Stephon Castle Is the Next Great NBA Guard from UConn
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The snow blanketing the ground, static for seemingly months, begins to melt away as the Sun's rays burn through the dark clouds of an overcast winter sky, signaling the beginning of a new season.
February gives way to March, and one of America's great pastimes, football, gives way to another cultural touchstone: Dr. James Naismith's basketball.
This time of year, the particular focus is on the collegiate level. The amplification of the NCAA's league defines this sporting season, as "March Madness," a catch-all for the postseason, begins to come to fruition.
Everyone gets involved. Of course, in classic fashion, the college basketball writer finishes in last place in his office pool, losing to a person whose sole knowledge of the sport boils down to mascot size and another whose decisions took serious influence from university color scheme.
In the United States, it's NCAA Tournament time.
A Dominant Program
There are 358 Division-I teams in NCAA basketball, but right now, one stands alone as the premier program in the country: Connecticut.
After defeating San Diego State to win their fifth National Title since 1999, the Huskies lost plenty of talent to the 2023 NBA Draft – and when looking back at the roster, it is not all that surprising how dominant they were throughout the postseason considering the amount of pure talent playing together.
Two-guard Jordan Hawkins went No. 14 to the Pelicans, while Andre Jackson Jr. went No. 36 to the Bucks (via the Magic). Big man Adama Sanogo also earned a two-way contract with the G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, and lost a star and a veteran presence in guard RJ Cole, who now plays in Europe.
Yet despite the exodus of not only talent, but also experience, UConn may be better this year than they were last.
This Huskies team has a chance to repeat as National Champions for the first time in the sport's recent history. In 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, Billy Donovan's Florida Gators won back-to-back titles with a team led by Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and Al Horford.
In 2024, UConn again boasts one of the most talented rosters in the country. Coach Dan Hurley was able to bring back forward Alex Karaban, guard Tristen Newton, and center Donovan Clingan, as well as bring in five-star guard Stephon Castle, the highlight of today's piece, to help run the offense.
And run the offense he has.
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The Offense
The first thing that pops about Castle is the size and build.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, he has wing size but combo guard skills. He's not the fastest guy on the court, and won't blow by opponents with an explosive first step, but he's strong enough to keep defenders on his hip and get to the rim using physicality versus speed.
The way he sort of pokes and prods through the defense with his handle, using his stature to hold position and get to his spot, reminds me a bit of Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black, who played at Arkansas last year.
That's not to say they have similar play styles (they don't particularly), but the ball-handling, size and pace serve as common denominators between the two lottery-pick jumbo guards.
One of the things to like about Castle is that he's efficient: according to Synergy Sports, Castle ranks in the 68th percentile, or "Very Good," in points per possession, averaging 0.972 PPP. While not a three-point shooter, he still manages an impressive 55.3% true shooting.
He's especially effective at scoring in transition, where Synergy has Castle considered as "Excellent." Watching him play in the break, it's not surprising that he has good percentages, often putting himself in great position to score by effectively running in his lane and giving the transition ball handler an easy dump-off look.
In the paint, Castle is a crafty finisher, able to use a myriad of moves to create enough separation to make his takes easier. His shot IQ is generally very high, as he doesn't often take bad shots.
While his three-point shot leaves quite a bit to be desired, he does hit at a decent 73.8% from the free-throw line, meaning there is a possibility his takes from deep could improve over time, though it will likely never be a strength.
Defensive Game
Defensively, Castle is typically decent, but can also be hit-or-miss. While the size lends itself to physicality, he has demonstrated some issues with screen navigation when chasing smaller, faster players around the floor in off-ball situations.
While this could limit him on that side of the floor, he does have the ability to fight through picks due to his strength, meaning he's more easily able to defend bigger guards as the size of the pick man won't give him as much trouble.
The other upside to his size on the defensive end is that he will be able to play against wings and smaller forwards, and won't be restricted to simply guarding ones or twos.
This versatility is imperative in the NBA, where switching on ball screens is such a common strategy. On nearly very possession in any given NBA game, there will be some mismatch on the floor that favors the offense.
Due to Castle's size and ability, however, this kind of mismatch will rarely be one where he is the weak link.
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Draft Range
In a draft with a lot of questions, especially near the top, Stephon Castle seems like a pretty obvious answer.
The nebulous potential of so many of these prospects makes this a draft that will have General Manager's sweating like someone just threw on a record by The Weeknd circa 2013 (House of Balloons anyone?).
Castle has so many translatable skills as a wing-sized combo guard that he could very easily find himself in the top five of the 2024 NBA Draft.
On the low end, Castle will almost certainly be taken off the board before or around the No. 10 pick – he won't get past San Antonio's second pick, especially if, for whatever reason, they don't use their first pick on a lead guard.
Even if they do, Castle would still be an excellent pickup, as he doesn't have to be on ball. He could absolutely play with guys like Nikola Topic or Reed Sheppard, to name a couple from this class, as the Spurs just desperately need playmaking, both primary and tertiary/off-ball.
Stephon Castle is a cog in a well-oiled machine, a part of a buzzsaw wreaking havoc across the NCAA basketball landscape. How he will contribute at the next level will be an interesting storyline to follow in the 2024-25 NBA Season.
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