Sophomore slump schlo-phomore schlump. As the Spurs look to take that next step into contender status, many of their hopes rest beyond the (now clot-free) shoulders of Victor Wembanyama. Reigning rookie of the year Stephon Castle will look to ascend higher than his already impressive inaugural NBA season.
ESPN’s Jimmy Woo ranked the most intriguing second-year players heading into the season, and Castle came in second behind Houston Rocket Reed Sheppard.
“Rookie season superlative: A solid debut season earned
Castle Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 14.7 points and 4.1 assists in 26.7 minutes and making 47 starts for the Spurs. Predictably, he struggled with efficiency (42.8% FG and 28.5% from 3), but was solid defensively and played better after the All-Star break, benefiting from the freedom San Antonio gave him. Why he’s ranked here: As the Spurs continue their journey to build a contender around Victor Wembanyama, who appears all set to return from a blood clot, the most important factor other than his health is how well San Antonio’s guards can mesh around him. Trading for De’Aaron Fox naturally reduced some of Castle’s ball-handling duties. The unexpected lottery jump that landed the Spurs the No. 2 pick in Dylan Harper gives them a third wheel in the backcourt. It’s an exciting development for the roster, but it will also require all three players to make adjustments. Castle is far from his potential, but also the most natural candidate of the three to step into a more versatile two-way role, thanks to his size, instincts on the defensive end and unselfish tendencies on offense. He’s still going to have to make a lot more shots from long range to truly excel away from the ball, particularly in the context of what San Antonio’s lineups will presumably look like. The Spurs will have to stagger their guards creatively, not only to win games but to give Harper and Castle the best opportunities to get comfortable. Considering the change in context — and the added impetus to make the playoffs the further along the Spurs move with Wembanyama — how malleable Castle can be and in what ways he can sharpen his game may be highly consequential to how things unfold in San Antonio, and how central he becomes to this next iteration of the team.”
Improving his jump shot is more attainable in Castle’s case than asking either of the other two to add Stephon’s size or defense. While Wembanyama is the central piece that all things Spurs revolve in his orbit, it’s essential to see the full development of all the other pieces for the team’s championship aspirations to be fulfilled.
De’Aaron Fox and rookie Dylan Harper are shiny new additions, but Castle is a big part of what will ultimately dictate the team’s success in the upcoming season — especially if he can avoid the notorious slump and instead take a sophomore leap.
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