Inside The Spurs

Spurs Reveal New Starter vs. Hornets After De'Aaron Fox Injury

Stephon Castle is back in the starting lineup in place of the San Antonio Spurs' injured star, De'Aaron Fox

Matt Guzman

Mar 12, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards (20) defends against San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) in the first half at Frost Bank Center.
Mar 12, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards (20) defends against San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
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Once again, Stephon Castle is back in the starting lineup.

After the San Antonio Spurs announced that De'Aaron Fox will undergo season ending surgery to repair ligament damage in his left fifth finger — set for Tuesday in Los Angeles — they found themselves in need of a starter.

To no surprise, they found one in Castle. For the rookie, it wasn't anything new.

"We've thrown a lot of things at him," Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. "He had to start early on because of health issues and availability and then we brought him off the bench. Then he started again. Then we brought him off the bench."

Friday evening against the Charlotte Hornets will be more of the latter.

The Spurs currently hold the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference after picking up a win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the two squads' two-game series. And while a run at the postseason seems highly unlikely without Fox or Victor Wembanyama, who has been out since Feb. 20 with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, it's not completely out of the equation.

EIther way, Castle will play a large role in San Antonio's effort.

"I think we all had an expectation coming into the season and (Castle) has blown that out of the water," Devin Vassell said of his teammate. "We’re just getting to the beginning of what Steph can be, which is actually very scary.”

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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