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Spurs' Stephon Castle must take advantage of Victor Wembanyama's absence
Victor Wembanyama has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Wembanyama is fresh off his first All-Star appearance and was in the running to win Defensive Player of the Year.
"Victor Wembanyama came back from the All-Star game this past weekend in San Francisco, and he was diagnosed with a form of a blood clot," ESPN's Shams Charania reported. "It's called a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, and he is out for the season. The Spurs, right now, believe this is an isolated condition...The hope, obviously, is that there's no spread, that there's nothing more here."
Reporting for @SportsCenter on Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the season with what the Spurs believe is an isolated blood clot and will bring full recovery: pic.twitter.com/BWOOJXYl6C
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025
With Wembanyama sidelined, his touches, shot attempts and minutes will be re-distributed among the current squad. Stephon Castle, currently leading the Rookie of the Year race, should be among the frontrunners for a bump in playing time and overall usage.
Castle, 20, lacks Wembanyama's rim protection and shot-blocking ability. However, the rest of this season will likely be focused on player development without their star big man in the rotation. Castle already projects to be an essential part of the Spurs' future, especially if he can form a partnership with De'Aaron Fox.
In 51 games this season, Castle is averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He's shooting 42% from the field. Nevertheless, his 28.9% three-point shooting is an apparent weakness. Castle will likely receive a green light to work through his mistakes over the coming weeks and months.
Without Wembanyama, Chris Paul, known for developing young talent, could focus on helping Castle improve his game. The approach could also shift to feature the young guard on offense while putting him in sink-or-swim moments on defense.
Losing Wembanyama is a tough blow for the Spurs, although they were unlikely to push for the postseason this year anyway. With one of their highest-usage stars out of the rotation, Castle has an ideal moment to make his development before heading into the offseason and working with his trainers.
San Antonio could look much more dangerous next season, and part of that may be because Wembanyama's season was abruptly cut short.
More must-reads:
- Spurs' Victor Wembanyama expected to miss rest of season
- Who are DPOY favorites with Victor Wembanyama out for season?
- The 'Youngest NBA players to score 50 points in a game' quiz
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