Close the market. No new fellow travelers will be added to the Stephon Castle hype train. His number four pick in the 2024 draft was already categorized as a home run, but must be changed to a grand slam. This boy is worth the price of admission and that’s saying a lot when you have Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul on the pitch, but he deserves recognition.

He spoke after Wednesday’s preseason game against the Orlando Magic and said he wanted to improve his performance from the first game. After watching the film, he knew he could do better. Castle had six turnovers against the Thunder and felt he should have been more aggressive on both sides of the ball.

He scored 17 points, 40% from three, 7-10 from the free throw line and two steals. That’s a full night’s work for a newbie, and he did it in 21 minutes. He continues to play with mature composure and the game didn’t seem too fast. UConn’s standout performance was so good that he deserves a mention in a section above the rest of the guys because he’s still a rookie but looks like a veteran.

Jeremy Sochan mentioned that he was happy to be able to play his natural role full-time again. That position in a position-less NBA means being the jack-of-all-trades, and he thrives when his responsibilities are just playing basketball. He was fantastic in two games.

In the first game, the Polish prince scored nine points, six rebounds, four assists and one block. He then shot 5-6 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line for 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. He was a menace on defense and is always in the right place. Sochan is looking forward to a great year.

Blake Wesley had seven assists with one turnover in the first game and handed out five more assists without a turnover in the second game. He continues to harass opposing offenses and makes great decisions with the ball. He doesn’t force anything and is so fast that he can dictate matches if he increases the tempo. He was phenomenal.

Sandro Mamukelashvili and Julian Champagnie are dating again for the same reason as before. Their role is similar, albeit from a different position on the floor. Defend, play hard, play hustle and knock down your open threes when you get the chance. They both continued to do this at a very high level. At this rate, Mamu could take Zach Collins’ position as the presumptive backup center.

Champagnie has looked so good as a shooter that the Spurs should feel good about starting the season with him as the starter if the pecking order changes like that if Devin Vassell leaves early. You can’t give him an inch. He has a hit rate of almost 50% in two games. Special praise goes to his rebound. He scored seven goals in each game.

Things just aren’t going well for Malaki Branham. He talked about how much work he put in over the summer to improve. St. Mary’s product is said to pour in buckets. Defense is something he wants to incorporate into his game, and that’s been enough of a battle, but if your claim to the NBA isn’t reliable, you’re on the edge of a bubble that’s about to burst.

In the end, Blake Wesley’s contract will be extended and Branham will be on the outside looking in. With the way Malachi Flynn and Riley Minix have looked, it might be more beneficial to release Branham and sign one of those guys for depth. It would be an unfortunate ending for Branham, but he hasn’t taken the steps the organization undoubtedly expects of him.

After the first two preseason games, there is clearly more good than bad. Once the gates open and the regular season race begins, the Spurs appear poised to make a breakthrough. This is exactly what fans need to see.