{"id":136968,"date":"2025-04-29T23:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T03:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=136968"},"modified":"2025-04-29T23:50:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T03:50:00","slug":"stephon-castle-wins-rookie-of-the-year-in-surprising-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/29\/stephon-castle-wins-rookie-of-the-year-in-surprising-twist\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephon Castle Wins Rookie Of The Year In Surprising Twist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephon Castle<\/a> claimed<\/a> the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award in a result few expected early in the season. He secured 92 of 100 first-place votes, an overwhelming majority. The race seemed wide open for months, as six different players topped the Rookie of the Year ladder at various points. But Castle separated himself when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

Stephon Castle Wins Rookie Of The Year In Surprising Twist<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Castle<\/a> entered the league as the No. 4 pick, not the favorite for the award. Most analysts believed the draft class lacked a clear star. Castle, however, quickly proved doubters wrong. His development in San Antonio started fast. He learned<\/a> a variation of the Eurostep in his first workout with the Spurs. He then used it to devastating effect against opposing defenses.<\/p>\n

Historic Rookie Numbers<\/h3>\n

Castle played in 80 games, starting 47. He led all rookies in total points (1,190), made field goals (423), and steals (74). He also made over 100 more free throws than any other rookie. Castle finished with averages of 14.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. His points tally is the least by a rookie of the year since Malcolm Brogdon<\/a> averaged 10.2 in 2016-17.<\/p>\n

These numbers may not pop off the page, but Castle\u2019s impact ran deeper than stats. His ability to control pace and create for teammates helped the Spurs stabilize. He consistently contributed on both ends of the floor. In fact, Castle became the first Spurs rookie since Tim Duncan<\/a> to finish top two on the team in both points and assists.<\/p>\n

His scoring wasn\u2019t the highest for a Rookie of the Year, but his consistency stood out. He reached double figures in 60 games, more than any other rookie. He posted 26 games with at least 20 points and added two 30-point performances. Five double-doubles and 18 multi-steal games rounded out an impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The Spurs\u2019 Legacy of Rookies<\/h3>\n

Castle joins elite company as the fourth Spur to win Rookie of the Year. He now shares the honor with Victor Wembanyama<\/a>, Duncan, and David Robinson<\/a>. San Antonio also became the fifth team in NBA history to produce back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners. The last team to do so was Minnesota with Andrew Wiggins<\/a> and Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This win continues the Spurs\u2019 impressive draft success. The franchise will have two lottery picks in the 2025 draft, including one from the Dejounte Murray<\/a> trade. If they strike gold again, a three-peat is entirely possible.<\/p>\n

Rising Star with Championship Pedigree<\/h3>\n

Castle<\/a> brought more than athleticism to the table. He arrived in the NBA as a national champion from UConn. That background showed in his poise and defense. He improved dramatically after the All-Star break, averaging 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. His growth earned him Western Conference Rookie of the Month in January and March.<\/p>\n

Veterans like Chris Paul<\/a> took notice. Paul advised<\/a> Castle to attend playoff games to prepare for future postseason pressure. Castle took the advice to heart. He now plans to spend his first real offseason working on shooting, ball-handling, and overall feel for the game.<\/p>\n

Stephon Castle\u2019s Bright Future in San Antonio After Rookie of the Year Win<\/h3>\n

Castle\u2019s selection at No. 4 makes his rise even more remarkable. Unlike Duncan, Wembanyama, and Robinson, he wasn\u2019t the top pick. Still, he outperformed players selected before him. His main challenger, Zaccharie Risacher<\/a>, finished a distant second with five first-place votes. Memphis\u2019 Jaylen Wells<\/a> got the remaining three.<\/p>\n

The Spurs believe Castle is a core piece for the future. He\u2019ll join Wembanyama and newly acquired De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a> in San Antonio\u2019s rebuild. Acting coach Mitch Johnson sees big things ahead. \u201cHe\u2019ll be a dynamic force,\u201d Johnson said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stephon Castle\u2019s surprising<\/a> Rookie of the Year win signals a new era. His development embodies the Spurs\u2019 culture and commitment to growth. With young talent and multiple picks ahead, the Wembanyama era looks ready to take its next big step.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stephon Castle claimed the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award in a result few expected early in the season. He secured 92 of 100 first-place votes, an overwhelming majority. The race seemed wide open for months, as six different players topped the Rookie of the Year ladder at various points. But Castle separated himself […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":136972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,3,34],"tags":[49979,212,229,1030,664,49556,213,3073,1712,49264,56,4669,49147],"class_list":["post-136968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-news","category-spurs","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-andrew-wiggins","tag-chris-paul","tag-david-robinson","tag-deaaron-fox","tag-jaylen-wells","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-nba-rookie-of-the-year","tag-nba-rookies","tag-stephon-castle","tag-tim-duncan","tag-victor-wembanyama","tag-zaccharie-risacher"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136968"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136973,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136968\/revisions\/136973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}