The No. 4 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Castle is coming off his Rookie of the Year campaign. The first few months of his debut season were up and down, but he gained his stride in January. After De'Aaron Fox underwent season-ending surgery in March, Castle took on a starting job. With both Fox and Victor Wembanyama out due to a blood clot issue, the rookie became the team's lead playmaker. During his final 18 appearances, the UConn product averaged 19.1 points and 1.3 threes on 44/29/75 shooting, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 combined steals-plus-blocks in 30.9 minutes. Shooting efficiency from anywhere outside of the paint was an issue for Castle, but he got to the rim often, and he managed an impressive 5.7 free-throw attempts per 36 minutes. Improving his shooting efficiency and making a bigger defensive impact will be key this season. Fox will be back, and the Spurs added No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper to the equation. Castle may handle the ball less than he did last season, especially compared to March and April. Optimists can certainly take Castle inside the top 100, hoping for general improvement, but heavy usage and minutes will not be available to the combo guard by default.
