Former UConn Star Stephon Castle Explodes For Career-High 33 In Spurs Loss
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San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle had the best game of his young career on Friday night versus the Charlotte Hornets.
The new-look Spurs ultimately lost the game, but they have to be thrilled with Castle’s explosive performance. The recent No. 4 overall pick out of UConn finished the contest with a career-high 33 points on 3-for-5 from three to go along with four rebounds, two assists, and his usual elite defense.
Castle was 10-for-15 from the field overall.
When Castle is hitting jump shots, he’s unstoppable on offense. Plus, he’s already proven that he has the talent to be a top-five perimeter defender in the world. In other words, Castle has a sky-high ceiling as a two-way player, and he’s still just 20 years old.
Friday’s breakout scoring night is sure to push Castle even further ahead in the Rookie of the Year race, which Castle was already leading. Other candidates include Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey of the Memphis Grizzlies, Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans, and Kel’el Ware of the Miami Heat.
But no rookie outside of the injured Jared McCain has turned more heads this season than Castle, who displayed immense talent at UConn under Dan Hurley but has accelerated his development even further since entering the NBA.
Castle is now averaging 12.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game for the Spurs.
After adding De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, San Antonio has to feel beyond secure about its backcourt heading into the future. Presuming Fox re-signs with the Spurs, a duo of Fox and Castle has a chance to become among the best guard combinations in the league.
Castle’s defense is what sets him apart. He has athletic gifts that very few people in the history of the league have had, and he already puts those gifts to use in optimal ways via a basketball IQ that’s far beyond his years.
Castle is a special talent, and there’s a strong case to be made that he should have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Regardless of what happens with Fox in the long term, the Spurs should make Castle untouchable in any trade talks if they haven’t already.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org