Stephon Castle earns surprising letter grade in latest Spurs report card

As the New Year fast approaches, we here at Air Alamo are taking a look at several key San Antonio Spurs players and grading their play thus far. Next up is guard Stephon Castle, who has made a major leap in his sophomore season.

Castle has seen his numbers jump to 18.6 points, 7 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. Although his 3-point shooting hasn't significantly improved, his efficiency has increased due to his exceptional finishing ability.

He has seen his true shooting percentage jump from 52.2% to 60.3%. That is thanks to him shooting a shocking 74.4% at the rim. That underscores the fact that Castle is improving in real time, with him seemingly getting better almost every game.

Stephon Castle has taken a massive leap forward

Take for instance his playmaking. Although Castle didn't play point guard at UConn, he has experience at the position from high school.

Even so, he didn't play much point guard as a rookie, with Chris Paul and later De'Aaron Fox handling the shot creation. However, San Antonio was dangerously short on shot creation to start the season with Fox and Dylan Harper both out.

As a result, Castle started eight games at point guard and mostly played very well despite issues with turnovers. He actually led the NBA in turnovers prior to his injury, but he also demonstrated significant growth as a passer, averaging 6.6 assists compared to 5 turnovers per game.

What's been so impressive about Castle season is that even with him sharing the backcourt with Fox now, coach Mitch Johnson trusts him to be the lead ball handler and playmaker. That has forced Fox to play more off-ball, and credit to him for shooting a career-high 39.4% from three thus far.

Stephon Castle earns a high grade in the latest Spurs report card

His improved shooting and overall selflessness have allowed Castle to thrive in his new role. In fact, interestingly enough, once Fox made his season debut, Castles' turnovers began to drop even as his assists went up. Having Fox there to take some of the pressure off him seems to have had a calming effect on Castle.

In the 13 games they've started together thus far this season, Castle is averaging 7.2 assists compared to 3 turnovers. He has even begun to shoot the ball better from outside of late.

Over his last eight games, he's shooting 33.3% from outside on 4.7 3-point attempts per game while still getting to the free throw line at will. He is even shooting nearly 78% from the line during that span, hinting that he may steadily be improving in those areas.

Time will tell, but what is Castle's grade for this season? Thus far, he is deserving of an A- grade. His finishing at the rim and getting to the free throw line has helped him improve as a scorer.

His defense has been more impactful, and his passing has dramatically improved, while his turnovers have steadily decreased. He will still need to get them down further, and his 3-point shooting will need to stabilize, but it's hard to give him anything but a high grade.

Grade: A-