Explosive sophomore leap adds Stephon Castle to pantheon of elite guards

Stephon Castle entered his sophomore season with a question mark lingering above his head. Yes, he came in as the reigning Rookie Of The Year, but how would he grow his game in a crowded backcourt that included De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper? Those guys, specifically Harper, also needed the space to develop.

Castle answered those questions with flying colors. He's been able to grow in so many facets of the game, on both the defensive and offensive end. It's been a near-flawless follow-up to his elite rookie campaign.

There have been a number of key improvements he's added to his game that have lead the Spurs to an astronomical turnaround from last season.

Stephon Castle became a defensive juggernaut

Stephon Castle was always known as a strong defensive force coming out of UConn. He was lauded for his versatility, IQ, and ability to fight through screens during the draft process. While he showed some promise on that end in his rookie season, his sophomore year is when he applied his elite defensive prowess the most.

Let's be very clear. Stephon Castle, at 21-years-old, is already one of the best point-of-attack defenders the league has to offer. He spent this entire season taking some of the toughest defensive assignments, and he's had his way. SGA, Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, and a handful of others all felt his wrath.

He's either forcing them to turn the ball over at a high rate, or pressuring them into difficult, out of rythym shots. It's a skillset that was not only great for the 82-game season, but is translatable to the NBA playoffs. The best teams on that stage always have a disruptive point of attack defender.

Castle's built a reliable scoring bag

Now, while his defensive dominance has been amazing to see, Stephon still needed to improve as a scorer after his rookie season. San Antonio still needs his shot-making to remain effective.

The growth has been real. He jumped up from around 12 PPG in his debut season to 16.8 PPG in his sophomore season. This has been primarily due to his ability to get to the rim at a high level, but he's also added a very reliable, shall I say, dangerous mid-range shot to his arsenal.

He's grown confident in walking defenders down to his spot, dancing with them a bit, and pulling up in that middle area. And it's not like he's just showing flashes. He's been elite as a mid-range scorer. He's been well above league average in that zone.

Mitch Johnson has turned him into a legitimate point guard

Now to my favorite part about Castle's sophomore season: the playmaking. For San Antonio's complex backcourt to function, he would need to be as versatile as possible, and this included growing as a facilitator.

He hasn't just been showing off small flashes of great playmaking. He's been a great playmaker. He jumped from 4.1 APG last season to 7.4 this season, and has done a great job at setting his teammates up for easy looks. His gravity led to a lot of catch-and-shoot opportunities and interior finishes.

He looks very in control when he orchestrates the offense as well. Sure, he can cut down on turnovers just a bit (3.2 per game), but he's been very impressive and poised for someone who's asked to facilitate at the highest volume of his basketball career.

The final verdict

If I'm giving Stephon Castle a definitive grade on the season, it's an A-. Are there still holes in his game? Yes. I would love to see him continue to improve as a three-point shooter, amongst other things. But the areas in which he did grow this year have been imperative for San Antonio's attack on both ends.

This team is not an elite two-way group without his point of attack defense and his improved all-around offensive skillset. It's simple: his individual development is a reason as to why the Spurs are a championship contender.