Stephon Castle had a very impressive performance as a Spurs starter against Portland Trailblazers scoring 14 points with 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Castle started in place of Jeremy Sochan who fractured the proximal phalanx running into a screen near the Clippers bench late in the second quarter.
The former UConn Husky outplayed his counterpart Donovan Clingan, who went scoreless in 12 minutes of action: Castle and Clingan were teammates at UConn, where they defeated Purdue for the NCAA Championship earlier this year.
Stephon Castle has already shown his explosive play on both ends of the floor making an impact on the game as a reserve off the bench. Now that he has completed his first official NBA start for the Spurs, the sentiment is clear: Castle will be in the Rookie Of The Year conversation amongst the league.
On Saturday, Stephon Castle scored 23 points in a heartbreaking loss to the Utah Jazz 111-110, his fearless play on both sides of the floor provided an immediate impact for the Spurs. Castle continues to prove he belongs in the NBA, but most importantly, he's been able to adapt from a rotational second-unit player to becoming the latest rookie to start this season.
Stephon Castle is the Spurs’ ultimate prototype, a player who could run the point and also guard the 1-3 when given the assignment. In a short period, Castle’s confidence in his shot has improved dramatically; he shoots in rhythm and is not afraid to pull up from long range.
Castle has been able to accomplish what many other fellow 2024 Draft Picks have not been able to, and that is be able to carve out a consistent role in producing statistics that correlate with his play. Stephon Castle may not be a name most will include in the race for the rookie of the year conversation; however, with the young rookie embracing the opportunities given, it's safe to assume he is not too far behind in the topic of discussion.
Steve Aschburner recently wrote an article titled KIA Rookie Ladder via NBA.com and Stephon Castle was not considered for the top 10 list of the KIA rookie rankings. At the time of the article, Zach Edey and Kyshawn George were the only rookies to score 20 points in a game; you can now add Stephon Castle to that list when he dropped 23 points on the Utah Jazz.
Stephon Castle is averaging 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game; as the usage rate continues to increase for the Spurs, so will his numbers for the season.
If Alexander the Great became king of Macedonia at the age of 20 in 336 B.C.E, then Stephon is deserving of being crowned King of the Castle.
References
Castle & Clingan Jersey Swap via @NBA_University
Stephon Castle Highlights via @NBA_University
Stephon Castle via Point Made Basketball
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