Pros and Cons of selecting Stephon Castle over Rob Dillingham

The Spurs endured many growing pains this past season. While Victor Wembanyama turned into a future superstar, this San Antonio team has a lot of improvement to do. It all starts at the point guard position. There are tons of mock drafts everywhere with the team going many different ways, but you can bet that upgrading their point guard depth will be a focal point.

In a draft filled with talented point guards, Stephon Castle has stood out to the San Antonio staff more than other point guards. The interest is mutual between the two, with Castle open to the idea of being selected by San Antonio at the end of the month.

Other names are likely still to be considered. The closest number two to Castle is Kentucky's Rob Dillingham. The case for either of them is close, but Castle narrowly edges out the former Wildcat and makes a better case to be one of the next Spurs first-rounders.

Pro: size and strength advantage leading to better defensive capabilites

Castle stands at 6'6, 210 pounds and can bully opposing guards. Dillingham, on the other hand, does not have this luxury because of his 6'1, slim 165-pound frame.

Due to the type of basketball that is played in the modern-day NBA, having an oversized guard in Castle would be highly beneficial. Castle is tough as nails and always does more than you would expect. If you go back and watch his play during the NCAA Tournament, you will see him everywhere. He gets his own rebounds on misses, his put-backs are strong, he is fearless when attacking the rim (due to the strength advantage) and he is seemingly involved in every play in some way.

On defense, Castle is just as dominant. One of the better guard-defenders in this draft, Castle loves shutting down defenders as much as he loves to score. He is not afraid to guard the opposing team's best player, and he will likely continue that in the NBA.

Imagine having the long-armed and tough Castle at the front line of defense and having Wembanyama behind him, guarding the paint if anything passes him. That seems like a nightmare waiting to happen for other teams.

Castle immediately improves a San Antonio defense that struggled last season.

Pro: playmaking ability

UConn's offensive scheme relates to San Antonio's in terms of discipline, fundamentals, and most of all, ball movement.

Castle's ability to control the offense and make the right plays will make him a great piece in San Antonio, allowing him to adapt well to an uptempo or front-court-centric offense. There were a lot of weapons alongside Castle while at UConn, and they will likely also hear their names called on draft day. Ultimately, while at UConn and playing with those other contributors, Castle was able to show that he could lead.

San Antonio could spend some money during free agency or draft other quality prospects, giving Castle more weapons outside of Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. As a result, Castle goes from one stacked offense with elite pieces around him to another in San Antonio.

Furthermore, with Castle's passing vision and effectiveness in the pick-and-roll game, he could shine next to Wembanyama and make the French phenom's life a lot easier. Castle also displays great basketball IQ, which will be appreciated in San Antonio. Dillingham is the opposite, as he is often reckless and tries to do too much, causing the offense to be in shambles at times as a result.

San Antonio needs players that can take control of a game and a player that you can trust to lead an offense. Castle is that guy.

Con: poor shooting ability

No draft prospect is perfect. They're young players still crafting their game. Castle is no different. While he does many things well, his poor shooting hurts his game. With a San Antonio team that struggled in field goal and three-point percentage, Castle's 47% from the field and 27% from three do not improve the team's shooting.

His shooting form is awkward, and he will likely need hefty coaching on his shot mechanics. His counterpart, Dillingham, is a lights-out shooter, like his teammate Reed Sheppard, and he can give San Antonio a streaky scorer who can get hot at any time. Dillingham's ability to fill it up in a variety of ways makes him edge out Castle in that department.

During the NBA combine last month, Castle surprisingly shot very well during the shooting drills. No, there is no defense, nor is it game-speed shooting, but in front of scouts, Castle showed he can improve in this area but it will likely take some time.

His ability to affect a game positively in other ways is what San Antonio should focus on instead.

Con: poor off-the-ball capabilities

Castle would have a big role in San Antonio. So, his inability to get to the right spots and get proper positioning to score without the ball in his hands could be an issue.

Oftentimes, Castle needs a tight screen to make a move, get to the rim or get off an efficient shot. There were times during the NCAA tournament when Castle—if he did not get out in transition—would struggle with his half-court offense, and he had to put the ball in others' hands. Luckily enough, the UConn system was well-oiled enough to get Castle through this, but in the NBA he will need to create on his own at times. Especially late in games.

San Antonio's immaturity to finish games last season showed and if Castle cannot create for himself, he might not be trusted to take that clutch shot in crunch time. That killer instinct has yet to be instilled in Castle, but of course, it could come with time.

Still, the good outweighs the bad here, and Stephon Castle's weaknesses can be tuned up. The potential here is too high to not take a chance on him. All in all, Castle would be a fantastic addition to this San Antonio team.