Stephon Castle has spent his postseason guarding two of the NBA’s toughest shot-makers, and he sees a clear difference between Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Spurs guard entered the Finals after a draining Western Conference Finals series against Gilgeous-Alexander, only to immediately draw Brunson and the Knicks.
That made his comparison more than a theory. Castle has felt both problems in games that shaped San Antonio’s season.
Stephon Castle sees Jalen Brunson as an angle problem
Castle framed Brunson and Gilgeous-Alexander as similar stars who create pressure in different ways.
“Biggest difference, I’d say they’re very similar in ways. Obviously, Jalen’s left-handed and Shai is right-handed. I think Shai, he’s more of a threat to get all the way downhill, all the way to the basket. Jalen, he likes to use angles a lot more and more pumpfakes than Shai, but most of it is angles and trying to get to his spot. Not trying to draw fouls as much, but trying to get to his midrange and the spots that he likes.”
That matched Game 1. Brunson scored 30 points on 12-for-31 shooting, including 13 in the fourth quarter, as New York closed on an 11-0 run to beat San Antonio 105-95.
Castle still gave the Spurs real two-way value, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. His defense was physical, but Brunson’s footwork and patience created enough late separation.
The regular-season history shows why Castle respects the matchup. Brunson has averaged 24.3 points, 8.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in three career games against Castle.
Brunson and Gilgeous-Alexander took different elite paths
Brunson and Gilgeous-Alexander are 2018 draft classmates, but their star arcs were not the same.
Shai went No. 11, became Oklahoma City’s franchise centerpiece, and won back-to-back MVPs. Brunson went No. 33, left Dallas for New York, and became the Knicks’ most important modern guard.
The style contrast is exactly what Castle described. Shai uses length, pace changes, and downhill pressure to collapse a defense, while Brunson plays lower to the ground, finds angles, and wins with footwork into the midrange.
Castle saw the Shai version across the season and playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 29.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in four regular-season games against Castle, then pushed the Spurs through a seven-game Western Conference Finals.
Castle also produced offensively in that series, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds, including 25 points and eight assists in Game 2.
Now Brunson is the test. Castle does not need to erase him, but if he can keep Brunson away from his favorite spots, San Antonio’s Finals defense has a real counter.
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