While the centerpiece of the San Antonio Spurs is undoubtedly Victor Wembanyama, rookie Stephon Castle is emerging as a very real core player, perhaps even passing Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan.
While his play recently contributed to some bias, he has been solid all season, averaging 13.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game while being the best perimeter defender from the 2024 draft class.
While some would say that Memphis Grizzlies' standout Jaylen Wells should win Rookie of the Year, Castle's long-term outlook makes him a safe bet to have a lucrative and long career.
"He went through some early slumps, including his first eight games of the season and a 12-game stretch when he moved to the bench in December," outlined The Athletic'sSam Vencenie (subscription required). "Those games account for one-third of his season and are primarily responsible for why he has a true-shooting percentage that is 10 percent below league average. However, no rookie in the league is playing better right now. Over his last 19 games, Castle is averaging 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from 3, and 72.8 percent from the line. His true-shooting percentage over that time has spiked up to 55.4. He's a tough-minded defender who takes on difficult assignments nightly and consistently creates deflections and steals."
Castle, unlike Wembanyama and past Rookies of the Year, is still very much a work in progress. He shoots only 28.2 percent from 3-point range and 42.5 percent from the floor, but if he can tighten up his shot, he will be a very well-rounded two-way guard who can impact winning.
"Castle is going to be as valuable as his shooting allows him to be," predicted Vencenie. "If he can keep growing and become a real shooter off the catch, he projects to be an incredibly high-level wing in between De'Aaron Fox and Wembanyama who can attack closeouts, get downhill and act as a secondary shot creator. If he can't shoot, a lot of those things fall apart."
Related: Spurs Get Dire Injury Update Before Playing Mavericks
Vencenie then claimed that Castle has the most All-Star potential out of anyone in the draft, and it's hard to argue with that. No one in the 2024 draft class appears to be destined to be a high-level first-option, but elite second-options like Jaylen Brown, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving have all been rewarded in the past, and if Castle's shot starts to fall, it's easy to see him overtake Fox as the second-best player on the roster.
Moving forward, if the Spurs can boast a long-term starting five of Fox, Castle, Vassell, Sochan, and Wembanyama, it's hard to see them missing the playoffs ever once that core hits their stride, and in the 2025 Draft, San Antonio will be able to add even more young talent.
Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Related: Spurs' Recent Slump Revealed Even More in NBA Power Ranking
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 4:24 PM.