The San Antonio Spurs have struggled of late, and their postseason chances appear to be very much in jeopardy, even after landing star De'Aaron Fox. That would come as a disappointment to NBA legend Chris Paul, who is in his 20th season in the NBA. He signed a one-year deal with them in the hopes of getting them back into playoff contention.
While they are much better than they were over the last two seasons, they are still struggling to string together enough wins to compete for the play-in tournament. Their schedule will only get tougher, including the remainder of a long road trip. Moreover, their chances of getting better this season appear to be slim unless they make a big change to their starting lineup.
Paul has been surprisingly durable thus far. He has yet to miss a game this season, appearing in and starting all of San Antonio's first 50 games thus far. However, for the Spurs to thrive, they must start fourth-overall pick Stephon Castle in place of Paul and alongside Fox, Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Victor Wembanyama.
For the San Antonio Spurs to thrive, they must start Stephon Castle over Chris Paul.
Castle has thrived of late, averaging 14.9 points in January playing with the starting lineup, and even recently racked up a career-high 33 points off the bench after Fox was acquired. In 2025, over the last 16 games, he's averaged 15.9 points in just 26.7 minutes per game. He has developed rapidly and has quietly surpassed Paul as the team's fourth-best player and could even surpass Vassell by season's end.
That accelerated development should be rewarded with him starting and playing around 30 minutes a game. Giving him more minutes could help San Antonio next season too, with Paul potentially retiring this summer.
Having Castle earn big minutes now could help him make a big leap. That paired with Fox, Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, and a potential top-10 pick from the Atlanta Hawks might give them a formidable core that could make noise in the West.
That starts with benching Paul and giving the reins to Castle. Castle has a knack for slithering his way to the rim and finishing through contact. That is something that Paul simply can't provide, with him rarely getting deep into the paint and either passing out or settling for jumpers when he does.
Having Castle and Fox put pressure on the rim should open things up for shooters such as Vassell, Barnes, and Wembanyama. That would make things easier for him and, in turn, Castle and Fox.
Ultimately, the Spurs should bench Paul in favor of Castle. That would not only give them the best chance to win in the short term but hopefully help the Spurs take the next step going forward.