Former UConn Star Could Be Most 'Ready Now' NBA Rookie, Should Start For Spurs
The 2023-24 UConn Huskies had four players drafted in the ’24 NBA Draft, but one of those players stands out as being ready to contribute to NBA winning right away.
Six-foot-seven guard Stephon Castle was selected by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 4 overall, but he should’ve gone higher. Of the three guys taken ahead of Castle, only Reed Sheppard (No. 3 overall to the Houston Rockets) looks like he could have an equal or better NBA career than Castle.
Luckily for Castle, he fell to one of the strongest organizations in the league and will be playing for arguably the greatest coach of all time (Gregg Popovich), alongside arguably the best young player in the world (Victor Wembanyama).
The Spurs are also lucky to have landed Castle, whose size for position, length, athleticism, effort, instincts, and time spent with Dan Hurley make him poised to contribute immediately at the NBA level, at the very least defensively.
Castle has the physical tools to guard positions one through four in the NBA, which will make it difficult for Popovich to keep him off the floor, despite Castle not turning 20 years old until November.
Looking at San Antonio’s current roster, there’s even a strong argument to be made that Castle could and should start for the Spurs.
San Antonio’s locks for the starting five are Wembanyama, Chris Paul at point guard, shooting guard Devin Vassell, and presumably veteran wing Harrison Barnes. That fifth and final spot in the starting lineup will go to Jeremy Sochan or Castle (Keldon Johnson is not out of the question, either), depending on how big or small Popovich wants to start.
Sochan is a smidgen taller than Castle at six-foot-eight, but Castle is more explosive defensively and just as much of an asset on offense as Sochan, given Sochan’s mediocre shooting ability and the lukewarm returns on his experimental time spent at point guard.
It’s easy to get excited about a potential starting five in San Antonio of Paul-Vassell-Castle-Barnes-Wembanyama.
Ultimately, Castle should see a lot of playing time during his rookie season, regardless of whether or not he starts.
If he stays healthy, look for Castle to be a sleeper candidate for Rookie of the Year.
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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