As the San Antonio Spurs near the midway point of the 2024-25 season, they are still trying to find their ideal starting lineup. Thus far there have been two primary lineups, one consisting of Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, and Victor Wembanyama, and the other featuring Paul, Devin Vassell, Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, and Wembanyama.
The latter lineup has become more prevalent of late with Vassell and Sochan moving back to the starting lineup following injuries. Nevertheless, due to missing time due to back tightness, interim coach Mitch Johnson has tried out a hybrid lineup that swaps out Sochan for Castle.
Moving Castle back into the starting lineup permanently would have a positive ripple effect on the Spurs. For one, it would help them solve their biggest positional flaw, which is a backup center. The Spurs have tried to play Zach Collins and Charles Bassey in that role, and both have failed to impress thus far.
However, moving Sochan to the bench would allow him to play both power forward and center and give the Spurs a better option at the five than they have now with Wembanyama off the floor.
The San Antonio Spurs must continue to start Stephon Castle over Jeremy Sochan.
Benching Sochan would solve their biggest problem, giving them a way to utilize Sochan's versatility without minimizing his role. He could easily play around 30 minutes a game off the bench, and the Spurs could have the best of both worlds with him playing with and without Wembanyama.
Sochan and Wembanyama haven't meshed well together offensively, even though they have developed a nice two-man game with Wembanyama often finding him for alley-oops. Defensive, they are effective together.
However, the Spurs are better with Barnes playing alongside Wembanyama offensively, and they've struggled more on that end. That makes that pairing necessary for their team to thrive on that end of the floor.
Stephon Castle gives the Spurs something they don't have.
Keeping Castle in the starting lineup would also allow him to continue his impressive performance of late, with him averaging 23.3 points in his last three starts. He previously struggled while coming off the bench, where he was paired with several shaky shooters, making it harder for him to attack the rack.
On the flip side, his playing with Paul, Vassell, Barnes, and Wembanyama gives him plenty of spacing, and he has been aggressive in attacking the paint as a starter. That has given the Spurs something they need with Paul unable to get to the rim, Vassell more of a pull-up shooter, Barnes often spotting up or scoring off cuts, and Wembanyama spacing from three.
Overall, with the Spurs struggling of late, they should keep Castle in the starting five with him helping boost their offense. That would mean Sochan would come off the bench, and while that would technically be a demotion, he could still play a big role and help them solve one of their biggest issues in the process.