NBA Rookies: Stephon Castle's Early Summer League Showing is Promising

While he still has much work to do in order to contribute meaningfully as a first-year player, the Spurs rookie has looked great through his first two NBA Summer League contests.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Stephon Castle arrives for the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As the San Antonio Spurs continue to be in a position to rapidly climb the NBA ranks in the coming years with Victor Wembanyama at the helm, surrounding him with talent will be key. With the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Spurs did just that in selecting UConn guard Stephon Castle.

Known for having elite size with natural point guard instincts and dominant defensive upside, there's no question that Castle has what it takes to be an All-Star level player in the NBA one day. For him, it was all about becoming a reliable 3-point shooter and overall more well-rounded offensive talent.

Through two NBA Summer League games, Castle has been nothing short of impressive. In his debut game, he scored just 12 points on as many shots, but added six boards and three assists while playing great perimeter defense. From there, he played his second game in a Spurs uniform on Tuesday night, where he poured in 18 points on 8-of-21 shooting, to go along with six rebounds and five assists.

Stephon Castle leads the way for the Spurs in their 89-67 victory over Team China at #NBASummer 🔥

18 PTS
6 REB
5 AST
3 STL pic.twitter.com/pRUF5io4Oa

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 10, 2024

The overall scoring efficiency certainly hasn't been there for Castle, as he has scored 30 points on 30 shots in NBA Summer League. But his 3-point jumper has been there, converting on four of his eight attempts thus far. If nothing else, that's a promising sign. Not only is he making his triples at a 50% clip, but he's shooting them with confidence.

When it comes to NBA Summer League, the numbers don't mean much. It's more about the big-picture takeaways and themes surrounding players as they put together a body of work. When it comes to confidence, poise and the ability to make big plays, Castle has met the mark thus far.

Stephon Castle been in the lab this offseason 👀 If he’s comfortable pulling up like that, Spurs will be thrilled with their PG of the future. CP3 will have a similar relationship to him as he did with SGA a few years back… pic.twitter.com/ueRhFBzycJ

— Savant Hoops (@SavantHoops) July 8, 2024

As he continues to adapt to the NBA game, Castle may struggle to score points efficiently. But his perimeter jumper looks great, he's cleaning the glass and dishing out assists, all while playing great point-of-attack defense.

San Antonio made a great pick at fourth overall in selecting Stephon Castle, who could end up being the second-best player on the Spurs when they end up getting back into the playoff picture.

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