Stephon Castle has immediately shifted the balance of power in San Antonio

San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle is already the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year. His winning would be a major accomplishment, but his play since the beginning of January has steadily hinted that he's only getting started.

He has played significantly better in 2025 thus far and has even surpassed future Hall of Famer Chris Paul in terms of value to the Spurs. Not only that, but he is arguably the Spurs' third-best player behind Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.

The difference between Castle and Devin Vassell is Castle is more consistent in attacking the basket, and that has led to positive results. While Vassell has developed a reputation for being a tough shot-maker, that has caught up with him this season with his efficiency down and him shooting only around the league average from three.

While he can still create shots for himself, particularly in the mid-range, the Spurs can't consistently rely on him, given how streaky he can be. Castle, on the other hand, is relentless in attacking the basket, and that is a more reliable skill given that it is harder to stop.

Stephon Castle has a chance to be something special with the Spurs

His ability to get into the lane and creativity as a finisher, incorporating hesitation dribbles and Euro steps, have given San Antonio a new dynamic that Vassell simply can't provide. Having Castle get into the paint not only has improved his efficiency considering his initial struggles from outside but has also begun to get him more free throws.

Better still, he has improved significantly as a shooter over the last dozen games, hitting 40.4% of threes on 3.9 attempts per game and averaging 17.3 points over his last 16 games. That is a dramatic shift, and if Castle can be an above-average shooter from outside on a high volume of attempts, in addition to being an attack dog driving into the paint, then San Antonio could have something special on their hands.

With around 30 games left this season, Castle will likely only continue to get better, and with a full summer, he could be ready to make a big leap during his sophomore season.

That would be huge for San Antonio, with them potentially having their big three of Fox, Wembanyama, and Castle already in place, but with Wembanyama on his rookie scale deal for another two seasons and Castle on his for another three years.

Overall, Castle's play over the last few weeks has changed the hierarchy of the Spurs. If Castle can build on his strong play, he can quickly emerge as the team's third star and give San Antonio a young big three that can soon contend.