Stephon Castle Stats Tonight: How did Spurs rookie perform against Thunder? (Nov. 19)
Stephon Castle has been one of the most impressive rookies this season, taking advantage of Devin Vassell's injury. Castle is averaging 13.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game as a starter. How did the San Antonio Spurs rookie perform against the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night?
Castle finished the game with 10 points, three rebounds, eight assists and one block in the Spurs' 110-104 win over the Thunder. He was cold all game long, shooting 3-for-13, including 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Nevertheless, the rookie distributed the ball knowing that his shots weren't falling. He also had the game-saving block will less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. He swatted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's fastbreak layup that could have trimmed the lead to just four.
Here are Stephon Castle's stats for the game:
How did Stephon Castle perform against the OKC Thunder?
Stephon Castle started the game at shooting guard alongside Chris Paul, Zach Collins, Harrison Barnes and Julian Champaignie. The Spurs were without their three best players – Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan and Vassell, so they needed Castle to step up.
Castle had a hard time making shots and only had four points in the first three quarters. He understood the assignment, so he started making plays and dishing out assists. His eight assists were second in the team after Chris Paul dropped 14 points and 11 assists.
In the fourth quarter, Castle scored six points, including a huge 3-point shot with six minutes remaining that kept the OKC Thunder at bay. He also had the game-saving block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during a fastbreak layup attempt with less than 30 seconds left.
In addition to Stephon Castle, the San Antonio Spurs had a bunch of heroes to be grateful for the win. Keldon Johnson was scorching from beyond the arc to finish with 22 points off the bench. Harrison Barnes was pretty solid with 20 points, while Charles Bassey had 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Spurs overcame a huge fourth-quarter run by the OKC Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points, three rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Jalen Williams, who started at center once again, put up 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Stephon Castle praised by LeBron James
After the LA Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs in their first group game of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, LeBron James praised Stephon Castle. James thought that Castle was a special talent and has a great future in the league.
Speaking to reporters after that game on Friday, Castle shared what the four-time NBA champion told him.
"He was telling me the next steps for reads that I make," Castle said, according to USA Today. "I really respect him and appreciate him for coming up and saying that to me. He really doesn't have to. I've been watching him since I was a kid, so for him to come up to me and talk to me for even that little bit really meant a lot."
The Spurs selected Castle with the No. 4 overall pick in this year's NBA draft out of UConn. Castle looks like one of the few bright spots in an underwhelming draft class.