Stephon Castle’s biggest problem is only thing betraying his breakout season

Stephon Castle has one thing holding him back from being a bona fide star: his three-point shot. We know that he put in a ton of work over the offseason, but it hasn't translated quite yet. His 24% shooting hasn't stopped him from putting up almost four a game, and quite frankly, it shouldn't. It's also noteworthy that it hasn't stopped anyone from recognizing that his stardom isn't far away.

He's already defending at an All-Defensive First Team level. The explosive combo guard has the pleasure of standing across from the best ball handlers in the league every night. He's been San Antonio's go-to stopper since they put Jeremy Sochan on the bench last season, and he's done a fantastic job of it. But his offensive game has also grown.

Almost all of his numbers are up across the board from his rookie season. Castle is averaging 17 points, six rebounds, and nearly eight assists per game. His three-point efficiency may be down, but Steph's field goal percentage is up from 43% to 50%. That's not an insignificant improvement by any metric.

Castle's supporters were right about his role

The former UConn star has had the ball in his hands a little more than expected after De'Aaron Fox got back on the court, but the impact has still been the same. The better defenders are forced to guard Swipa as the more polished scorer and established threat. It's opened up the floor for Castle, and he's thrived under the new dynamic.

The reigning Rookie of the Year was averaging the most turnovers of any player in the league when he was tasked with orchestrating the offense on his own. The rate was alarming at more than six a night. That number plummeted to fewer than three in the six games that he played next to Fox; in the same number of games, his assists have gone up to 9.7.

This kid is going to be a star. To reach his peak, where he's making repeated All-Star teams and being talked about like one of the best players in the league, he'll need to get that outside shot to fall.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was one of his pro-comparisons coming out of college. SGA was an inconsistent outside shooter for years before figuring it out. These last two seasons, he'll absolutely make you pay for leaving him open.

So, Castle doesn't have to be a sniper right now. As long as he keeps putting in the work, he'll get there. When he does, he's going to be an absolute nightmare to guard.