Stephon Castle nails next steps to becoming next great NBA player

Stephon Castle has been the best rookie of his draft class for the majority of the season. When he was selected from UConn, many pundits claimed that he was one of the most pro-ready prospects available. They were correct but undersold his maturity. The kid has been as cool as an ocean breeze and hasn't wavered once in his calmness and confidence.

He's aggressive on the court and puts pressure on defenses with a relentless attack of the basket. His approach has allowed him to score over 20 points at more than double the rate of the next rookie. When you combine his scoring output with his court vision, impressive finishes, and strong defense, it's clear why he'll be the Rookie of the Year.

However, raw numbers aren't everything. Despite his young age, he knows what he needs to work on to get to the next level, and he spoke about it after the loss to the Boston Celtics.

Castle's improvement in efficiency and ball security will make him a star

Steph is averaging two turnovers to his 3.8 assists per game this season. If he's going to run the offense in various lineups, he has to improve that facet of his game. He's already shown that he can make a variety of reads out of the pick-and-roll. He has an especially underrated cross-court passing ability that not every point guard has, but the turnovers hold him back from reaching that next level.

As a rookie, that's expected and not a cause for concern. It's good to hear him address it, though. It speaks to his mentality that understanding the fundamentals of the game is most important. He could have said something about adding moves to his game, but his focus is on the details.

Rookie guards are expected to be inefficient, so it's not a surprise when he shoots 39% in a game. But listening to him speak, it's a logical conclusion to assume that those nights bother him. Spurs fans should expect Steph to work hard on that this offseason. If he takes the kind of leap that his demeanor suggests, he'll start a real ascension to stardom.

It's all quite a change for San Antonio. The Spurs have had starts before, but none of them had a cool factor as strong as Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. Both players make jaw-dropping plays with their special abilities. Wemby, with his freakish size and athleticism, and Castle, with his explosive posters, will ensure fans are unable to turn their heads for a moment. It's an exciting time to be a Spurs fan.