Stephon Castle said the San Antonio Spurs will need discipline and force when they open the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at the Frost Bank Center.
“They have a lot of good on-ball defenders,” Castle said during Sunday’s practice session. “They play hard on that end. They have a lot of guys that make multiple efforts.”
The Spurs rookie pointed to Minnesota’s team defense as the biggest problem, especially with the Wolves’ ability to switch assignments and pressure the ball. Castle said the answer starts with San Antonio’s own execution.
“Just playing team basketball, make them guard multiple actions, that would probably be what we need to do against that,” he said.
Castle expects Minnesota to throw different looks at San Antonio’s stars, including De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama. “Most of the times they either put McDaniels on Fox or if they do it like that, then they’ll probably put him on Vic,” Castle said. “But either way, we’ve seen it throughout the season.”
If Wembanyama sees a bigger defender, Castle said the Spurs must use that to their advantage. “For me, just involve myself in the actions a lot more, try and create for my teammates as much as I can,” he said. “And then just shoot the ball with confidence when I get my looks.”
Minnesota’s defense and physicality are a direct carryover from the first round, and Castle said the Spurs cannot settle for early shots. “Just trying to be disciplined to get better shots throughout the possession,” he said. “We can always get to those shots whenever.”
He also warned that the Wolves can punish rushed possessions the same way Portland tried to in the opening round. “They get rebounded and try and play with pace,” Castle said. “We just got to do a much better job at being able to execute in the half court.”
Castle believes the Spurs were prepared by the first round, when they had to adjust and stay locked in against Portland. “We were solid,” he said of San Antonio’s defense. “I think we met pretty much all of them, maybe except one.”
Still, he said the next step is clear against a deeper opponent. “I think we could take another step,” Castle said. “Just try and keep them out of the paint. They have a lot of guys that can shoot and score with space.”
The 21-year-old also dismissed any fear of the moment. “When you’re coming into any game, regular season or playoffs, you can respect the team but you can’t fear them,” Castle said. “You can’t come into the game fearing the opponent, because then you’re just going to come in and get punked.”
Castle added that the playoffs demand sacrifice off the court, too, but said that part is already familiar. “It’s a sacrifice that a lot of us have to make,” he said. “It’s not our first rodeo.”
