2024 NBA Draft: Stephon Castle Getting Back On Track
Connecticut is off to a great start this season, as they’re currently ranked fourth in the country while having only two losses in 15 games played.
They are led by senior Cam Spencer, senior Tristen Newton, sophomore Alex Karaban and sophomore Donovan Clingan. The core of these four players have really led the way for the Huskies which is great as it has taken a ton of pressure off of the five-star freshman, Stephon Castle.
Castle had a really rough start to the season as he only played the first two games of the season before suffering a knee injury that had him sidelined for a month. When he returned after missing this stretch of action, he struggled a ton on the offensive end as he was still trying to get his feet back under him. The combination of his knee injury and subpar shooting really hurt his stock and he has recently seen his name slipping on mock drafts and draft boards.
Things are potentially looking a lot better now as these last two games he has looked like a different player. Castle is averaging 14 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 11-for-16 shooting in his last two games versus DePaul and Butler. The 6-foot-6 combo guard was showcasing his great finishing ability as he was converting on tough layups inside the painted area.
On the season Castle is shooting 66.7% inside the paint with 65% of his shot attempts being inside the painted area. His ability to get inside the paint and convert is really impressive. The passing ability has really popped these last two games but it has become very clear nine games into his collegiate career that he’s much more suited as a secondary playmaker rather than a primary.
The next step for Castle is for him to improve his outside shooting. On the season he’s shooting 3-for-16 on all jump-shots which is a poor 18.8%. His inability to make jumpers has affected him as a creator which is a big reason why I don’t quite see him as a primary at the next level. Although it may take time, he needs to make it a point of emphasis to become a more reliable shooter from the outside due to him not being some athletic specimen.
Overall Castle is still projected as a fringe top-ten pick despite his struggles this season due to this year’s draft being a bit weaker than we are used to seeing and with him showing some legit potential if he’s able to unlock his shooting. If the freshman guard can continue playing as well as he has been these last two games then there’s a real chance Castle can sneak his name back into top-five pick conversions, especially if his team keeps winning.
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