Move over, Tim Duncan and Victor Wembanayama. Make some room for Stephon Castle. The reigning Rookie of the Year joined the greatest power forward ever and a player who may go down as one of the absolute greats in the San Antonio Spurs' 132-119 victory vs. the Los Angeles Lakers in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.
Castle became only the third player in the franchise's storied history to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and five or more assists in a game by the age of 21.
The former UConn star's 30 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists all marked team highs in the organization's first trip to the knockout round of the league's in-season tournament.
Stephon Castle's performance vs. Lakers continues great season
The 21-year-old's outstanding night came in only his second game back after missing three weeks with what the Spurs designated a left hip flexor strain. He played well in a victory vs. the New Orleans Pelicans on December 8 with 18 points, five assists and five rebounds. And he put up those numbers in just 23 minutes upon his return.
He played just four more minutes vs. the Lakers in amassing the aforementioned numbers on his way to a 10/14 shooting night from the field.
For the season, Castle is averaging 17.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds while shooting 48% from the floor in 31 minutes per game. Those numbers are all significantly up from a season ago when he nabbed hardware as the NBA's best first-year player. Then he averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and shot 43% in 27 minutes of action. A reserve for most of last year, Castle started as the season went along with the Spurs decimated by injuries. This season, he's been in the starting line-up from the get go.
With the Spurs linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation, either Castle or rookie Dylan Harper appears to be the player the Milwaukee Bucks would most target as the centerpiece of a possible package. Reports indicate San Antonio has deemed both of them untouchable.
Continued performances like the one he put up against the Lakers showcase why it's not hard to see why.
