The San Antonio Spurs are among the teams best set up for the future in the entire NBA, and they showed why on Wednesday night. They faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals and ran away with the win despite being without young superstar Victor Wembanyama. LeBron James and company had no answers for the young and energetic Spurs guards, specifically Stephon Castle.
Castle, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and winner of the Rookie of the Year award last season, lit the Lakers up on Wednesday. He finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on 10-of-14 shooting. He, alongside Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama, signal a bright future in San Antonio.
LeBron, as well, sees plenty of potential in Castle. He gifted the guard a jersey after the Spurs’ win in Los Angeles to clinch their place in Las Vegas and left a message for Castle on it, via the NBA on X:
✍🏽 Love everything about you, Young King. Keep going up! Strive for Greatness – 👑@StephonCastle x @KingJames pic.twitter.com/R2u1KUib54
— NBA (@NBA) December 11, 2025
One of the best things about LeBron’s longevity is that he is now playing against players who grew up idolizing him, and he now — while still an opponent — gets to show his appreciation for the next generation of stars. Castle has an undoubtedly high ceiling in the NBA, as he has already proven what he can do with the Rookie of the Year award and even better start to 2025-26.
And while LeBron won’t be in the NBA to see Castle’s entire career, the Spurs guard can always look back on this game and know that one of the game’s most impactful players saw that level of potential in him.
JJ Redick: Lakers getting exposed in losses
The Lakers looked like a solid bet to advance in the Emirates NBA Cup as they hosted the Spurs in the quarterfinals.
The Spurs were without Wembanyama who continues to rehab from a calf strain, so the Lakers knew they would have the advantage without the superstar big man on the floor. However, Los Angeles wound up losing handily as they were out outran by a hungrier San Antonio team.
Not only did the Lakers get eliminated from the tournament, but they raised even more questions about their legitimacy as a title contender. Los Angeles looked completely disjointed for large portions of the game, especially on the defensive end as they allowed San Antonio to carve them up.
Head coach JJ Redick was critical of the Lakers’ defense, particularly in transition and at the point of attack.
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