Stephon Castle is closing in on becoming the second former UConn men’s basketball player to claim the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award.
Castle, bursting onto the scene with the San Antonio Spurs, was named one of three finalists for the award Sunday. He has been among the favorites all season long after being selected fourth overall in the NBA Draft, and has the shortest odds to win it as the playoffs get underway.
Emeka Okafor, who was picked second overall in 2004, received his Rookie of the Year Award while playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, just over a year after winning a national championship with the Huskies. Twenty years later, Castle is in position to do the same. The 6-foot-5 guard was a significant contributor to UConn’s 2024 national title, the program’s sixth, and immediately made his mark on the league with maturity and athleticism beyond his years.
“The thing about Steph that sticks out to me, respectfully to all the other rookies, is (that) I don’t know that there’s anybody who has been asked to do the variety of roles and responsibilities, and the way he’s handled it,” Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson told the AP. “His being able to achieve enough to be honored as rookie of the month more than once says a lot.”
Among NBA rookies, @StephonCastle ranks: 🏰 1st in PPG🏰 1st in Total Points🏰 1st in Total Steals🏰 1st in 20+ PT Games🏰 3rd in Total Assists
🎥 Full Season Highlights: https://t.co/dmqKMMZJwt pic.twitter.com/hZSc66iPRV
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 15, 2025
Castle was able to see significant time on the court learning from future Hall of Famer Chris Paul as the Spurs dealt with season-ending injuries to stars Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. He played 81 games and finished the season averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game. His minutes rising to more than 33 per game in April, Castle averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 assists and 6.9 rebounds over his final eight games.
“I feel like those opportunities, those reps, they were so important for next year when we have those guys (Wembanyama, Fox) back,” Castle told reporters in San Antonio after the season ended.
Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick of the Atlanta Hawks, and Jaylen Wells, the 39th overall pick of the Memphis Grizzlies, were also named finalists for Rookie of the Year.
Castle ranks first among rookies in points per game, total points, total steals and 20-point games, and is third in total assists. Should he win it, the Covington, Georgia native would follow Wembanyama as San Antonio’s second-consecutive top-rookie.
“For me, (winning Rookie of the Year) was a goal that I kind of set at the beginning of the season. During the season I didn’t really think about it, I think about just wins and losses, really just trying to do whatever we can to help our team win, not caring about who has the big night, or who makes the most shots,” Castle said. “Looking back on it now, I would hope my consistency throughout the year kind of gets me over the edge.”
