The 2024 NBA Draft is just under two weeks away, so until then, it's worth breaking down the best landing spot for the top prospects. One of those players is UConn's Stephon Castle.
Castle entered Storrs as a point guard, but shifted roles to play more off the ball with Tristen Newton running the show. He did his job and helped the Huskies win their second consecutive title. Now he embarks on the league where he will surely be a top-10 pick. The San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz particularly look like great spots for Castle in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Spurs add key piece on perimeter
On paper, the Spurs may not seem like a great fit. Castle shot 26.7% from three during his lone collegiate season and San Antonio finished 28th in the league in three-point percentage (34.7%) in 2023-24.
But Castle may be a better shooter than his three-point percentage indicates. He shot 75.5% from the free throw line, which is a solid number. Free throw percentage has been a better indicator of shooting prowess than three-point percentage for college prospects.
Castle also finds other ways to produce if his three ball isn't falling. He is an exceptional cutter, which is one way to get around his lack of shooting. On top of that, UConn did a great job of using Castle as an inverted roll man. He and the Huskies did a lot of damage out of actions with him setting ball screens and making plays on the dive. If the Spurs, who are reportedly fans of the UConn guard, draft Castle, they can exploit this part of Castle's game.
Victor Wembanyama is a unicorn who can do everything, including shoot threes and create on the perimeter. San Antonio can feature Castle prominently as a screener to create mismatches for their franchise cornerstone.
The Spurs also could use an upgrade at point guard. Tre Jones is solid, but probably better utilized as a backup than starter. Jones averaged 6.2 assists per game this year, which led the team. Outside of him, Devin Vassell (4.1) was the only Spur to average more than four. Wembanyama was the next highest at 3.9.
The Spurs have the fourth and eighth picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. They can reserve one of those picks for adding shooting and another for adding a point guard and facilitator. Castle can fill the point guard voids. He'd be a great fit in San Antonio.
Jazz find Keyonte George's backcourt partner
Castle may not even be available for the Utah Jazz by the time they pick tenth overall, according to reports. However, it never hurts to do due diligence on every player. The Jazz should hope that Castle falls to them because they, more than any team in the lottery, could cover for Castle's lack of a consistent jumper.
They can do so because they have plenty of shooting in their frontcourt. Lauri Markkanen can play anywhere from the three through the five thanks to his 37.5% mark from distance for his career. Utah also drafted Taylor Hendrick in last year's draft. He entered the league with the rep as a shooter at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, and that carried over to his rookie season, when he shot 37.9% on 3.5 threes per game.
What the Jazz need is help defensively and size in the backcourt. They had the worst defensive rating in the entire NBA last season. Castle fills both voids. He's a 6-foot-6 point guard who weighs 215 pounds and can defend multiple positions.
Castle and Keyonte George can form a dynamic backcourt that Utah can build around. They may need to hope he falls that far, but if Danny Ainge really likes him, Utah has the ammunition to trade up. The Jazz have the 29th and 32nd picks in the 2024 NBA Draft and nine additional firsts in the future.
Castle would be worth trading up for to draft. He can fill all the team's needs and looks like a perfect fit next to Utah's young core. Whether or not the Jazz can get him in the draft will be worth watching.
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