This was supposed to be the season when San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama took the league by storm and led the team to its first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season. This was the year he was on course to win his first of what should be his first of many Defensive Player of the Year Awards while achieving other accolades along the way.
Unfortunately, Wembanyama was lost for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot discovered in his shoulder and the team has regressed as a result. Whenever Wembanyama has played, the Spurs have comprised a 21-25 record. Since he's been out the team has a 7-13 record and faces an uphill battle to even qualify for the Play-In Tournament. Although the Spurs are missing their generational superstar, the idea for their remaining games is to continue to allow the young core to develop and gain experience so they will be ready to contribute next season.
Out of all of the Spurs young players, rookie sensation Stephon Castle has been a player who has stepped up and is blossoming into the type of player the organization envisioned when they drafted him with the 4th overall selection. There are naturally gifted basketball players who just understand the game and Castle has all the tools that fit that criteria. His statistics have improved dramatically across the board since Wembanyama's been ruled out and he is proving that he can be a reliable, dependable number 2 option in the future.
Castle's Stats Before Wemby's Injury | Castle's Stats After Wemby's Injury |
|---|---|
11.7 PPG | 17.5 PPG |
2.6 RPG | 3.8 RPG |
3.9 APG | 3.1 APG |
38 % FG | 47 % FG |
What's scary is that Castle isn't even finished with his rookie season and is already developing into a lethal midrange shooter who isn't afraid to attack the rim. His Shooting mechanics are already where they need to be, but he just needs to develop a little more touch which will come with time. Rewinding back to the 2024 NBA Draft, let's not forget that the Spurs had the 8th overall selection and traded it away, which says a lot about the Spurs front office and their their confidence in Castle's capabilities.
"He is very versatile, tough, and smart. Most of the time you do not see highly rated players go to a school and be willing to play a role. He played on the ball and off the ball in high school and was doing things that he was not able to showcase sometimes at UCONN because they were so good and deep and they were experienced. So that ability to sacrifice for the betterment of the team was something that stood out to us."Brian Wright Spurs GM
His defense and ability to pass and to be able to clearly see the floor are already there and those skills will only improve. The main thing Castle has to focus on is finding multiple ways to score. Once he learns how to consistently get to the free-throw line, it will be a huge plus for the Spurs.
Castle is also great at driving and finishing as he possesses impressive strength and balance, especially impressive for a rookie. He also has good intuition when it comes to screening and off-ball positioning and has the ability to play both guard spots. The Spurs front office knew Castle would be good but they have to be ecstatic that he turned out to be this good this early in his career. Castle showed earlier in the season that he possesses the tools that make him a valuable player and for him to show so many flashes of putting it all together is a very encouraging sign.
Hopefully, Castle can lead the Spurs for the remainder of the season and be able to finish strong as he gives the organization a glimpse of what the future could be like and what they can look forward to during the next couple of years. He already has the most 20-point games among NBA rookies with 17 and Castle also has a pair of games in which he scored 30-plus points. With Castle, Wembanyama, DeAaron Fox, and Jeremy Sochan all healthy next season, that core should definitely get the Spurs to the postseason sooner rather than later.
The Spurs could also gain another impact player if they are able to strike gold once again as they have a history of doing in the draft as they own 2 1st round picks in the upcoming draft. The Spurs know they have a special player in Castle, and it's just a matter of time when the rebuild will finally be complete and it may just be a matter of time before we see the next great Spurs dynasty.