Castle takes another hit in a ROY campaign slipping from his grasp

The latest NBA Kia Rookie Ladder is out, and Stephon Castle has dropped another spot. Once perched atop the rankings, Castle now finds himself in fifth place, trailing Alexandre Sarr (Washington), Yves Missi (New Orleans), Jaylen Wells (Memphis), and Zach Edey (Memphis). This marks a further decline from fourth last week and first earlier this season.

What makes this drop particularly disappointing is that Castle has been given more opportunities recently. With Devin Vassell back in the starting lineup, Castle transitioned to a bench role. His minutes initially took a significant hit, but he's since been rewarded with more playing time over the last week. However, the young Spur hasn’t capitalized on the extra court time.

Castle must string together strong performances for a shot at ROY

Over the last four games, Castle has averaged just 8.3 points a night, and his efficiency has crashed. Once heralded for surprising shooting success at the season's start, Castle’s three-point percentage has plummeted to 20% over the past week on nearly four attempts per game.

His struggles aren’t shocking—rookie walls are notorious for derailing young players, and he wasn't projected as a sharpshooter—but they come at an inopportune time, as the ROY race picks up steam.

A win for Castle would give San Antonio back-to-back winners following Victor Wembanyama’s triumph last season. It's only happened once in the modern NBA, with the Minnesota Timberwolves claiming the honor through Andrew Wiggins (2015) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016). Achieving such a feat would further cement the Spurs as a premier destination for developing young stars.

The significance doesn’t end there. Historically, the vast majority of ROY winners go on to become NBA All-Stars, a trajectory every team hopes for when drafting in the lottery.

And let’s not forget the sheer joy Spurs fans would feel rubbing a second straight ROY trophy in the faces of Houston Rockets fans—a sentiment that Jeremy Sochan captured perfectly when he unapologetically stated his feelings about the team in East Texas.

Castle's slump doesn’t spell doom for his career. The 6’6” guard has shown flashes of brilliance, and his defensive versatility remains a bright spot even amid his shooting woes. He’s young, learning, and dealing with the pressures of the NBA grind.

For now, Castle’s Rookie of the Year campaign might be slipping away, but the promise of his future is far from dim. Spurs fans, while disappointed, can take solace in knowing this is just a bump in the road for a player with a bright career ahead of him.