The Spurs remain undefeated in preseason play. They beat the Pacers 124-108 in Stephon Castle’s preseason debut in what was a surprisingly intense matchup for three quarters, before the deep benches checked in. Victor Wembanyama impressed once again, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block.
After three games on the sidelines, Stephon Castle started at point guard. The second-year player wasted no time making his mark in the game, helping the Silver and Black
play disruptive defense and getting shots close to the rim. The Spurs looked better, but Benedict Mathuring kept Indiana afloat until Castle and Wemby went to the bench. San Antonio’s offense wasn’t as sharp without those two, but the Pacers weren’t much better. The Silver and Black took control of the game by going big with Wembanyama and Kornet, but couldn’t create separation in the first quarter.
After ending the opening frame playing two centers, the Spurs started the second with both Dylan Harper and Castle on the floor together. The experiment didn’t last long and had its ups and downs, but it looked viable. In general, most things were working for San Antonio, but, despite a scorching-hot Wembanyama, they struggled to extend a lead they held for most of the half. Indiana executed well against a zone, made the right reads and passes with a small lineup featuring Obi Toppin at center, and their defense rallied after every San Antonio run. It was close at the half, with Mathurin carrying Indiana on offense, finishing with 27 points.
The Pacers started stronger and regained the lead early in the third, as the Spurs didn’t seem as focused as they looked earlier. The offense generated some good looks, but the shots didn’t go in, while on the other end, Indiana continued to find success. Still, San Antonio didn’t panic. The starters stuck around, and a strong stretch from the second unit against their counterparts got the Silver and Black back ahead. Defensively, it was easy to handle an opponent that lacked driving threats off the bench and struggled to find production from the center position. The Silver and Black led by double digits at one point and headed into the final frame up nine.
The Pacers’ starters never returned, as Rick Carlisle went deep into his bench in the fourth. The Spurs kept some of their main guys out there for a few minutes before doing the same. San Antonio expanded its lead and got an easy win.
Observations:
- It’s nice to have ball handlers who can get to the paint and pass or score, and Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle showed they can absolutely do that, combining for 25 points and 12 assists. Hopefully, De’Aaron Fox will return soon to give San Antonio a platoon of quick guards who apply constant rim pressure.
- The Spurs placed Wembanyama both in the perimeter and the dunker spot when he shared the floor with Luke Kornet, who acted as the screener on pick-and-rolls. His gravity got Kornet plenty of space to attack. As long as there are no non-shooters on the court other than Kornet, those two center lineups should work well on offense. Opponents will adjust and send help, but Kornet (and Sochan, if he gets the assignment) should be able to find open guys.
- Speaking of Kornet, he’s arguably the best screener the Spurs have had since Tiago Splitter. (The memories of all those offensive fouls are probably leading me to underrate Jakob Poeltl.) It’s not just that he’s big and not afraid to make contact. He also does a great job of finding good angles and changing them on the fly. Guards are going to love playing with him, and he should help protect Wembanyama from wear and tear. It’s early, but he looks like one of the best free agency pickups in the league.
- Three-point shooting is one of the swing stats for the Spurs, which don’t have many marksmen. There was some good and some bad. No one who came off the bench even attempted one until 5:30 left in the third quarter. Devin Vassell missed all four of his attempts, and Harrison Barnes only made one of five. On the other hand, Julian Champagnie continued to hit his looks, Keldon Johnson caught fire in the third, and Stephon Castle hit the two three he took when the defense helped off him and dared him to fire. In general, it was a good night for the Spurs, who shot 15-for-37 from outside.
- The Spurs are going to break the record for inverted pick-and-rolls this year, if such a thing exists. Wembanyama looks good as the ball handler, and they normally get good looks out of it. It should be one of their go-to plays when they need a bucket.
The Spurs will host the Pacers for their last preseason game on Friday. Indiana is a really fun and competitive team even without Tyrese Haliburton, so it should be a good final test before the regular season.
