Wembanyama's return will unleash a new Stephon Castle level Spurs fans won't expect

Although the San Antonio Spurs have played surprisingly well without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, cracks are beginning to show. They've boasted a stellar 119.3 offensive rating without those two—the equivalent of being the sixth-ranked offense. However, their defense has slipped from being top-5 to 12th without them.

Fortunately, both Wembanyama and Castle are expected to return roughly at the same time. When they do, they will hopefully pick up right where they left off as being one of the best dynamic duos in the NBA. Castle thrived on both sides of the ball playing next to Wembanyama.

Castle was able to set him up for easy baskets, being able to attack the paint thanks to the defensive attention Wembanyama draws. Defensively, Castle's already solid play improved dramatically with Wembanyama there to shut down the paint behind him.

Imagine having to get past the pitbull-like Castle only to have a dinosaur waiting in the paint to block your shot. Not fun.

Stephon Caste will thrive in his new Spurs role

With Fox successfully carrying the offense, upon their return, Castle can slot in more as a secondary playmaker and third option. That would free him up to make more of an impact on the defensive end, especially with Wembanyama behind him.

Prior to his injury, Castle was allowing his defensive assignments to shoot just 43.5% on 13.1 attempts per game. Compare that to last season, when he allowed opponents to shoot 47.8% on 11.1 attempts per game.

That's a massive improvement, with his defensive field goal percentage dropping by 4.3% while contesting more shots. Last season he had stretches where he looked like a good defender. This season, he's legitimately been an attack dog whom coach Mitch Johnson can unleash on the other team's best player to hound them.

Stephon Castle has been unleashed defensively this season

Some of that improvement can be attributed to Castle getting stronger as well as having reps against talented offensive players as a rookie. He's also played much more with Wembanyama this season than last, giving him the freedom to put pressure on his man.

He's already been called upon to guard Cooper Flagg, Luka Doncic, and Steph Curry and did well guarding three different player types. Castle becoming an elite defender who can guard point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards would drastically improve his value.

Even though his offensive fit is still being ironed out, there's hope that he can still be a big plus on that end despite his shooting struggles. However, him being a great defender, especially when paired with Wembanyama, will help to determine just how bright his future really is.