Spurs Rookie, Former UConn Star Leads Team In Plus/Minus During Home Opener Win
A former UConn Huskies star is quickly becoming an important player for the San Antonio Spurs in his rookie season.
Given his immense talent, high IQ, and NBA-ready athleticism, it’s no surprise that Stephon Castle is contributing to winning already. Castle impressed during preseason and caught the attention of his Hall of Fame head coach, Gregg Popovich, but it’s still nice to see Castle’s progress carry over to the start of the regular season.
Castle is the real deal, and the sky’s the limit for him as a two-way player in the league. He’s still only 19.
Castle turned in another solid statistical outing in his second NBA game on Saturday night, scoring 8 points and dishing out 3 assists in 27 minutes of action. Notably, Castle led all Spurs in plus/minus rating with a +5.
Castle was on the floor during crunch time and sank important free throws to clinch San Antonio’s first victory of the season over the Houston Rockets during the Spurs’ epic home opener.
After an all-around good debut for San Antonio in his first NBA game, Castle has now turned in two winning performances in as many games as an NBA player, and he’s only going to receive more minutes from Pop as the season moves forward.
Castle’s abilities as a defender are already elite. As his jump shot continues to develop, there could be a scary duo brewing in San Antonio. Castle and phenom Victor Wembanyama look like the makings of a Big 2 to build a contender around in years to come.
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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