Wemby-less Spurs drop first preseason game to Thunder

Even though Wemby sat during Monday night’s game, there were still plenty of important takeaways from the match.

After a long 176 days, Spurs basketball is back! The Silver & Black played their first preseason game leading up to the 2024-25 season on Monday night, resulting in a 112-107 loss to the OKC Thunder.

San Antonio’s patented ball movement was evident from the jump, as the good guys constantly found the open man through their cutting and quick passing. The Spurs bombed away from deep and built an early lead while OKC was still finding their footing. In particular, Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochan made smart passes that led to easy shots, and starting Harrison Barnes at center gave the home team more offensive versatility as well.

However, the Thunder’s talent and size soon proved to be too much for San Antonio, especially with Wemby absent. OKC’s big men tandem of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein gave the Thunder a mismatch on every offensive possession due to their skill, passing, and shooting. The Spurs also had no answer for Jalen Williams, who proved to be too fast for San Antonio’s bigs and too strong for their guards. He finished the first half with a cool 18 points and helped OKC go up 58-45.

With OKC sitting their starters, the Spurs got back in the game largely on the back of Stephon Castle. As the primary ball handler, the fourth overall pick flashed his high basketball IQ by making patient reads to find the open man. On defense, Castle was his usual tenacious self, fighting through multiple screens at a time to stay with his assignment. Even though he wasn’t the most vocal, Castle’s leadership qualities were put on display through his unselfish play and never-say-die attitude.

The rookie’s infectious effort helped San Antonio go on a 10-0 run to tie the game, but the Spurs couldn’t complete the comeback in the final quarter. Pop decided to pull Castle and other rotation regulars to give the depth players some run, resulting in a 112-107 OKC victory. Still, there were important takeaways from the game:

Game notes

• Castle’s modest line of 5 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds won’t blow anyone away, but his poise really stood out in the game. The 19-year-old looked very comfortable making decisions with the ball in his hands, and he stayed active off-ball too by constantly moving and cutting. Even if his jumper remains below average for his career, Castle will still be a very impactful connective role player for years to come.
• Watching OKC reminded me of where the league is heading – teams that want to compete need players who all know how to dribble, pass, and shoot. It isn’t a coincidence that the two favorites from each conference are the Thunder and the Celtics, as they are potentially the only teams in the league that can roll out a starting five full of players who can do all three things.
• Applying that to the Spurs, it’s not a coincidence that their four most important players moving forward are Wemby, Vassell, Sochan, and Castle, as they can all dribble and pass at a high level. The overall shooting is the only question mark – the former two are above average for their position, while the latter two are still liabilities. If those guys do make up four of San Antonio’s long-term starters, their fifth player must need to shoot at a high level. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising at all that the Spurs were allegedly interested in trading for Lauri Markannen in the summer.
• Fans shouldn’t expect much from Harrison Barnes on the court, as his best years are from behind him. However, the veteran will bring tons of wisdom to the Spurs’ young locker room and set them on the right path. It isn’t a coincidence that San Antonio’s recent draft picks have all been high character players, and surrounding the young guys with veterans such as Barnes and Chris Paul will help them reach their full potential

Play of the game

Castle sure lets his play do all the talking.

Next game: vs Magic on Wednesday

The Spurs might be in for another entertaining game on Wednesday if Wemby suits up and faces off against 2022 #1 Paolo Banchero.