San Antonio Spurs Second Unit Will Have to Improve One Key Area

The San Antonio Spurs upgraded their starting lineup this offseason by signing Chris Paul and trading for Harrison Barnes, who will join Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama in the starting lineup. Those moves relegated Tre Jones and Julian Champagnie to the bench. Fourth-overall pick Stephon Castle will start his NBA career with the second unit, joining Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson.

While it's unlikely that the Spurs will give their bench unit long runs of playing time, their defense was bolstered by the addition of Castle, Champagnie, and Jones to the second unit. However, the reserves will have a massive issue to solve this season.

Of the five players that make up the second unit in San Antonio, only Champagnie shot above-average from deep. Collins can space the floor, but in an undersized second unit, he will likely spend a lot of time down low.

Castle and Jones are not known as deep threats, although Jones did improve to 33.5 percent from behind the arc last season. In his lone college season at UConn, Castle shot 26.7 percent from deep, although that was the only weak part on his scouting report.

When including Castle's college numbers, the Spurs' second unit of Collins, Jones, Johnson, Champaignie, and Castle shot a combined 370/1091 (33.9 percent) from three last season.

The best bench unit last season (OKC) shot 40.1 percent from three, while the worst worst (PHO) shot 31.9 percent. This Spurs' second unit would have been 25th in the NBA last season.

Related: Jeremy Sochan, Stephon Castle Will Set the Defensive Tone for San Antonio Spurs

For the Spurs to trust their bench and give Castle extended minutes as the primary ball handler, which will be a key part of his development, the Spurs, especially Jones and Johnson, will have to improve from deep. They have the defensive versatility to keep a game close while the starters rest, but their offensive potential still leaves a lot to be desired.