouble.

It's a very full skill set that goes on top of being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and the combination will place him right under Wembanyama on the list of San Antonio's best players. But that's not a slight to the other guys.

Fox and Harper will make Castle earn it

Harper is a naturally gifted scorer. He has a smooth offensive game, and it feels like he was born to have the ball in his hands when you watch him. Last summer's number-two overall pick proved that he's a strong on-ball defender too. However, until we see more, he's more of a pure scorer than a fully developed offensive player. He's still working on reading defenses and making his teammates better.

Swipa gets his first healthy offseason in years, and after a rough end to the postseason, he'll be looking to reassert himself. His reputation took a hit, and the competitor in him will want to rectify that. His motivation alone could lead to a career year for the former Kings franchise star. He's still in his prime, and the added chip on his shoulder could give him the jolt he needs to elevate his game further.

However, at the end of the day, Castle is already an All-NBA-level defender. He's already a top-ten assist guy. Bet on him taking another leap after the huge steps he took from year one to year two. And with the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates to run an offense with so many dynamic pieces, his confidence will only take him higher.

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