Spurs’ Mitch Johnson addresses Stephon Castle issue that’s hurting team

The San Antonio Spurs left the Paycom Center with a tied series, but they also left with a glaring issue that needs immediate fixing. Following a hard-fought 122-113 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday night, Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson addressed the elephant in the room: guard Stephon Castle’s sudden turnover epidemic.

The 21-year-old sophomore set an unwanted NBA Conference Finals record by coughing up 20 total turnovers across the first two games, pairing 11 giveaways from Game 1 with nine more on Wednesday.

With All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox sidelined due to ankle soreness, and starting fill-in Dylan Harper exiting early with a right leg injury, the offensive orchestrating fell squarely on Castle’s young shoulders. Oklahoma City’s relentless defense capitalized heavily, turning San Antonio’s mistakes into a massive 27-10 edge in points off turnovers.

Coach Johnson didn’t shy away from Castle’s struggles, but he made sure to back his young playmaker.

“We’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to just in terms of trying to help him with some of his reads, especially when he’s tired,” Johnson said postgame. “He had too many turnovers, but our whole team did.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Stephon Castle’s turnovers: “We’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to just in terms of trying to help him with some of his reads, especially when he’s tired. … He had too many turnovers but our whole team did.” pic.twitter.com/B14Vg2vSSP

— Spurs Nation (@Spurs_Nation) May 21, 2026

Despite the heavy legs and sloppy ball-handling, Castle still showed flashes of brilliance. He fought through the intense backcourt pressure to lead San Antonio with 25 points on an efficient 10-of-17 shooting performance, adding eight assists and five rebounds in 38 grueling minutes. Victor Wembanyama also did his best to anchor the interior, dropping a monster double-double with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocks.

However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-high 30 points ultimately pushed the defending champions over the finish line.

With the Western Conference Finals now tied 1-1, the battle shifts back to the Frost Bank Center on Friday night. If the short-handed Spurs want to regain control of this series, protecting the rock has to be priority number one.

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