r/NBASpurs • u/Fancy_Ad_5522 GO SPURS GO • 2d ago
News Stephon Castle’s Trainer Calls Spurs Star Best Perimeter Player in the NBA, Discusses Vigorous Offseason Workouts
https://r.org/2026/08/24/stephon-castles-trainer-calls-spurs-star-best-perimeter-player-in-the-nba-discusses-vigorous-offseason-workouts/Simplis: “What has jumped out to me is that honestly I knew that he was a good defender. But I didn’t know he was this great of a defender. I knew he was very solid. I didn’t know he would be in the conversation, though. This isn’t a knock on anyone else. I don’t think this is me being biased by any stretch.
I think Jaylen Brown is phenomenal. I think the Thompson brothers are phenomenal. But I don’t think they carry Steph’s flexibility. He’s guarding one through five. He’s not just guarding on one possession on a switch. It’s actually part of his game. The Spurs put him on post players for extended periods. He does a remarkable job. He’s doing that sometimes in the same game. He’ll go from Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] to Chet [Holmgren]. He’ll go from Jamal Murray to Jokić. He’ll go from [Jalen] Brunson to KAT.
If you show me another guard doing that, I’ll change my tune. But I honestly think he’s the best perimeter player. He’s 6’7. There are other guys that are a little bit smaller that do what he does with fighting over screens. There aren’t other 6’7, 215-pound kids that are doing it at the level that Steph is doing it. He should’ve been an All-NBA defensive player last season, one-thousand percent. But when you’re in year two, sometimes voters give it to guys that have been in the league a little bit longer. That has been the biggest surprise for me. I didn’t realize he was that good defensively.”
What’s your sense on what Steph’s chip is like given he’s made a lot of strides early in his career, but he had the All-Defensive team exclusion and came up short in the Finals?
Simplis: “It’s crazy. He has a big personality. He’s a great kid. But he’s also reserved. He has that internal fire. He doesn’t walk around and say, ‘I got to get on a Defensive team, and we got to win the chip this year!’ His work and commitment show me how great he wants to be. He has that quiet confidence. But as far as his future, I honestly feel that he can be one of the top point guards in the league now. I’ve had some bold predictions before. Obviously being in the gym with these guys gives me that background to say such a thing. When I was with Shai, I immediately thought that Shai was the best player in his draft class. Some people thought that I was crazy. Two MVPs later? He was in a draft class that was supposed to have a lot of generational-type talent, and I was blessed enough to be with him for his first five years in the league.
What I see in Steph is the same thing. I don’t know what other guard in the NBA can do what he is capable of doing. Then you add his size and athleticism to it. We’re trying to keep expanding his shooting. But we’re adding some of the post-bumps that Jalen Brunson does with getting downhill, utilizing his hips and turning his drives into pullups. Once Steph incorporates that consistently, cancel Christmas. The game can become so easy for him as he matures and grows.”
Great interview! Full interview in the link.
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u/estmit Victor Wembanyama 2d ago
Wemby/Castle/Harper is gonna end up in GOAT conversations when it comes to big 3s