Wembanyama's brazen Stephon Castle statement says it all

"He 100% deserved to be the number one pick, but I'm so glad he wasn't," Victor Wembanyama told the Amazon Prime studio crew about 2024's fourth overall pick, Stephon Castle, after the Spurs downed the Hornets 115-102. The reigning Rookie of the Year dropped 15 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds while playing some exceptional defense on all of Charlotte's best perimeter guys.

Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppal, and LaMelo Ball all had trouble on the offensive end when the younger half of Area 51 was plastered to their chests. He's been doing this all year. He's been called an All-Defense first-team-caliber player by several analysts and media members at this point. It doesn't matter the challenge; Steph steps up and makes life miserable for some of the league's best.

As tremendous as he is on that side of the floor, he's even more impressive on the offensive end considering he allegedly wasn't supposed to be this good. When you put the complete package together—he's shooting 42% 3PT in March—we're looking at a bona fide star right now.

Castle has already reached NBA stardom

This will be solidified once he adds a few playoff highlights to his resume while turning in some big-time performances on the league's biggest stages, but the skill level is already there. The former UConn champion hit the ground running in San Antonio; he gained notoriety in last season's dunk contest and won ROY fairly easily. Everything has only been up from there.

Castle is getting better fast. He's gone from averaging 4.1 assists to 7, placing himself 10th in the league in that category. The hesi-stepping sophomore is seeing the floor like a veteran and making advanced reads. He's breaking down defenses, hitting skip passes, and orchestrating the offense like he's been doing it for a decade.

His 40-point triple-double was no mistake, and the 30-point triple-double he just had against the Nuggets was a testament to how deep he can dig when his team needs him. They didn't come up with that victory against Denver, but it took a Herculean effort from one of the best players this game has ever seen for that to be the case.

Every night, Castle matches up with the best offensive player on the opposing team. That could be Steph Curry or Luka Doncic; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Kevin Durant. It doesn't matter.

More times than not, Castle is shoving them in the dungeon while effectively carving up their defense on the other side. He's a special, special talent, and if the Hawks had another shot at that draft, they'd be foolish not to take him.