For the second season in a row, the San Antonio Spurs are favored to win Rookie of the Year. After Victor Wembanyama ran away with the award last season, Stephon Castle is the favorite to win it this season, although it likely won't be in the same unanimous landslide.
On Saturday, the Spurs lost to the Boston Celtics, but Castle was one of the best players on the court, which seems to be routine at this point. The rookie scored 22 points and dished out eight assists, although his outside shooting continued to be a problem, going just one-for-seven from behind the arc.
After the game, Castle revealed why he thinks his first NBA season has been so productive.
The Spurs rank seventh in the league in assists per game, with 28.9. Of course, a lot of that comes from Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama, who is an underrated passer, but Castle's slashing abilities have benefited greatly from his teammates' abilities to find him.
"A lot of that comes from my teammates setting me up and being in good positions," said Castle on his scoring ability. "Getting me the ball in the right spots, and my ability to draw fouls has also helped me get to the free-throw line and get easier buckets."
This season, Castle leads all rookies with 291 free-throw attempts. In fact, he ranks 20th in the entire league in attempts per game.
While he has no problem getting to the rim, absorbing contact, and finishing in a crowded lane, he knows he has a lot to work on, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
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He is shooting only 28.5 percent from deep, which remains his biggest weakness.
"Something I want to get better on is effecency and keeping my turnovers down," he explained.
He averages only two turnovers per game, which is solid, and the Spurs as a whole gave up the ball only four times against Boston, so it's clear that he's improved in that side of his game.
Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 1:25 PM.
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