Spurs' biggest draft shock was a gift they should still thank Rockets for

There has been lots of handwringing about whether the San Antonio Spurs should have taken Kon Knueppel instead of Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick in last year's NBA Draft. It's all very annoying! We're less than a year into their careers so it's far too early to make that decision anyway, and Dylan Harper is going to be a force — I say that with extreme confidence. Kon is obviously awesome, too, but both guys can be perfect fits for the teams that selected them. And both are. So let's stop!

In fact, the more interesting "should they have picked him" is one in which the Spurs were the team to have a player fall to them that probably shouldn't have — in 2024, when they somehow got Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick in a historically weak draft.

The door isn't closed on players from that draft; guys are going to break out and some who look promising will fade into obscurity. But in a draft that had no clear franchise-changing stars at the top... How did Castle — who was at least going to be a high-level defender and facilitator — fall to pick No. 4?

I don't know. But Spurs fans should probably thank the Hawks, Wizards, and especially Rockets for it.

I say "especially" the Rockets, not because Reed Sheppard isn't good, by the way. He's come a long way this year and appears well on his way to being a long-time rotation piece in Houston. But Castle is the clear better player, was teammates with Sheppard in college, and they're both guards. Also, it's a fellow Texas team, so a tongue-in-cheek "thank you" will always feel great for Spurs fans, too.

Stephon Castle falling to No. 4 in 2024 was absurd

Please remind me if I'm misremembering this; in 2024, the Hawks and Wizards seemed set on Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr as the top two picks in the draft — whichever of the two went first to Atlanta, Washington would nab the other.

At the same time, Castle seemed to be the highest-touted prospect in the draft. Everyone was so confident in him becoming a star (or at least something close) but he never had a chance to go No. 1 overall. The scouting reports on Risacher (potential two-way wing) and Sarr (defensive anchor with an growing offensive game) do sound like No. 1 picks, but whether they can actually turn into those things is a different story.

Meanwhile, Castle's shooting concerns kept him from being the first name called in June 2024 — something the Spurs should be grateful for forever. Castle being a dang good player is not a surprise. Him being this good, this fast, is pretty shocking.