The absence of star guard De'Aaron Fox has been a major problem for the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals. With Fox out because of a sprained ankle, the Spurs have assigned the point guard duties to second-year guard Stephon Castle. His inexperience, however, has been exposed in the first two games of the series.
The Spurs fell, 122-113, in Game 2 on Wednesday, tying the series at 1-1. While Castle led the team in scoring with 25 points on 58.8% shooting from the field, he turned the ball over nine times. Over the past two games, the former UConn guard has racked up 20 turnovers, the most in a two-game span in the postseason since at least 1977, according to ESPN.
In Game 1, he tied Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic for the second-most turnovers in a playoff game (since 1984) with 11. The Spurs overcame his errors, winning 122-115 in double OT.
© Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Fox, a two-time All-Star, is the Spurs' natural ballhandler. In the first two games, he was a game-time decision, but the Spurs have ruled him out on both occasions.
Stephon Castle Took Accountability for His Turnover Issues
Castle knows what's at stake for the Spurs and owned up to his mistakes after the tough loss. The 21-year-old guard told the media that he knows he should take things slow and not rush anything on the offensive side.
"The biggest thing is just playing off two feet, not getting sped up," Castle said. "Obviously, I didn’t do a great job of that. Just trying to keep my teammates involved. Trying not to do too much on the offensive end, trying to make the simple plays as much as I can."
Castle maintained his optimism after the defeat, believing that the Spurs had an opportunity to perform well away from home.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson is aware of the challenges that the team's backcourt is facing. Aside from Fox's injury, rookie guard Dylan Harper also went down with an apparent leg injury and left the game in the middle of the third period.
"We’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to — just in terms of trying to help him with some of his reads, especially when he’s tired," Johnson said.
Castle is No. 5 in turnovers per game in the postseason. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, he averaged 3.1. The most he had in a single game before the conference finals was seven in Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round.
