On Wednesday, UConn Basketball star freshman Stephon Castle was drafted to the San Antonio Spurs with the 4th pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
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Castle has long since been projected to be a lottery selection, so the pick here is not surprising. The start to his freshman year was not without its hitches, but as the season came down to the wire, all became right.
His shot, which is still a question mark to many NBA teams, began to fall at the right time, hitting two in a Final Four win. That combined nicely with his other skills, all of which make him an extremely desirable building block for a team. He is regarded as the best on-ball defender in the draft, always picking up the best player from the opposing team and locking them down. Whether it was Northwestern’s Boo Buie, Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. or Alabama’s Mark Sears, he frustrated them tremendously.
Castle is also an excellent facilitator, which will translate well to the next level. If he can get his shooting to a consistent level, you’re looking at a player with All-Star potential who routinely puts himself on the All-Defensive team.
Another plus for Castle is his willingness to wait his turn. He played a role for UConn this year that might not have excited every prospect, especially as he had to defer at times to Tristen Newton. It ultimately worked out very well for everyone and there’s little doubt as to why Castle was picked in this spot.
TEAM FIT: SPURS
The Spurs are the ideal spot for Castle to land, getting to play for legendary coach Gregg Popovich and alongside rising superstar Victor Wenbanyama. San Antonio hasn’t done a ton of winning in the past few years in a significant rebuild, but they have a strong chance to make at least the play-in games with Castle in the fold.
They absolutely needed playmaking to compliment Wenbanyama–to throw him lobs, handle the ball and be steady when the lights get bright. The current backcourt wasn’t doing it for them, not playing well whenever they were on national TV.
Castle could be a day one starter for the Spurs just as he was at UConn. They need him to grow, but he could do that as he figures out the team’s system. San Antonio is going to be a force now with the best defender in the draft and the best rim-protector in the NBA. This is the best situation a UConn draft pick has entered in a long time.
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