Stephon Castle keeps making Brian Wright look better and better

This kid doesn't stop impressing when he steps on that maple hardwood surface. With all due respect to an injured Jared McCain, rookie star Stephon Castle has been the best player from the 2024 NBA Draft, and it's not particularly close when you consider the things he's done on both sides of the ball. He stepped to face OKC last night, and he wasn't shaken by the challenge one iota.

Last year's NCAA champion dropped over 30 points for the second time this season, grabbed eight boards, dished three assists, and played tenacious defense all night. It's not his fault that OKC is a juggernaut that can score every way imaginable. He competed.

It didn't result in a victory, but that's okay for this team. The goal should be a higher draft pick, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun along the way, and Castle provided plenty of that last night.

Stephon Castle is San Antonio's best draft pick in a decade

This team had a lot of holes to fill last off-season. (They still have holes to fill, but that's neither here nor there.) It would have been easy to miss in last year's draft reaching for a guy who can address specific problems. They could have drafted Dalton Knecht for his shooting or Donovan Clingan for his size, but neither player would have brought the well-rounded game Castle has showcased this year.

They made the right choice to select the player who has a championship pedigree, versatility, and an elite level of confidence in himself to do all the things Spurs fans have had the pleasure of watching him do this year. At this rate, there's no way another rookie will surpass him for Rookie of the Year, and he'll bring home that honor to San Antonio for a second straight year.

Watching the Silver and Black last season was trying at times because it's hard to watch a bad team. But the excitement everyone felt watching Victor Wembanyama was obvious. He had a special season, performing in a way many fans haven't had a chance to see from a Spurs rookie in their lifetime. It's been almost 30 years since they drafted Tim Duncan.

While nobody is going to replicate the Alien's rookie year for quite some time, if ever, Castle has been no slouch, providing this fanbase with moment after moment of excitement. He's likeable, explosive, and dedicated to winning games for this franchise. It doesn't get much better than that, and Brian Wright deserves credit for making the right choice last June.