Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper may lay claim to being the best young guard duo in the league, but comparisons to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are premature and actually disrespect the Golden State Warriors legends.
Speaking recently on the Bill Simmons podcast, NBA legend Charles Barkley hyped up the young Spurs backcourt even further and claimed that “they’re going to be the new Steph and Klay.”
Spurs hype disrespects Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s greatness
Harper enjoyed an impressive rookie year where his reputation only grew during the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals, while Castle took another leap on both ends of the floor after winning Rookie of the Year in 2025.
The young Spurs duo are incredibly talented which, combined with Victor Wembanyama, makes for easily the best young trio in the league and who are going to be a nightmare for any team to face moving forward.
“First of all, those two guards, I don’t want to see them for the next 10 years if I’m a guard in the NBA,” Barkley said. They’re going to be the best. They’re going to be the new Steph and Klay.”
Let’s pump the brakes a little though and not forget everything that Curry and Thompson achieved through over a decade together. The Splash Brothers won four championships across an eight-year span, while the Spurs just blew the opportunity to win their first after entering as favorites against the New York Knicks.
On a more individual level, there’s very little to no chance that Castle or Harper ever hit the level Curry has reached as a two-time MVP, or even his current level of being an arguably top 10 player in the league as a 38-year-old.
Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox problem could hold back young duo
It’s amazing these comparisons have already been made before Castle and Harper actually take their place as San Antonio’s starting backcourt. Harper is currently in a sixth man role behind Castle and De’Aaron Fox, with plenty of speculation over the latter’s future with the franchise as their young guard’s blossom and develop.
The problem for the Spurs is that Fox is about to start a four-year, over $220 million contract. After an underwhelming playoff campaign that was impacted by an ankle injury, very few if any teams are going to come calling for Fox and offer San Antonio a way out.
The Warriors made the then controversial decision in 2012 to move Monta Ellis, paving the way for the Splash Brothers to flourish. The Spurs now face the predicament of having to consider the same with Fox if Castle and Harper are to reach the expectations Barkley has just set upon them.
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