Spurs Rookie Records Near Triple-Double Against East's Top Team

The San Antonio Spurs nearly pulled off an upset over the Eastern Conference's top team on Friday night.

The Spurs were defeated 114-113 after initially falling behind by 23 points before clawing back into the game, San Antonio was led by strong performances from Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and rookie Stephon Castle.

Castle finished with 22 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and a steal in the narrow loss, shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range. Castle's outing was enough to nearly topple the Cavaliers, despite the Spurs being without Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.

Castle's performance is the latest in a stretch of strong showings from the former Connecticut standout, who is currently the frontrunner to win the NBA Rookie of the Year of the award.

On the season, Castle is averaging 14.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and 28.4% from beyond the arc. While the 6-foot-6 20-year-old still needs to make strides as a shooter, his all-around impact on the game has been a bright spot for the Spurs this year.

While losing Wembanyama and Fox has hurt the San Antonio's record this season, it has give Castle more opportunities to run the team's offense and be a primary ball handler. Next season, the young trio of Wembanyama, Fox and Castle should be enough to compete for a spot in the postseason.

Castle was a top five selection in the 2024 NBA Draft after helping Connecticut to its second consecutive national championship. As a true freshman, Castle averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on the Huskies' title team.

The former UConn star earned Big East All-Freshman and NCAA All-Tournament honors for his efforts in 2023-24.

Coming out of Newton High School in Georgia, Castle was a 5-star prospect, rated the No. 9 overall player and No. 2 combo guard in the 2023 recruiting class.

If Castle does end up winning Rookie of the Year, it will mark the second consecutive season that a Spurs player has won the award after Wembanyama won it last season.

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