Thunder Draft Report: UConn's Stephon Castle

Connecticut guard Stephon Castle gives playmaking and inside-the-arc scoring with better-than-average defense. Could he fit with the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Mar 6, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) during the / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Despite battling for a top spot in the Western Conference, the OKC Thunder still have an absorbent amount of picks, including a projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Let’s take a look at Stephon Castle and how he would fit in the Thunder system.

Draft Profile 

• Height: 6'7
• Weight: 190
• Wingspan: N/A
• Age: 19
• School: UCONN

Quick Scouting Report

Castle has helped lead the Huskies to another successful regular season, now in a prime position for another deep tournament run as UConn hopes to go back-to-back as National Champions. This season the freshman has shown high-level playmaking and a never-ending motor.

Strengths and Weakness

Strengths

Castle is a fantastic playmaker who understands the game. He takes what the defense gives him, rarely sped up instead letting the game come to him. He has a great ability to keep defenses on their heels using more than one speed or direction to navigate past the opposition.

The freshman swingman can make every pass. No matter if you need him to keep the offense in flow or create in the pick-and-roll he can do it all. Castle will be a rim-running bigs best friend which is why the Huskies have enjoyed success this season.

Thanks to his frame, body control, and ability to blend finesse and power Castle dominates at the rim to the tune of 59 percent at the cup. He can finish through contact or use his length to get out of trouble. That rim-finishing upside and athleticism should encourage NBA teams that Castle can turn into a high-level off-ball cutter as well.

Castle has the potential to be a defensive ace at the next level with his activity level away from the ball and his ability to frustrate matchups on the ball. The 19-year-old can switch around the perimeter and take on the assignment of defending the best scorer on the floor.

Weaknesses

His floor spacing on offense will be a massive concern which can limit the rim scorer in a big way with teams playing off him at the NBA level. While he might get hot every now and then, shooting 28 perfect from 3-point land and the same on catch-and-shoot chances isn't encouraging. However, Castle does pass the 70 percent from the free throw line benchmark which has been used to project shooting touch as players develop.

Not being able to score outside the paint and not being a good enough creator to lead an offensive charge for 30-plus minutes a night with the ball in his hands really caps his ceiling.

Availability

• Draft Digest: 10
• Ringer Guide: 6
• ESPN Mock: 15
• The Athletic: 5
• Bleacher Report: 27
• CBS: 10
• Draft Net: 9
• Tankathon: 10

Thunder Fit

Future Role 

Shooting is going to be the swing skill for Castle. If he can learn to knock down catch-and-shoot attempts playing alongside prolific scorers, it can unlock a new element of his game as an offensive weapon. As things stand now, the shooting concern would cram the floor too much rendering him a liability on that end of the floor.

Rotation Fit 

It would be hard to immediately slot Castle over anyone in the Thunder rotation at least until that shot came around. The Huskie product would likely need a ton of seasoning in the NBA G League while working with Chip Engelland in Oklahoma City. Though, on a team that could use a playmaking wing, his defensive prowess makes him playable right away. It is just tough to see that team being Oklahoma City.

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