San Antonio Spurs guard, Stephon Castle, has officially been named Rookie of the Year. Castle received 92 of the 100 first place votes for the award. He beat out fellow rookies, Zaccharie Risacher and Jaylen Wells, for the award. Castle was selected with the fourth pick overall in last summer’s NBA Draft. Castle is now the fourth player in Spurs franchise history to win the Rookie of the Year award. The others being his teammate, Victor Wembanyama, and Hall of Famers, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson. With Wembanyama winning last year’s Rookie of the Year, the Spurs are now the fifth team in league history to have back-to-back winners of the award. A bright future is ahead for Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs’ Stephon Castle Named NBA Rookie of the Year
Stephon Castle’s Season
Stephon Castle had a solid rookie campaign. He averaged 14.7 points per game which led all rookies to go along with 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. Furthermore, Castle also led all rookies in points scored (1,190), field goals made (423), steals (74), and made free throws (249). The Spurs rookie also claimed Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors in January and March. Moreover, Castle was named the 2025 Rising Stars MVP during the NBA All-Star Weekend.
Having a veteran in Chris Paul to mentor him also helped. Not to mention, De’Aaron Fox was eventually traded to the Spurs. He is another veteran who will assist in Castle’s development. Over the last stretch of the regular season, the NBA world started to see Castle come into his own and build his confidence. Especially with more responsibility put on him once Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season. All in all, Stephon Castle certainly earned the Rookie of the Year.
A Bright Future for the San Antonio Spurs
On paper, the San Antonio Spurs have arguably the brightest future of any NBA squad. Victor Wembanyama suffering a blood clot this past season was an unfortunate circumstance. However, the French superstar will most likely come back next year playing at the dominant level he was playing at before he was ruled out for the year. With Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, and another draft pick on the way, the Spurs should not be slept on next year. The Spurs may be in a competitive Western Conference. However, their rebuilding process has gone about as good as it could have so far with only a few setbacks along the way. As a result, San Antonio could find themselves back in the playoff picture sooner than later.
