Stephon Castle was seen on video working with Olin Simplis, also known as "The Guard Whisperer." Simplis is a basketball trainer, and he's worked with players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Evan Mobley, and the guy everyone expects to be named Most Valuable Player of the NBA tonight, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
All three players left glowing testimonials about their experience with Simplis, and now that Stephon Castle is working with him, fans should get excited about the young guard's upside. He's taking his offseason seriously, and his focus on the little things while addressing his shooting will take him to the all-star tier Spurs Nation knows he's capable of reaching.
Castle's value has been unfairly questioned lately
You would think that winning Rookie of the Year and earning All-Rookie First Team honors would earn a player some grace and optimism, but that hasn't been the case for the former UConn champion. The combination of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation and the acquisition of the second pick in the upcoming draft has made people question Castle.
There have been claims that his draft class was weak, as if that's his fault. That doesn't change the fact that he had an impressive season. They may look at his 14.7 points per game and think that wasn't anything to be excited about, but those are just stat watchers. If they paid attention to the games, they'd see what most of Spurs Nation sees in him.
Not to mention, while his scoring average was the 14th lowest for a ROY winner in league history, there are several notable past winners who scored fewer. Wes Unseld, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Jason Kidd are among them. Those guys ended up being pretty good, if you ask me.
When looking at some of the players who flamed out despite a higher scoring average, you see names like Michael Carter-Williams—he's a boxer now—Tyreke Evans, and Ben Simmons. That should be an irrefutable argument in favor of patience. You never know how a player is going to turn out, but he deserves time to grow, especially if he's doing all the right things.
Castle gets into the paint almost at will. His explosiveness at the basket puts defenses on their heels, and he knows that, so he attacks the interior consistently. However, seeking out the Guard Whisperer and drilling his shotmaking lets us know that he knows what he needs to work on, and he's determined to improve. That deserves to be applauded.