According to ESPN's Shams Charania, aka the Harbinger of Bad News these days, Stephon Castle will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks after an MRI revealed a hip flexor strain. Fans already knew that Steph wouldn't be playing in tonight's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, but the injury designation said "hip flexor soreness." Unfortunately, it's actually more than that, and once again, San Antonio will have to adjust.
The worst-kept secret is the "breakout season." It's used too much now and generally doesn't happen in a player's second year because they're still learning so much. It sounds like I'm complaining about it, but I'm not. I'm giving credit to how quickly young, talented guys have been growing lately. It's muddied the understanding of when these athletes are truly popping.
Steph is averaging 17 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Whether those numbers qualify him for a breakout year can be debated, but the Silver and Black will miss that production regardless.
The Spurs' depth is going through an unreal test
It was all good just a week ago. De'Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet returned to the lineup not too long after Jeremy Sochan and Kelly Olynyk got back. The Spurs were the healthiest they'd been all season. All they were missing was their standout rookie, Dylan Harper, and Mitch Johnson would have his full roster to deploy. But the basketball gods had other plans.
They say that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest warriors, but can we get a 15-minute cigarette break? I don't even like cigarettes, but I'd love for this organization to have a chance to catch their breath. They've been going through nonstop adversity since the end of Victor Wembanyama's rookie season, when Devin Vassell injured his foot so badly that it required surgery.
They've been trying to trudge up a muddy hill with rocky terrain in the pouring rain ever since. It sounds like I'm being dramatic, but let's count the ways. Dev's foot surgery didn't allow him to train during his offseason last year, so he missed the start of the season and played inconsistently when he returned.
Then, Coach Popovich had a minor stroke that turned into a major deal, eventually sidelining him forever. But it's important to note that nobody knew that at the time. The emotional toll of the unknown when hoping for the recovery of the organization's three-decade-long leader is a lot to deal with.
This tumultuous season is then compounded by Vic's blood clot diagnosis, forcing him to miss the rest of the year. Fox then (smartly) opts for his surgery with a month left in the campaign to begin the recovery process so he can be ready for the start of 2025-26. That plan ultimately fails because he suffers a hamstring injury that keeps him out of the lineup for longer than anyone had hoped.
I don't have to detail the injuries that have taken place since, but Jeremy Sochan, Kelly Olynyk, Dylan Harper, Wemby, and now Castle are all spending too much time with the medical team. With all of that said, nobody cares. Your injury situation doesn't have an impact on the standings at the end of the year, so as they say, the show must go on. But I want to speak to the writers about this script. It sucks.