The Latest: Stephon Castle and Harrison Ingram vs Team China, Updates on Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes' Contracts
Stephon Castle and Harrison Ingram vs Team China, as well as words on Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes, Charles Bassey, and Lauri Markkanen in a new edition of The Latest.
Here are the 5 sections we’ll explore in the latest edition of The Latest:
Stephon Castle and Harrison Ingram vs Team China
Updates on Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes’ Contracts
Charles Bassey on the waiver list
What resources do the Spurs have to fill out their roster?
With the Spurs using their cap space, what does this mean for any potential future interest in Lauri Markkanen?
1. Stephon Castle and Harrison Ingram vs Team China
The San Antonio Spurs’ Summer League squad finished their last game of the California Classic Summer League Tuesday with their first win of the 3-game SL, against Team China, 89-67.
Despite being rookies, Castle and Ingram were two of the standout players for San Antonio in the game. Here were some observations for each player.
Castle on Offense
Stats: 26 minutes, 18 points (leading scorer), 5 assists to 1 turnover, 3 offensive rebounds | 8-of-15 shooting on 2s, 0-of-6 shooting on 3s, 2-of-4 shooting on free throws
Ball handling and playmaking: The Spurs made more of an emphasis in seeing what Castle could do as the point guard, even though he shared the floor with point guard Jamaree Bouyea. Castle was able to bring the ball up the floor comfortably for the most part and attack, or get their team into their first action. As he showed in the first SL game, he’s very comfortable running the P&R and not getting overwhelmed even when he draws the attention of two defenders. He showed an array of different passes on his way to 5 assists that generated 12 points. He could drive in and draw in two defenders under the rim, then pass to a big for a layup or dunk. On one of his drives, he made it seem like he threw a floater, but instead it was an alley-oop pass that the big made. He also found corner shooters whether from inside the paint or up near the center of the arc. Despite the extra responsibility, he only seemed to have real trouble as the point guard twice. Once, he was called for a travel, another time, he got caught for an 8-second violation getting the ball to halfcourt with a defender playing 1-on-1 full court defense. China threw a few full court press looks at him, and he didn’t get overwhelmed, he kept his dribble alive and found his teammates down court. There was also a possession where Castle had a size advantage, so he aggressively backed down the defender, had good footwork on the pivot, and when a second defender came near, he dished to an open teammate for a made jumper.
Finishing: In his first SL game, Castle struggled to finish at the rim a few times. Tonight, he sought contact on his rim attacks and finished for several chances at and-1 opportunities. On one of his cuts off ball, Sidy Cissoko found him for a monstrous 2-handed throw-down dunk.
Outside shooting: The biggest part of Castle’s game that will be tested at the NBA level will be his outside shooting. He made two 3s in his first SL game, but tonight, he went 0-for-6. China knew how much he can create for himself and others when he gets into the paint, so they gave him space from three, and they went under on P&Rs and DHO actions. Though he didn’t make a three, Castle did knock down two mid-range jumpers with the defense going under.
After the game, Castle was asked about being able to play either on or off the ball, and here was his response:
I feel super comfortable with both, honestly. I feel like I’m a pretty all around player.
Castle on Defense
Stats: 3 defensive rebounds, 3 steals, 1 foul
As has come to be expected, Castle can play some absolute hounding lockdown defense on some possessions. After getting to play more of the point on offense, there were chunks of the game where he defended China’s lead ball handler.
Castle also showed his extra hustle on the defensive end and steal ability. There was a possession where the Spurs missed a shot on offense, the defense got the rebound, and as both teams were heading down court, Castle came in with a sneaky ‘Jose Alvarado’ type steal in the backcourt. Dribblers will have to be careful around Castle, if sees that the player he’s guarding is being lackadaisical with a dribble, Castle will quickly try to go in for a steal opportunity.
Here was Castle’s response about getting to play in two Summer League games, as the schedule shifts to Las Vegas:
I just wanted to go out there and play free. I feel a lot more comfortable with two games under my belt. Now that we’re going to Vegas, I’ve got some momentum going into it, especially off a win, so I was happy with it.
Harrison Ingram
Stats: 26 minutes, 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists to 1 turnover, 2 steals, 1 block | 3-of-5 shooting on 2s, 3-of-5 shooting on 3s, 1-of-3 shooting on free throws
Ingram had his best SL game so far, showing his 3-and-D point forward skill set. When off the ball, he was spacing wide to allow his teammates to run sets. When he caught the ball on the perimeter, he was either ready to shoot, or he quickly put the ball on the floor to try to create for himself or others. As he’s shown before, he keeps possessions alive with his ability to crash the offensive glass.
Defensively, Ingram showed his versatility in being able to switch different positions, while he seemed to be communicating a lot more on that end of the floor.
Here’s what Spurs SL Head Coach Kenny Trevino said about Castle and Ingram against Team China:
We had the ball in Steph’s hands a lot today and Harrison made quicker decisions when he caught the ball, and it showed. It showed not only for himself, but it showed for his teammates as well when he’s able to collapse the defense so we can play together. I thought both of them played tremendous tonight.
1 Roster Note: In his postgame interview, Cissoko said David Duke Jr. will be joining the Spurs in Vegas. If you recall, Duke Jr. was a restricted free agent, but his qualifying offer had to be pulled in order for the Spurs to open the cap space to sign Chris Paul and trade for Harrison Barnes.
2. Updates on Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes’ Contracts
We finally have the answers as to how the Spurs were able to sign Paul, trade for Barnes, and still keep Julian Champagnie on the roster.
Here’s the new information we’ve learned since Paul was signed on Sunday:
Paul’s base salary came in at $10.46 million with potential bonuses for him to earn up to $12.03 million. So his cap hit on the Spurs’ cap sheet is $10.46 million, less than the initially thought $11 million cap hit.
Harrison Barnes said it was “a pretty easy decision” to waive his 10% trade kicker for the chance to join the Spurs. So instead of his salary coming in at $19.85 million with the trade kicker, it’s now $18 million for this season, and $19 million next season.
These two critical details made the Spurs’ cap gymnastics possible to be able to keep one of their best outside shooters - Champagnie - on the roster.
With 13 players on the roster, the Spurs are now $243K over the salary cap.
Champagnie’s $3 million salary is non-guaranteed until August 1. Seeing all the steps the Spurs went through to keep him on the team, I’d say it’s a safe bet his contract will guarantee for this season.
3. Charles Bassey on the waiver list
As part of the Barnes trade Monday, the Spurs had to waive center Charles Bassey. The Spurs reportedly might look at re-signing him IF he clears waivers.
As we saw today with Paul Reed, there’s no guarantee Bassey makes it to free agency. Reed was waived by the 76ers Sunday, and Tuesday, he could have become a free agent if a team didn’t claim him off waivers. Just when all was quiet and it seemed like he might make it to free agency, the Detroit Pistons swooped in and claimed Reed off the waiver list, which means he’s now on their team with the same contract still intact.
For Bassey, he needs to clear waivers Wednesday. If there’s a team out there that really likes him and his very good contract ($2.5 million non-guaranteed this season, $2.5 million non-guaranteed next season), they could ruin the Spurs’ hopes of re-signing him, if that teams claims Bassey before the 48-hour waiver deadline.
4. What resources do the Spurs have to fill out their roster?
The Spurs have two open full roster spots. They no longer have cap space, since it was used to sign Paul and acquire Barnes. This means they have the full $7.9 million room mid-level exception, the 2nd round pick exception, and veteran minimum contracts.
The $7.9 million room MLE can be used to sign a free agent, split to sign multiple free agents, or can be used to acquire a player making under $8 million in a trade.
The 2nd round pick exception can only be used to sign Harrison Ingram. There’s no indication yet if Ingram will get a full roster spot or one of the Spurs’ two open two-way roster spots.
All of the Spurs’ players from last season are still unsigned: Cedi Osman, Dominick Barlow, Sandro Mamukelashvili, David Duke Jr., Charles Bassey (IF he clears waivers)
Some other notable free agents who remain unsigned and could have salary projections up to the $7.9 million room MLE include:
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