The Spurs are still looking for their long term point guard
Recent reports indicate San Antonio looked for a floor general to pair with Wembanyama.
The San Antonio Spurs need a long-term option at point guard. At least that’s what everyone and their uncle seems to think. Even people who don’t follow basketball would probably bark your ear off about San Antonio needing a player who can throw entry passes or lobs to Victor Wembanyama.
Spurs General Manager, Brian Wright, and the rest of the front office heard it as much as we did. That’s why they went out and signed veteran point guard Chris Paul in free agency and drafted the jumbo playmaker, Stephon Castle, with their first pick. A recent Jake Fischer report for Yahoo Sports indicates that they were initially thinking much bigger.
Fischer reports that before signing Paul and drafting Castle, the Spurs had inquired about Cleveland Cavaliers guard, Darius Garland, and Indiana Pacers breakout, Andrew Nembhard. The Cavaliers spurned any offers for their all-star point guard and the Pacers recently extended Nembhard, who was their third-best player last year. The Spurs made calls to other NBA teams with “veteran guards who have still yet to enter their primes,” according to Fischer.
These rumors indicate the Spurs want to pair a dynamic lead guard with Wembanyama, long-term. Nembhard and Garland are both smaller guards who can space the floor and play with or without the ball. When nothing materialized, San Antonio went with the short-term answer in Paul, who can man the position until they find a long-term option. Castle showcased patient pick-and-roll play and solid floor vision in his three Summer League games, indicating he could eventually become their point guard of the future. He still has a lot to work on in terms of creating an offensive advantage off the dribble and spacing the floor with his jump shot, so he will need time to develop.
What’s equally interesting is the Spurs Insider Podcast reported that San Antonio had Kentucky guard, Reed Sheppard above Castle on its draft board. Sheppard played a more traditional combo guard role with the Wildcats where he shot the three at an above 50% clip while acting as one of their primary playmakers. Nembhard, Garland and Sheppard all are younger guards who can shoot, run the pick-and-roll, and hold their own defensively – in case you were wondering what San Antonio wants in a guard to pair with Wembanyama.
It also begs the question: why wasn’t there a more serious pursuit of Atlanta Hawks guard, Trae Young this summer? When Atlanta traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, it seemed like they may tear the team down and rebuild after getting the number one pick in the draft. San Antonio owns the Hawks 2025 and 2027 unprotected picks they could dangle to grab the all-star guard. The lack of interest there shows how much the Spurs value those picks, or indicates concerns with Young’s turnovers (4.4 a game) and poor defense.
The point guard position looms heavy over the future of the Spurs roster. A rotation of Paul, Tre Jones and Castle will be an improvement over last season. But none of them has proven they’ll be the long-term option yet. Castle’s development will be important to watch this season. If he looks more like an off-ball player, like he was at UCONN, the Spurs could still have their eyes on the trade market or free agency. After all, who wouldn’t want to throw lobs to Wemby?
