Latest Stephon Castle criticism says more about expectations than his play

We're not going to sit here and pretend Stephon Castle had a good NBA Finals. He didn't. The Spurs' sophomore guard had some difficult moments, especially in Game 5, and he'll be the first to acknowledge that. But a recent criticism suggests Steph escaped a wave of deserved scrutiny because the attention was diverted elsewhere, and that's just not fair.

Castle is a big boy. He can handle the Eye of Sauron focusing its gaze on his performance, but we need to include some very important context here. The take actually says more about the expectations surrounding the former UConn champion than it does about how he played throughout the postseason. And while that's fair enough, we need to get some things straight.

Castle earned expectations by excelling before the NBA Finals

Josh Eberly is not entirely incorrect, and he's very complimentary of Steph to start with. The first sentence is spot on. And he'll always have a level of protection playing next to Victor Wembanyama because of The Alien's status as one of the best players in the league. Wemby will always get the lion's share of the blame for losses, just as he'll get a bulk of the credit when they win.

However, protected or not, tearing too much into Castle would have been out of bounds considering the run he had up to that point. One bad series in the NBA Finals for a first-time playoff performer just isn't a reason enough for "critical dialogue" when he'd averaged nearly 20 PPG through the first three rounds on 48% FG while averaging six assists and guarding the opponent's best player.

Castle was incredibly productive for rounds 1-3, even leading the Spurs in scoring against the Timberwolves. He shot 55% FG and 48% 3PT in that series. If anything, he's not getting enough praise for those outings.

The Finals were the exception. Not the story. One difficult series shouldn't outweigh three spectacular rounds.

These are superstar expectations on Castle's plate

Ask yourselves this: What would you usually expect from a 21-year-old in his second NBA season? How did Steph stack up in comparison to what we ordinarily see from players his age? Castle's follow-up to his Rookie of the Year win was better than anyone could have asked for.

It's not even like he had a bunch of experienced guys to lean on, making things easier for him. It was a first for Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, and so on. They were all learning on the fly. You'd think everyone would be afforded a mulligan.

What we've seen so far has been nothing but sausage gravy on a well-cooked chicken-fried steak. Like the delicious dish just described, we should appreciate it when we see it.

Nobody criticizes average young players for not dominating The Finals. That's reserved for the future elites because high expectations are a compliment, and Castle does have superstar potential. He just needs a chance to grow into that.

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