A little more than a week after living up to the Rising Star label he earned leading up to and during NBA All-Star Weekend, Stephon Castle is having trouble getting on the court for his own team. San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson played the standout rookie only 12 minutes in a competitive loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
For the season, the fourth overall pick of last summer’s draft is averaging more than 25 minutes per game. He logged 22 in the first of two match-ups in New Orleans before the former UConn star played the equivalent of one quarter two nights later.
“We needed as much solid basketball as we could get. It was just a decision that I made on a few different situations,” Johnson answered when asked about Castle’s limited time in the 109-103 setback.
The Spurs assistant, who took over in early November after Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke, went further into detail regarding the relative benching of his 20-year-old standout.
“That first eight or nine minutes, I believe, of the game, that group really got it rolling. We just kind of were going to let them ride the hot hand,” Johnson said. “So the first half rotations probably were a little unique just from even what were were expecting to do because we didn’t want to stop our own momentum in that sense.”
Castle played eight minutes through the first three quarters in a game that was close throughout. He played just four more on a night that was decided in the final minutes.
“There was just a few mistakes that were made in a game that was close and going back and forth,” Johnson said within the context of why the Rising Star hardly played.
Stephon Castle’s numbers down as a reserve
Castle has started 29 of the 55 games he’s played this season.
As a starter, he’s averaged: 15.1 PPG | 3.2 RPG | 4.6 APG | 42.0% FG | 31.0% 3P (5.0 3PA) | 74.8 FT% | 29.7 MPG
As a reserve, his averages are: 9.7 PPG | 2.6 RPG | 2.6 APG | 40.2% FG | 21.0% 3P (2.5 3PA) | 70.7 FT% | 20.2 MPG
Not only are the numbers better when he starts, but objectively speaking, they’re not close. His performance when he’s played a prominent role has led to a popular belief that he’s the front-runner to give the Spurs a second straight Rookie of the Year. More importantly to San Antonio, there is reason to believe he and last year’s Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, who himself is only 21 years old, will grow into a fierce tandem moving forward.
Spurs players see it as well. There’s a reason the team’s second-leading scorer for most of the last three seasons is making it a point to counsel Castle.
“I’m in his ear every day,” Vassell said. “It’s nothing I’ll say right now, but I’m in his ear, and I’ll talk to him afterward.”
Vassell also commented on the challenges of being a lottery pick, noting the expectations are higher for players selected early in the draft.
“That’s just the nature of the league,” the 11th overall pick of the 2020 draft noted.
What happens next for Castle will determine the reality for the rest of what’s been a very good rookie campaign.
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