The San Antonio Spurs made great strides over the past year with the emergence of Victor Wembanyama. But it would not be possible without their terrific young backcourt of Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle.
Following their first NBA Finals experience last season, Harper and Castle received some bold comparisons to the Golden State Warriors’ dynastic backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Spurs Guards Could Be The Next Curry And Klay
According to NBA legend and television analyst Charles Barkley, Harper and Castle reminded him of Curry and Thompson early in the 2010s before they won multiple NBA championships with the Warriors.
“First of all, those two guards, Stephon [Castle] and Dylan [Harper], I wouldn’t want to see them for the next 10 years if I was in the NBA,” Barkley said during his appearance on The Bill Simmons podcast.
“If I was a guard in the NBA now, I wouldn’t want to play against them for the next 10 years because they may be the best guard duo in the league in the future, they might be new Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson,” Barkley said.
While Curry and Klay revolutionized the game with historic three-point shooting, Castle and Harper are drawing praise for a different kind of relentless pressure, using physical drives, pace, downhill force, and lockdown defensive intensity.
Curry and Thompson won four NBA championships together from 2015 to 2022 with the Warriors.
Just as Golden State paired their young guards with a generational trajectory, San Antonio has integrated Castle and Harper alongside Victor Wembanyama to spark early-converging playoff success.
Last season, Castle, continued his steady ascent by averaging 16.7 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game across 68 appearances. Meanwhile, Harper anchored the second unit, making a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year consideration by logging 11.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game on efficient 50.5% shooting from the field.
Their impact only magnified during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, where the duo spearheaded a thrilling deep postseason run all the way to the NBA Finals.
Spurs Guard Reveals What He Learned From Playing In His First NBA Playoffs
Playing in the NBA playoffs made Stephon Castle realize the nitty-gritty of game planning.
Talking at a Jordan event in China, Castle said the playoffs are a really different beast than the regular season, especially in planning.
“I think it’s really detailed. You know, you break everything down. You play the same team multiple times in a row. So I mean it’s no secret at that point. So you gotta really just get everything down, you know, to the detail,” Castle said.
“So I think just trying to perform better in the playoffs is not something that you’re trying to look to do. I think it’s really just the focus that you have coming into it, I feel like as a player, it’s kind of just in you. So, you know, around those times your game kind of just elevates naturally. But yeah, just trying not to force it, but also just leaning on the guys next to you. I think that’s kind of what pushed us forward.”
Castle’s realizations and lessons from his first NBA playoffs would equip him for better performances in the coming seasons, especially as the Spurs are expected to be in the hunt for an NBA championship from here on.
Spurs Guards Get Bold Comparisons to Steph Curry, Klay Thompson