There are not many players in the history of the NBA who can be aptly termed as a ‘cheat code.’ Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kevin Durant may come to mind, but Victor Wembanyama has undoubtedly speedily snuck into that list as well.
The 7 feet 4 inch giant does make things easy for his teammates, and San Antonio Spurs star Stephon Castle may have gone to considerable lengths to ensure he gets to play alongside Wemby, per The Athletic.
“I was just looking on the defensive side of things (in San Antonio), where being able to pair with Victor was definitely a plus in my eyes. I just thought it would have been a perfect fit, and I feel like it was,” he said.
Castle, who was picked as the fourth overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft, won Rookie of the Year in his first season. And despite seeing himself as the best player in his class long before that, was not concerned with his order of selection.
Instead, he wanted to join a team with a good fit, and prioritized outfits that did not have an established point guard.
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“I think being (in San Antonio) was always number one on my list. Internally, I always felt like I was the best player in that draft. (But) I didn’t know what could happen. So, I mean, I wasn’t really planning on playing in Houston. I didn’t really know how any of that worked. I was kind of hoping I could slide my way to San Antonio. It kind of worked out for me.”
Castle even avoided private workouts with such franchises, with the Houston Rockets one of the teams. The Rockets eventually selected Reed Sheppard with the No. 3 pick despite Ime Udoka being a huge fan of Castle.
However, due to the presence of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green, Castle and his camp send the “kind of signals” that eventually led him to the Spurs, just like he wanted.
There are not many players in the history of the NBA who can be aptly termed as a ‘cheat code. ’ Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kevin Durant may come to mind, but Victor Wembanyama has undoubtedly speedily snuck into that list as well.