Really deserved - Stephen Castle won the Rookie of the Year honor

At last year's draft, if you told me that Castle, selected by the Spurs, would win the best rookie of the season, I might wake you up -

Where do you put the top three, do they want to save face?

However, in the end, Castle slapped me in the face with practical actions - there were 82 games in a season, and the best rookie was played one by one.

Casel did not rank at the top of the rankings at the beginning until his competitors were either injured or in a state that could not be continued. Castle seized the opportunity of Vinbanyama and Fox being absent, which amazed us.

Although luck is also part of it, strength is the most important thing.

So, he finally won the best rookie of the 2024-25 season. This is a brilliant creation of personal ability, team system and competitive environment. Look at it, Sashe, Saar and Shebold all made Castle get away from it.

Although his playing time is the shortest among the best rookies in the past 20 years, Castle averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, and his performance of combining offense and defense is very convincing.

After Wenban Yama was absent due to injury, he quickly took up the core banner, scored 140 points in 6 games, and was not ruthless in the All-Star rookie game and won the MVP.

His competitors, No. 1, Lessache, has mediocre data and does not look like the No. 1, No. 1, Sal's shooting rate is sluggish, while Tanhua Xiebode was abandoned.

, and 76ers McCain and Grizzlies' Wells were successively reimbursed due to injury seasons. Various factors made Castle laugh to the end.

"Personally, I feel like I won this award a long time ago," Castle said.

This sentence sounds a bit arrogant, but in fact it is not. As early as March, Castle had basically locked in this honor.

He has been the first in the rookie list for a long time, firmly suppressing the competitors who are ready to move behind him.

The Spurs' system provides fertile soil for Castle's growth. With the careful training of the coaching staff and teammates, he quickly integrated into the pass and cut system and showed top outside single defense capabilities on the defensive end. At the beginning of the season, he focused on defense behind Wenban Yama, and seamless connection became the core of tactics in the later stage.

Judging from some game scenes, it is obvious how helpful the two veterans Paul and Barnes have been to him. Paul will always give him a warning, and Barnes' three slow steps are shown in Castle in another form.

Castle's election is also of great historical significance. He is the fourth player in the history of the Spurs to win this honor, and the first three are the No. 1 picks. The Spurs have also become the first team to win the Best Rookie for two consecutive years after the Timberwolves in 2014-16.

20-year-old Castle played calmness, calmness and toughness beyond his age on the court, which surprised us very much. Since the shooting was not stable enough, his skills were mostly to break through to the basket to cause damage.

Facts have proved that he is an expert in this field. He is strong, has both athletic ability and basketball IQ. The success rate of playing 2+1 at the basket is quite high - this is the small backcourt cannon that the Spurs have been lacking for so many years.

Of course, he is also deliberately training his shooting, especially three-pointers. Although his shooting percentage is only 28.5%, which is lower than the league average, his total shots reached 333 times, averaging 4.1 times per game, which shows that although he is a good person, he is very determined and confident in shooting.

So far, shooting may be his biggest weakness. If he wants to break through, this weakness must be strengthened. If the shooting stability can be continuously improved, including mid-range shots and three-pointers, he is expected to become an All-Star defender in the future.

Observe from his shooting posture and movements, and his diligent and studious attitude - it will only take a while to practice shooting.

Although the Spurs' record will make some question his honor, overall this does not affect his true reputation.

His comprehensiveness, performance at critical moments and outstanding performance in the Spurs system all show the potential of superstars. In the future, we hope that he can improve the stability of the outside line while maintaining defensive strength and develop upward step by step.

Let's wait and see!