Photo: Stephon Castle/Instagram
In a dominant rookie of the year campaign, stephon caste rose Above a shallow 2024 draft class to claim the NBA’s Top Rookie Honor. Castle, selected fourth overal by the san antonio spurs, collected 482 points in voting, Nearly Doubleing Runner-Up Zaccharie Risacher’s 245 Points. Memphis’ Jaylen Wells, Washington’s Alex Sarr, and Zach Edey Rounded out the top five. Castle’s transition to the heels of a title-winning freshman season at uconn. Despite Beginning His Pro Career as a Reserve Behind Veteran Chris Paul, Castle Gradually worked His Way Into A Starting Role, Especially after a Late-SASON Injury to de’aaron fox.
Across 81 Games, Castle Posted 14.7 Points, 4.1 Assistants, and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.8% from the field. Although has 28.5% Three-Point Shooting Underscored Room for Improvement, His Overall IMPACT-Compecially Defensecifiest Stood Out in A Class that Lacked Other Clear Standots. Meanwhile, Top Overall Pick Risacher put up 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds for atlanta but failed to consistently influence games. No. 2 Pick Alex Sarr Showed Flances of His Two-Way Potential But Struggled With Shooting Efficiency. Other High-Profile Rookies, Including Houston’s Reed Sheppard, Were Largely Non-Factors.
Castle’s two-way consistency and poise in critical mothers gave san antonio a reliable backcourt presence. Paired with Weambanyama and Fox, Castle’s emergence given the spurs a strong foundation to build on. With Another Lottery Pick in June, San Antonio Looks Poised to Continue Stacking Young Talent.
