The Ringer just made an egregious Stephon Castle ranking mistake

Stephon Castle is having a massive breakout year for the Spurs, and Amen Thompson is not having that in Houston. Last season's Rookie of the Year has been as important as anyone not named Victor Wembanyama to San Antonio’s success, and he’s well on his way to becoming an All-Star.

That’s not new information, as least not to Spurs fans. Somehow, though, Castle’s league-wide reputation hasn’t caught up to his growth yet. The Ringer’s top 100 player list is the latest proof of that, as they have Castle ranked below a rival he’s unquestionably better than.

Amen Thompson is not better than Stephon Castle

Houston’s Amen Thompson is a young star in his own right. He’s a video game athlete, a special defender, and a supreme fit for the competitive culture the Rockets have built. So far, in his third season, he’s averaging 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 50.9% from the floor.

Thompson has some significant flaws, however, including, of course, his shooting (or lack of it). The former third-overall pick isn’t just a non-factor from beyond the arc, he’s a negative. He attempts almost two threes per game and converts a putrid 19.4% of those attempts.

The Ringer placed Thompson at 44th on their latest top 100 list. That feels rich for a clear sub-all-star level player. The ranking looks even more blasphemous in comparison to Castle’s.

The reigning Rookie of the Year is 50th on The Ringer’s list. Yes, that’s only a few spots behind Thompson, but this isn’t nit-picking. Castle is obviously better than Thompson. The San Antonio sophomore is the better overall scorer and on-ball playmaker, and he’s not far behind Thompson on defense, either.

Castle has been proving his worth in a way Thompson hasn't

The discrepancy between the two up-and-coming studs gets wider when you consider the context of their roles. Castle is shouldering lead ball handler and point-of-attack defender responsibilities for a Spurs team that’s arguably been the best squad in the association.

Thompson isn’t capable of doing what Castle can offensively. Instead, he’s relegated to a supporting role next to Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, even with Houston needing ball handling in the absence of Fred VanVleet.

Bottom line? Night in and night out, Castle is more important to the Spurs than Thompson is to the Rockets, and Castle is the better individual player in a vacuum, too.

Please, someone, make The Ringer’s list make sense!