We've got more than just Alpi who had a little 2nd year bump and then came back down to earth in Amen (though even with the bump - atrocious lol)
Although Reed did okay, Castle makes him look high schoolish. Castle would have at least helped us get past the Lakers. No way Reed scores 30+ points and multiple rebounds in a playoff game.
I think it is a carry over from the Morey days. We look at the numbers but they don't tell the whole story We don't seem to account for mentality or intagibles. That Said I don't think we have the coaching infrastructure that helps young players develop into their best selves. Castle here may not be as great as he is and Reed may not be so bad in San An Rocket River Figures of speech - Reed ain't bad and Castle ain't great . . .. . .yet
You didn't even mention the coach. We all saw it the other day when Mitch Johnson got pissed at Carter Bryant for screwing up. Did he yank him? No. He called him over, chewed him out / hyped him up, slapped him on the butt and told him to get back out there. He immediately committed a foul...but still didn't come out. Ime would have sent Reed to the bench and not said a word to him. This alone doesn't suddenly make one guy better than another, but it matters -- a lot.
I just saw your reply after leaving my own. Funny how we saw the same thing but the takeaway was completely different...
Jabari took a jump his second season and slowly and the improvement curse has been quite flat since then. Reed also took a big leap in his second season in terms of shooting. I hope his trajectory is real. Anyway, pronouncing Castle to have become a decent shooter because he jumped from 28% to 33% is a bit premature. We'll see.
Castle may not be playing well but at least he's holding his own and helping his team whether it's defense, free throws, and aggressiveness. That's always been the knock on Reed which is unless he shoots well he is utterly useless on the court and detrimental to his own team. Castle contributes in other ways even while his shot is not falling.
He has the best player in the NBA and maybe future GOAT who can pull up from logo or dunk over 3 people All the spurs wings are interchangeable at this point. I don't know how you watch this offense and think Castle would even generate more offense than Amen. Wemby plays bad, spurs are ****. Wemby plays good...spurs role players feast.
It doesnt matter what any of us think, but Amen is his golden child and the man has no jumper. You would have to pry Castle free from the JVG Thibodeaux jutsu cuz Ime would have him going for 48.2 min a game
Sheppard averages more steals and blocks than Castle, in fewer minutes per game. Sheppard actually beats Castle in that Castle is much better on position defense. Castle's size & athleticism making him more versatile. Which is what matters most. But Sheppard does have a knack at pick-pocketing the ball. [Example: Sheppard's steal & dunk off Lebron in playoffs]
