Stephon Castle falling outside the top 10 in The Athletic's NBA draft is just wrong

The Athletic's Will Guillory, James L. Edwards III, and Jared Weiss did a fun exercise, requiring them to draft the best NBA players still on a rookie-scale contract. There was a pool of 30 guys, and they built teams considering how well prospects fit together as well as how much pure talent they have. I want to focus on the top of the board because Stephon Castle was taken way too late for my liking.

Guillory: Victor Wembanyama (1), Caleb Wilson (6), Amen Thompson (7), Darryn Peterson (12)
Edwards: Cooper Flagg (2), Brandon Miller (5), Ausar Thompson (8), Stephon Castle (11)
Weiss: Dylan Harper (3), AJ Dybantsa (4), Cam Boozer (9), Kon Knueppel (10)

Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper being taken so high is not a surprise—two unreal players in their own right. But Stephon Castle didn't make it into the top ten, and that's a travesty. Every writer had a fair explanation for why they made their picks, so they don't deserve to be excoriated by any means. I would have just gone in a different direction if I were Guillory or Edwards.

Castle is too good of a two-way player to leave out of the top 10

Now, to be fair to James, he chose Castle with the 11th pick, but that still means he chose Ausar Thompson and Brandon Miller over the younger Area 51 member when Steph's versatility on both ends makes him an easier player to build around.

After choosing Cooper Flagg with his first pick, I would have been salivating to pair Stephon's defensive ability with Flagg's. It would be a terrifying twosome to go up against if your plan is to score a bunch of points.

That's just one end of the floor, though.

Pairing their athleticism would provide for some crazy highlight plays on the fast break. Coop could be the primary ball handler, allowing Castle to shine in the off-ball role he's best at, but the Spurs' guard has also shown he can run an offense at a high level, giving the team flexibility and versatility. It's a match made in Heaven.

Ultimately, he got to Steph, though, so we'll let Edwards off the hook. It's also nice to see that he only chose guys we've actually seen play in an NBA game with his top picks.

Weiss and Guillory doubled up on rookies, and I'm a firm believer that you need to see new prospects in action before placing them over established players. But Jared started by picking D. Harp, so it's smart to go for different positions when building out the roster from scratch.

Castle and Wemby are the perfect pairing

Will doesn't have an excuse for picking Wemby first and not grabbing his Area 51 running mate the first chance he got. Not to be underrated, Castle actually knows how to get Vic the ball, but he also plays off his gravity well.

Steph and Vic are featured as a duo for a very good reason: they work unbelievably well together on both ends of the floor. The 2024 UConn champion gives you one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league to pair with quite possibly the best rim protector we've ever seen.

It should be a no-brainer.

None of The Athletic's writers made an indefensible pick, but this list wasn't purely based on upside. It wasn't even based purely on current production because there are rookies on it. It's supposed to balance talent with fit, and Castle checks both boxes.

He's already one of the league's most versatile young defenders, he's shown he can create offense, and he doesn't need the ball in his hands constantly to impact a game. Put him next to a superstar like Wembanyama or another elite young stud like Flagg, and his value only becomes more obvious, yet he's constantly treated like he's a tier below some of his peers.

The more we watch him play, the harder that will be to defend.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow