Stephon Castle is the name that kept the audience on the edge of their seats in the 2024 NCAA National Championship Tournament. His slick moves had made one of the toughest shots look like a walk in the park. With the 2024 NBA draft to be held later this month, the lone season guard has become one of the top 10 prospects to be drafted into the major league by either the San Antonio Spurs or the Houston Rockets.

Meanwhile, the Spurs are more likely looking for players who could run the front with ease next to Victor Wembanyama, and Castle fits into this description just like a missing piece of the puzzle. In his freshman season at UConn, Castle demonstrated the symphony, playing next to the 7-foot-3 Donovan Clinghan, which was more than evident. With his above 6-foot stance, he poses as a big guard who brings versatility to the play, while smoothly transitioning into a strong offense. So, let’s revisit Castle’s journey as the top-10 NBA prospects.

Stephon Castle’s journey to greatness

Born in Covington, Georgia, Castle attended Newton High School. In his third season therein, Castle impressively averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Then as a high school senior, the four-star recruit was named to the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game while he concluded his high school career averaging 20.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists 3 steals, and 2 blocks per game. Moreover, he carried the Newton Rams to the Class 7A State quarterfinals. However, by the end of his senior year, he was re-rated as a five-star recruit.

Attracted by his skilled moves and ability to make key plays, several leading programs including Auburn, Arkansas, Ohio State, Georgia, and Georgia Tech lined up to offer lucrative recruitment to Castle. However, he had already made up his mind and committed to play for UConn early in 2021, in his junior season.

Starting his collegiate career, Castle enrolled at UConn in 2023 and dropped 20 times a double-digit score in the first season. He registered his first career double-double in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 against San Diego State with 16 points and 11 rebounds. As a UConn freshman, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

Not only this, Castle also represented the U.S. at the 2022 FIBA under-18 Americas Championship and won the gold medal, averaging 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. With his prominence in the NCAA, Castle redefined the parameters of agility that keeps the opponents guessing in fades and the fans anticipated for his next move. But, how could he benefit the Spurs with his skillset?

Weighing the pros and cons

As mentioned above, Castle is a player who had already been on the court with a towering teammate in Donovan Clinghan. And it is needless to say the chemistry these two have on the court. A quick learner, Castle can easily blend in with the team, dunk unnaturally and even dish out impressively to Wembanyama.

His variety of passes include halfcourt, high-lows, and his transition along with the ball movement makes him a lethal package on the offense. Similarly, he knows how to cut in and make backdoor shots with utter ease. On the defensive, he moves speak more highly of his refined court vision as he is efficient in his footwork and can easily anticipate the opponent’s next move.

Dominating on the front, however, Stephon Castle needs to work up on his 3-point shooting. He could shoot only 26.7% beyond the arc in his freshman season. He is fast, but, not fast enough, given the type of players he will be facing in the NBA, and needs to get those shots through the bucket to avoid spacing issues.