Stephon Castle had himself a busy NBA All-Star Weekend, between the Rising Stars Challenge, the Slam Dunk Contest and the All-Star Games. But while the San Antonio Spurs young standout’s plate was fuller than most, he still had what he calls a triumphant debut.
“As a rookie, I feel like that was definitely a successful weekend,” Castle said.
Castle won the Most Valuable Player award of the Rising Stars Challenge, which combines the league’s top rookie and second-year players. The following night he came in second in the dunk competition to Mac McClung, who won his third straight championship. Then on the centerpiece Sunday, Castle’s squad, by virtue of winning the Rising Stars mini tournament, pushed Shaquille O’Neal’s team made up of veteran All-Stars.
“I’d say it was a successful weekend. I got to participate in events on all three days,” Castle reiterated of his time in San Francisco, California.
When discussing “successful,” it’s actually a stretch that dates back over the last month and a half.
Stephon Castle’s All-Star Weekend comes off Rookie of the Month
Castle won the Western Conference KIA Rookie of the Month for January.
He appeared in 12 games (10 starts) over that span, averaging a rookie-best 14.9 points to go with 3.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 27 minutes. The Rising Star reached double-digit scoring in nine games, including five contests with 20+ points to lead all rookies.
The first-year guard scored a then season-high 26 points on January 15th vs. the Memphis Grizzlies before recording 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and no turnovers on January 31st vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first NBA rookie to record 20/eight/six without a turnover since Will Baron in 2013.
Castle is the only rookie with 500+ points, 100+ rebounds and 100+ assists this season. At of the end of the month, he ranked first in points per game (12.2), total field goals (203), made free throws (106) and total steals (37), while ranking third in assists per game (3.7) and fourth in steals per game (0.8) among qualified rookies.
In winning Rookie of the Month, Castle joined Victor Wembanyama as the only two Spurs players to do so in the last 20 years.
Castle’s continued improvement
The rookie from UConn scored 33 points in a February 7 game at the Charlotte Hornets to eclipse his aforementioned previous high of 26 less than a month before. Through February Castle has scored double figures in every game. He’s put up at least 15 points in five of those seven games, including a 21-point effort in a loss at the Grizzlies and a 20-point outing in the Spurs last game before the break, a 116-103 loss at the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Castle is easily outpacing his numbers from the month before when he won the conference’s Rookie of the Month. He’s averaging 18 points per game in February compared to 14.9 in January. His field goal percentage has increased significantly, from 43.1 to 51.1. As has his three-point shooting percentage, which has gone from 28.8 to 42.3. Most of his averages per game are up as well: steals (1.4 to 0.6), rebounds (3.7 to 3.1) and blocks (0.0 to 0.4), while his assists have dipped just slightly from 3.6 to 3.3.
If the trends continue, expect a second straight Western Conference Rookie of the Month honor for Castle. And, yes, more success.
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