From even before the San Antonio Spurs drafted Stephon Castle, there was thought that perhaps the national champion with the UConn Huskies would be the player who'd perform best in the class out of the gate. Shortly after the draft, odds-makers made Castle the Rookie of the Year favorite. During the season, ClutchPoints flat-out predicted that the fourth overall pick would win the award. During the year, Castle's name often came up at the forefront of related discussions, especially down the stretch.

With the award in hand, ClutchPoints asked the 20-year-old guard about meeting those expectations.

“When I hear expectations, I try and break through that wall no matter what it is,” Castle told CP.

“I'm feel like I'm super confident in myself as a player.”

Stephon Castle impressive in Rookie of the Year campaign

In becoming the fourth Spur to capture the award, Castle joined legends Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and teammate Victor Wembanyama, who took home the honor last year. San Antonio becomes the fifth team in NBA history to feature back-to-back honorees.

Castle averaged a rookie-best 14.7 points, to go with 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.91 steals across 47 starts over 80 games. The Covington, Georgia native also led all rookies in total points with 1,190, made field goals at 423, and total steal,s tallying 74. Castle made 100+ more free throws (249) than any other first-year player.

The 2025 Rising Stars MVP earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors in both January and March and was the only player in the 2024 draft class to surpass 1,000 points. He scored in double figures in a rookie-best 60 games, including 26 contests with 20+ points and two 30-point outings, while also recording five double-doubles and 18 games with multiple steals.

After averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the first half of the season, Castle improved across the board to average 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists after the All-Star break.

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“I heard B Wright [Brian Wright] say it all the time that he didn't even know what kind of player he was getting,” Castle said of his general manager to ClutchPoints.

It's safe to say Wright knows now.

Castle is the only rookie since 2017-18 to record a game with 30+ points, a game with 15+ rebounds, and a game with 14+ assists in the same season.

On February 7, he scored a season-high 33 points off the bench at the Charlotte Hornets, the most by a rookie reserve in Spurs history, and became just the seventh Spurs rookie to post a 30-point game. On March 21, Castle logged 17 points, 14 assists, five rebounds, three steals, and one block in a win vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.

On April 2, he had a 15-point, 15-rebound, and nine-assist game in a win at the Denver Nuggets, followed by a near triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 4.

“Internally, I knew who I was. That's why I stay even keel, stay humble because I feel like all the work that I put in will eventually show,” Castle told ClutchPoints.

The work has already shown. There's every reason to believe it will continue to do so. No matter what the expectations.