UConn freshman guard Stephon Castle is one of the top names to watch in the 2024 NBA draft. Castle showed tremendous improvement throughout the 2023-24 season, which was capped off by a strong March Madness run while aiding the Huskies to their second straight NCAA title.
Stephen Castle 2024 Draft Profile
College Career
Castle made his way to Storrs, Connecticut, as a highly touted five-star 2023 recruit. While the consensus top-10 recruit’s first collegiate season got off to a bit of a rocky start in part due to the 6-6 wing trying to acclimate himself with his UConn teammates, he came up big when it mattered the most for the Huskies.
Castle produced 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 27.0 minutes over 34 appearances. Castle also produced a 19.0 PER, 55.1% true shooting percentage, and a 50.7% effective field goal percentage. The Big East Rookie of the Year, also named to the 2024 NCAA All-Region and Final Four Team, scored in double-figures 20 times, topping the 20-point mark four times. He also produced one double-double.
Strengths
Castle has fantastic size for a combo guard. He stands at 6-6 with a solid 215-pound frame and a 6-9 wingspan. The athletic 19-year-old knows how to use his body to his advantage on both ends of the floor.
Offensively, Castle possesses an explosive first step and excellent body control, which aids him well in drawing fouls at the rim and getting into the lane while looking to pass. Overall, he is an above-average finisher at the rim, as he has many finishing moves.
Castle is a strong ball-handler and an underrated playmaker. Castle does an excellent job at changing pace and probing to find the open man. He also uses his body to protect the ball exceptionally well.
In addition, Castle can make any kind of pass, whether traditional or off the bounce. More importantly, Castle makes the correct reads, which is reason for optimism that he can be at least a secondary playmaker at the next level. He recorded an 18.8% assist percentage this past year, ranking 18th in the Big East.
Castle plays hard and is an excellent offensive rebounder. But he is likely to make the biggest impact on the defensive end.
Castle is a physical defender with the ability to hound ball handlers. If he does get beat with the help of a ball screen, his quickness allows him to recover to his man quickly. He is also an excellent off-ball defender who recovers and closes out shooters well. Additionally, he is a quality rim protector due to his physical tools.
Weaknesses
Castle is an average scorer at this point in his career. His biggest weakness is his shooting: He made just 26 of 66 (34.8%) of his two-point shots that weren’t at the rim. He also was 20 of 75 (26.7%) from the 3-point line.
Another point of contention is that Castle really struggled against the Huskies’ top opponents, compiling an effective field goal percentage of 44.6% while shooting just 22.6% from deep.
However, some things indicate that Castle can develop into a solid shooter. He gets into his shot quickly off the catch and has a fluid, high release. Plus, he shoots 75% from the charity stripe.
Castle isn’t a great shot creator because he is a little slow in his delivery in the halfcourt. He also doesn’t appear to have the same bounce in the halfcourt as he does in transition, so he is forced to use his strength to create separation rather than his explosiveness.
NBA Comparison
Castle has a lot going for him with room to grow. Due to his size and athleticism, Castle is the prototypical wing and possesses the skill set that NBA teams are looking for. He is a smart two-way connective wing who loves to get to the rim, though his defense is ahead of his offense.
Castle’s current NBA comps are RJ Barrett due to their reliance on getting downhill and attacking the rim. He also compares well to Bruce Brown due to their body, versatility, ability to defend, and role as a secondary playmaker.
2024 NBA Draft Projection
Castle projects to be a top-10 pick in the 7-to-10 range.
