How Spurs' Stephon Castle Has Battled Migraines, Proven Resilience Early in Season

SAN ANTONIO — Stephon Castle had dealt with them before, but this particular morning was “bad.” A migraine, which bothered the San Antonio Spurs guard before their Halloween meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves, threatened to keep him from playing altogether.

As he usually does when dealing with aches and pains, Castle played anyway.

“A lot of people wouldn’t have went into work if they were feeling like Steph Castle,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said postgame on Saturday. “Steph Castle clocked in for work tonight and we needed every second of it. He probably shouldn’t have.”

Castle finished the Spurs’ 121-111 victory over Minnesota without scoring a point, missing all four of his field goal attempts, including two from beyond the arc. He also committed three turnovers and four personal fouls in 22 minutes.

Still, he contributed five rebounds, four assists and a steal, helping San Antonio secure its fourth win of the season despite an unusually quiet offensive performance.

"It was more of a random thing, kind of,” Castle said of his migraine. “I’ve had a couple in the pas ... in the morning, it was kind of bad. But as I came into the game, it got better.”

Oct 31, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For Johnson, Castle’s willingness to play through discomfort wasn’t necessarily surprising. In February, ahead of a meeting with the Golden State Warriors before the All-Star break, the coach offered a similar assessment of his young guard’s durability.

“He’s a tough kid,” Johnson said at the time. “He’s one of those where you don’t need to ask, if he says he can’t … that tells you all you need to know.”

De’Aaron Fox echoed that sentiment Saturday, emphasizing the physical demands of Castle’s playing style. The guard has made a name for himself with his defensive intensity, which requires a level of energy difficult to maintain even when fully healthy.

“It’s big for us because ... especially the ways he plays, he gives so much effort,” Fox said. “That’s something that’s tough to do. To be able to go out there and your body’s not feeling right, your head hurts. But he went out there and he gave us what he gave us."

Through seven games this season, Castle is averaging 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and five assists, down from his 16.7 points and 7.4 assists per game last season.

His field goal percentage has also dipped from 47.1 to 40.8 percent, partly due to a seven-game sample size — one of which included the guard's migraine game — and partly due to early growing pains as the Spurs navigate a new starting lineup featuring Dylan Harper.

Castle's latest outing offered a more encouraging sign. Against the Utah Jazz on Monday, the 22-year-old scored 16 points on 7-for-16 shooting, adding five rebounds and four assists without committing a turnover. To his teammates, he looked more like himself.

"We don't expect anything less," Fox said. "Whatever he has in the tank, he’s willing to give.”

If another difficult night comes, Castle remains confident San Antonio has enough offensive options to overcome it. That includes migraines, should they return later this season.

“Whether one guy’s having a bad night," Castle said, "or a couple guys aren’t shooting the ball well, I feel like we have so many ... guys that can make a play out of nothing."

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