After undergoing an MRI on Monday, Spurs guard Stephon Castle has been diagnosed with a left hip flexor strain, the team announced today in a press release. The injury occurred during Sunday’s game against Sacramento.
The Spurs’ announcement simply states that updates on Castle will be provided “as appropriate,” but ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter) that the reigning Rookie of the Year will be reevaluated in one-to-two weeks. That means Castle will be sidelined for upcoming matchups with Memphis (Tuesday), Atlanta (Thursday), and Phoenix (Sunday) and could miss additional time beyond that.
Castle, 21, had gotten off to a strong start this fall in his second NBA season, averaging 18.4 points, 7.8 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game on 50.3% shooting in his first 12 games before getting injured in his 13th outing.
The Spurs will now be without three of their top four scorers, as Castle joins Victor Wembanyama (calf strain) and Dylan Harper (calf strain) on the inactive list. According to the team, point guard Jordan McLaughlin is also expected to miss some time, having been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain after undergoing an MRI on Monday. He sustained the injury during a workout.
While there were questions in the offseason about the Spurs’ logjam at point guard, the team’s depth will come in handy in the near future. Even with Castle, Harper, and McLaughlin on the shelf, San Antonio should get star-level production at the position as long as De’Aaron Fox stays healthy.
Fox’s season debut was delayed due to a hamstring injury, but he has started each of the club’s past five contests and appears to be rounding into form — he has averaged 26.0 points and 10.5 assists in his past two games.