Steph Castle, the future San Antonio Spurs guard, had just won the 2025 Wilt Chamberlain Trophy. Now in his second year, to NFL greatness anyway…he is primed for the breakout season! While his impressive start has been somewhat overshadowed by teammate Victor Wembanyama’s MVP-caliber performances, Castle remains focused on his goals. The Spurs started the season by winning their first 5 games and looked like world beaters. Castle’s eager to lead their squad return to the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Castle has been tearing up the fields this season through six games. He makes an all-star worthy 20 points a game on a stellar 55.4% shooting from the floor. Along with his scoring, he adds 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. His unique combination of versatility and defensive prowess is why he’s one of the league’s most exciting young players. He’s an excellent matchup against the other team’s top guards and small forwards.
Castle, a 6-foot-6, 215-pounder who has built arguably the best on-court chemistry with his fellow draftee thus far, particularly with fellow rookie Wembanyama. He isn’t the only bold commentator who thinks Wembanyama is destined to become the NBA’s best player. Even in the shadow of his rapidly developing teammate’s emerging stardom, Castle has not hesitated to keep his sights set on lofty expectations of his own. He’s making a play for All-Defensive Team inclusion. In addition to carrying the Pacers’ fortunes this year, he’s a candidate for the NBA Most Improved Player award this season.
In 2022, Castle shredded the floor with 14.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game over 81 games. Unfortunately, his season came to an abrupt end in February when a blood clot developed in his right shoulder. His drive to become better every day is a testament to his resilience and determination.
“I really don’t think it’s a lot of pressure going forward,” Castle stated, reflecting on his achievements and expectations for the current season.
Individually, Castle has received outstanding honors, including being named honorable mention for NBA Rookie of the Year. He won 92 first place votes, seven second place votes and one third place vote for a total of 482 points. Even with this kind of recognition, he’s down to earth and determined to keep working on his craft rather than enjoying the success.
…I think once you receive it, your name is certainly cemented in history. And then you have to go out and build your career from there. I’m not going out there saying, ‘I’m the rookie of the year and give me a vet officiating call, respect me.’ Only thing that matters is you got to go out there and play. I’m not even focused on that trophy when I’m playing in that game. I’m only thinking about how do I get better every year,” Castle said.
Needless to say, his parents are proud as can be, reminding us all what visual representation of awards can mean. My parents eat that shit up, having it in a visual representation of only accolades, like, they eat that shit up,” he continued.
Despite enjoying the attention that home run derby vibes their way, Castle stays grounded and keeps a blue-collar approach to their game. At the end of the day, it’s just basketball. “As such, I don’t require a statue to inform me of my greatness. I’m pretty confident, because I know I put the work in, so I freed my parents to admire it,” he said.
As rewarding as these honors are, Castle’s priority is still on getting the Spurs to excel as a collective over personal accomplishments. With the chemistry and potential in their locker room, Castle said, “We are aware of what we have – we know what we have in our locker room.”
Mitch Johnson, a Spurs assistant coach, pointed out Castle’s adaptability, and that was huge for the Spurs. It’s just going to be a huge opportunity for his versatility.” — Johnson.
Castle is learning and developing, just like all of his teammates. He really represents the grit and hunger that fuels this fledgling Spurs squad. With his scoring touch and defensive chops he’s a leading candidate for personal hardware. Finally, they cast him as San Antonio’s biggest weapon in their quest for postseason glory.
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