In March, in an otherwise meaningless win over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, then Sacramento Kings rookie Nik Stauskas knocked down a contested three resulting in one of the most hilarious NBA nicknames in recent memory. Thanks to an error in closed captioning, the triple was credited to “Sauce Castillo,” and Stauskas has run with the handle ever since.
Thanks to the good people at Musashi, now Stauskas actually has a hot sauce of his own. Currently a member of the 76ers after being traded to Philly in the off-season, the player shared his special blend with his teammates via The 700 Level. Six out of 10 players gave Stauskas the thumbs up, and it’s worth noting that every Sixer who tried the hot sauce appeared to enjoy it.
On the court, things could definitely heat up for Philly, a team that has gone without a win this season. Stauskas struggled against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, going 0-for-6 from the field in a close loss. With home games against the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers on the horizon, a victory may be hard to come by in the immediate future.
Despite the early struggles, it’s good to see Stauskas and his squad optimistic about their season. With talent like Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel in the fold, coach Brett Brown is under pressure to turn things around. The Philadelphia faithful have endured plenty of disappointment from this franchise, so patience may be hard to come by.
“It’s the little things,” said Stauskas after a loss to the Orlando Magic. “At this level, that’s what it takes. It’s all the little things. It’s the little rebounds. It’s the free throws. It’s the small things that are gonna win you these close games and so far we just haven’t been doing that but it’ll come. It’ll come.”