Stephon Castle kept on impressing after a Rookie of the Year campaign, but what can the Spurs hope to get going forward from its No. 2 option?
The reigning Rookie of the Year in the NBA continued to level up in year two, as Stephon Castle became a serious star for San Antonio in its climb toward the upper echelon of the league.
The primary shooting guard provided a dynamic offense and defensive punch in the backcourt opposite of fellow young standout Victor Wembanyama in the frontcourt.
Castle made appearances in 68 regular season games for the Spurs this past year, getting the starting nod in all but one of those affairs. Across those matchups, he posted averages of nearly 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
His push toward becoming the true number two option in San Antonio lasted well into the postseason, where Castle started in all 23 of the Spurs outings in their run toward the NBA Finals.
Much like most of the rest of the Spurs roster, Castle made his playoff debut but played like a seasoned veteran throughout the lengthy stint.
He upped his points per game to over 18 and kept his other stats mostly identical while stepping up and taking over games on multiple occasions.
Castle is not going anywhere anytime soon for the Spurs, with those stellar performances to start his career only helping that case. So what can San Antonio expect to see from its blooming star in the coming years?
For starters, the Spurs can rely on the same type of play they have been getting from Castle the past two seasons. That includes his strong scoring ability while also being able to facilitate the rest of the offense around him.
Which leads into one of the biggest issues for Castle so far in his career. Although he is a strong passer and shot creator, his skills as a ball handler are lacking to say the least. In the regular season alone, Castle committed over 200 turnovers, which was around 40 more than he had in his rookie campaign.
Despite the Spurs having solid options at point guard between veteran De'Aaron Fox and yet another sensational young talent in Dylan Harper, they could benefit from having its main guard develop a stronger sense of control.
If for no other reason than to limit the amount of turnovers given up, which is reason enough for a team hoping to be playing well into the twilight of the calendar once again.
That being said, no one is immune from improvement, even Wembanyama, especially after falling short of the ultimate goal of adding banner number six to the rafters of Frost Bank Center.
And Castle has been shown to possess much more poise than usual for a second-year starter with the natural talent to boot. As he continues to grow, he should be a fixture of not only the Spurs but the entire NBA.
FINAL GRADE: A, 2026 OUTLOOK: Second in Command, Main Scoring Guard
