SAN ANTONIO — Several San Antonio Spurs rookies made their NBA preseason debuts, and big man Sandro Mamukelashvili liked what he saw on the floor.
"You know, I thought all the guys they played great," he said following the Spurs preseason loss versus the Thunder.
Stephen Castle, Harrison Ingram and Riley Minix saw their first NBA minutes on the court and maximized their time.
With several key players sitting out (Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Charles Bassey, Zach Collins, Chris Paul and David Duke Jr.), the rookies got minutes to showcase what they could contribute to the team.
Castle, the Spurs 2024 No. 4 overall pick, logged 18 minutes, chipped in five points and three assists, and pulled two rebounds in his Spurs debut.
He mainly played off guard for most of the game, but his steady pace caught Mamu's eye.
"Steph is amazing. Such a great player. Confident. I feel like he was slow, like in pace. He had great passes, a couple of great passes. Played great defense," he said.
Mamu complemented Castle for playing calmly, unlike how the Spurs center fared in his NBA debut, saying he was running around on the court.
"I feel he played under control, and that’s what’s most important in your first NBA game," Mamu said.
Castle showed why the team selected him as their first pick and had been scouting him since high school.
His defense, passing and athleticism were on display, and his fearlessness showed when he attacked the Thunder defense to bring the Frost Bank Center to a roar with a second-half power dunk.
Sure, it may not have been a perfect debut for Castle (six turnovers), but facing NBA-level competition opened his eyes, which coach Gregg Popovich believed was good for him.
“He figured out tonight that those are NBA guys on the other side,” Popovich said. "Sometimes those shots at the rim were probably going down for him at UConn, and here there’s somebody there that is just as strong as him. It’s great for him to see that."
Also taking note of Castle was Julian Champagnie, who finished with a team-high 22 points.
"Steph did his thing, played defense, played hard," Champagnie said.
Rookie Harrison Ingram also made his NBA debut, finishing with two points, a steal and two rebounds in 10 minutes, as did Riley Minix, who added eight points off 3-4 shooting from the field and connecting on two three-point shots.
"[Harrison] was great. He's figuring out where to be. I thought he had good open shots. Great guy. Works hard," Mamukelashvili added. "Minix was great. He came in and did what he had to do."
Of course, it was just one preseason game for the rookies, and there is much room for growth. Overall, they made the most of their minutes, which is essential considering minutes might be in short supply as the regular season draws near.
Wembanyama is expected to play Wednesday night versus the Magic, and several other Spurs could return to the floor.
Every second they got on the court was valuable, and against the Thunder, they showed much promise.
"You only keep getting better," Mamukelashvili said.