The San Antonio Spurs are absolutely red hot right now, rolling into their NBA Cup game against Golden State on a ridiculous 10-game winning streak, and if you aren’t paying attention to Stephon Castle, you’re missing the whole story. This dude, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year, is playing like a seasoned vet in his third season, and it’s making all the difference.
That Hustle Play No One Saw Coming
You want to talk about impact? Forget the box score for a second. Last week, in their 125-103 beatdown of Portland, there was this play in the second quarter. The shot clock was ticking down, Devin Vassell had to heave a contested jumper, and it looked like a wasted possession. The ball just grazed the basket, bounced, and was heading out of bounds. But then, Stephon Castle, man, he swooped in, grabbed that ball midair, fired it right back to Vassell in one smooth motion, and then fell in front of the photographers! Vassell then drained a corner three, pushing their lead to seven points. Yeah, Victor Wembanyama dropped 29 points in just 24 minutes that night, but Coach Mitch Johnson put the post-game spotlight square on Castle. Johnson said, and I quote, “Steph Castle took over the game there in the second quarter just in terms of the physicality and the competitiveness he played with and the execution and the poise and composure. And our guys followed him.” That’s high praise, and it’s earned.
Maturity Is His Secret Weapon
It’s not just one play either. Castle is setting the tone, high-level competitive fire on both ends of the court. He is fighting through screens on defense, pushing the pace on offense, basically doing everything. His teammate, De’Aaron Fox, put it perfectly when asked about that insane save against the Blazers. Fox said, “Yeah, just small things he does that help us win. And usually when you talk about those (small) things, it’s with players that don’t score that much or that don’t play the heavy minutes Steph plays. But he does everything for us, whether that’s score the ball, get guys involved, defend at a high level, rebound, get loose balls. He does everything.” Seriously, everything! Coach Johnson highlighted Castle’s maturity, saying, “He’s attacking the season like he always has, but the maturity (stands out).” The 22-year-old guard, who was a No. 4 overall pick, had a killer game against the Blazers with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in just 24 minutes. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists through their 10-2 start. Castle himself says it all comes from just being around the league longer: “Just coming into my third year, I’m not going to say I haven’t seen things as many times as I could, but I’ve seen situations enough times to know how to react to them or know how to handle them. So, yeah, I’ve leveled up my maturity in my game.” And his teammate Julian Champagnie backs that up, noting Castle has “been great with getting more mature, learning the game a lot more.” This guy is an absolute spark plug.
The Spurs have an NBA Cup game against Golden State tonight, and you can bet Castle’s competitive fire will be blazing. He is a huge reason they’re on this incredible 10-game run, and the league better be ready for what he’s bringing this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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