Spurs’ Stephon Castle who runs away as rookie of the year favorite

Stephon Castle put NBA on warning in Sunday night’s matchup with the running favorites to get out of the western conference. The one-and-do-rookie followed a 24-point 7-assisting performance against Grizzlies with a statement game against Thunder.

Castle was extroardinary all night pouring in 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting in 32 minutes from the bench. These numbers are even more impressive when he is considering he walked up against the league’s best defensive team, which is filled with all-defense-worthy guards. It is clear that Castle’s confidence is growing as the season progresses after taking 10 triangles and attacking defenders without hesitation.

The Uconn product was highly sought after and came out of his lonely college season because of his size, athletics, ball skills and off-ball cutting. These features have translated to NBA level and he has shown that he has a chance of being an on-ball creature over time. Castle comes to the edge as desired and uses its size to finish through contact. He has recently separated himself by using dribbling movements to blast past defenders and artificial finishes when he gets into the paint. Especially a move stood out on Sunday night as Castle drove to the right baseline and used a Snatchback crossover that knocked down on 15-foot jumper and almost dropped the Thunder defender in the process. Despite being only 20 years old, Castle has shown that he has the tools that could make him a special player before rather than later.

Looking at the season holistic, Castle has struggled with efficiency shooting 41.9% off the field and 28.4% from three, both ranks to the bottom of the league among qualified players. While this is nothing for Spurs to feel good about, there is little reason to worry for a few reasons. The first would of course be his age and the time it takes to adapt to the NBA game. For the vast majority of rookies, they come into the league that has to learn to be productive in a minor role than the one they were used to in college. For Castle, it’s the opposite. He was more of a slasher and off-ball cut to his national champion Uconn team last year. Although he is not asked to carry the load to Spurs, Castle has more space and freedom to operate and create for himself within NBA distance.

Another reason why Castle’s inefficiency should not be a problem is because of the many ways he affects games and the versatility he possesses. At 6’6 and 215 lbs, Castle possesses unique size for a guard that allows him to play larger than his position. He had a couple of offensive rebounds for the second chance points against thunder, including one where he rose over seven-foot Isaiah Hartenstein for one and a setback. Castle also does a good job of cutting and finding open areas for Dumpoffs, which few guards are able to do in a ball -dominant league, and has shown a strong passing ability that can give him more reps on Ball next season.

Even with Castle’s inefficiency and occasional lapse on the defensive end, he possesses all the tools to become a special player in the NBA. With Victor Wembanyama out for the rest of the season, the spurs should prioritize Stephon Castle’s development and see what he could do with increased opportunities.

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