Spurs' Stephon Castle reveals specific area he wants to improve on amid rookie season

03/31/2025 07:27 AM

In a stretch of four consecutive games that pitted the San Antonio Spurs against teams that are firmly entrenched in the NBA playoff picture, their standout rookie Stephon Castle has continued to shine.

Versus the Detroit Pistons, the former UConn Husky scored 19 points. At the Cleveland Cavaliers, he put in 22 points. Against the defending champion Boston Celtics, he again registered 22. And in just 22 minutes vs. the Golden State Warriors, he scored nine in a game that saw the Spurs total just 106 in their most lopsided loss of the season.

For the season, Castle has 22 contests in which he’s scored at least 20. No other rookie has even half as many games.

The 20-year-old guard has moved the Rookie of the Year race to a point where his chances of winning the award need to transition from “favorite” and “likely” to inevitable.

Even still, when asked by ClutchPoints about what’s proven a worthy first season, the Covington, Georgia native took time to focus on what he’s not yet doing.

“Going into next year, something I want to continue to get better on is efficiency. Stuff like that, keeping my turnover numbers down."

Talked w/Stephon Castle about his continued offensive output. W/22 last night, it was his 22nd game w/20+ pts this season. No other #NBA rookie has half as many such games

Constantly looking forward…

"Something I want to continue to get better on is efficiency"

Full answer pic.twitter.com/nAE9hepAAL

— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) March 30, 2025

It’s not a surprising answer from a young man who’s downplayed the Rookie of the Year race since he’s taken its center stage.

Stephon Castle reflects on  rookie season

ClutchPoints asked Castle a couple of questions about a season that’s seen him average about 14 and a half points, nearly four assists and almost three and a half rebounds per contest.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” last year’s national champion at Connecticut admitted.

“Just really playing my game, honestly. Not really trying to look at that too much,” Castle continued. “I feel like it just comes with it. I feel like a lot of that comes from my teammates setting me up, putting me in good positions, getting me the ball in the right spots. My ability to draw fouls has also helped me in getting to the free throw line, getting easier buckets.”

While the Pistons and Warriors are both in the middle of their respective playoff pictures, the Cavaliers and Celtics are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. All of them are headed to the playoffs. And against them, Castle’s game met the match-ups.

“I feel like my confidence level doesn’t really drop depending on who’s on the court,” the NBA Rising Star said. “I feel like, at the end of the day, it’s still basketball, you’ve still got to go out there and compete. I look at it as a blessing, an opportunity to be able to share the court with those guys every day, do what we love to do. I wouldn’t shy away from those kinds of moments.”

The fourth overall pick of this past summer’s NBA draft, the Spurs hoped Castle would prove a key piece of their future.

“Just reflecting on the year. I feel like it’s been a good year. It could have been better.”

From Castle’s mouth to the ears of opponents for seasons to come, it’s a frightening thought.

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