After NBA Finals Run, Spurs Say Being Physical This Season is 'Non-Negotiable'

SAN ANTONIO — As much as he hated to admit it, Stephon Castle was going to have to dial back on his aggressiveness against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After playing just 28 minutes in Game 1 of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs guard headed to the bench for the final time of the night. He'd scored 17 points, but had to watch from the bench as the Spurs dropped the first game of the series. He had six fouls to his name. Some he felt were unjustified.

"It's frustrating," Castle admitted. "Other teams are playing as physical as us ... sometimes the calls just don't go our way, but I can't change who I am defensively."

The San Antonio Spurs learned plenty about themselves during their run to the NBA Finals last season. Castle did, too. Perhaps sitting atop the list is how important "physicality" is, especially in the playoffs. Their series against the Timberwolves exaggerated it.

May 10, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) works around San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After three months without organized basketball, San Antonio returned to training camp with a renewed emphasis on playing through contact, setting the tone defensively and matching the intensity of its opponents. Victor Wembanyama led the charge.

"We've got to get our brains used to doing those hard things," the Frenchman said after three days of training camp. "Playing physical, it's a bit of technique and (a bit) of learning. But it's mostly effort and going through some uncomfortable things."

The Spurs' superstar believes the experience of facing some of the Western Conference's toughest opponents was necessary for a young team still learning what it takes to compete for a championship. In other words, Edwards and Co. helped them grow.

"There's just one way to beat that," Wembanyama said. "To do it ... I'm glad we faced those."

The Spurs' challenge, entering a year in which they hope to return to the NBA Finals for the second year in a row, is ensuring that physicality becomes a consistent part of their identity rather than something reserved for the postseason. They're well aware of the implications that come with that; a team can't just decide to be more physical.

"(It's about) being in the right positions and being smarter," Keldon Johnson said. "Obviously, you want to be physical, but (we have to) be smart with the physicality so ... we're not in foul trouble, we're not committing dumb fouls. Being in the right spots early."

Sep 28, 2026; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) poses for photos during Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Texas. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Johnson, still the longest-tenured Spur, understands the difference firsthand.

"Those are the carry-overs that we took away from playoffs," Johnson said. "Obviously, (the) playoffs (are) a different game of basketball than the regular season. You step that physicality up, but we're just trying to clean up the little details, as well."

Luke Kornet echoed both teammates, emphasizing that physicality extends beyond simply absorbing contact. He says dictating pace, applying defensive pressure and maintaining a level of energy that opponents have to match are all part of his job in the frontcourt.

"Something we want to do is just play a lot of force," Kornet said.

The veteran center, entering his second season with San Antonio, believes the modern NBA leaves little room for teams unwilling to embrace that approach.

"I think we had some good learning experiences in terms of ways to grow," Kornet said. "I think it's something that, especially I feel like in the league right now, it's like a non-negotiable to just kind of play with that energy and that force on a night-to-night basis."

For the Spurs, those lessons came at the expense of a championship. Their goal now is to apply them long before another playoff run begins, in hopes of taking their own advice.

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