2024 Draft Prospect: Stephon Castle

[Liver_Pooty]

That basically how I view it. Not sure why people trying to make this a big deal. If we draft him the kid will be fine.

You have to take it as a big deal if you're a team wanting to spend a top 3 to 7 pick on a kid and he's going to be pissed off immediately.

Why did he sign with UConn?

He had every chance to be a PG. He chose to play a lesser role in college. This feels more like his agent trying to find him the best situation.

I doubt he would be unhappy. The goal is to ultimately get drafted.

It literally came out of his own damn mouth that he played that role at UCONN for the betterment of the team and he wasn't looking to do that at the next level.

Edit : and stop this lucky or happy to be drafted nonsense. He's a top 8 pick not some random dude from western carolina.

[JustBuzzin]

You have to take it as a big deal if you're a team wanting to spend a top 3 to 7 pick on a kid and he's going to be pissed off immediately.

Why did he sign with UConn?

He had every chance to be a PG. He chose to play a lesser role in college. This feels more like his agent trying to find him the best situation.

I doubt he would be unhappy. The goal is to ultimately get drafted.

It literally came out of his own damn mouth that he played that role at UCONN for the betterment of the team and he wasn't looking to do that at the next level.

Okay and?

I don't care what he wants. He's not even that great to be demanding anything. I still have him high on my board. If he's available I'm taking him. If he sits out so be it, but we all know that's not happening.

This is a non story unless you just want to make it a story. We can't let a kid influence us into not taking him because of what he wants.

[Liver_Pooty]

Why did he sign with UConn?

He had every chance to be a PG. He chose to play a lesser role in college. This feels more like his agent trying to find him the best situation.

I doubt he would be unhappy. The goal is to ultimately get drafted.

It literally came out of his own damn mouth that he played that role at UCONN for the betterment of the team and he wasn't looking to do that at the next level.

Okay and?

I don't care what he wants. He's not even that great to be demanding anything. I still have him high on my board. If he's available I'm taking him. If he sits out so be it, but we all know that's not happening.

This is a non story unless you just want to make it a story. We can't let a kid influence us into not taking him because of what he wants.

Dude, lol. We agree we should both take him. But when the player himself says he wants to be a point guard, and if that story is true he refuses to workout with teams like us with an established point guard it's not exactly something you shrug off. I do not know how else to explain this to you.

[JustBuzzin]

It literally came out of his own damn mouth that he played that role at UCONN for the betterment of the team and he wasn't looking to do that at the next level.

Okay and?

I don't care what he wants. He's not even that great to be demanding anything. I still have him high on my board. If he's available I'm taking him. If he sits out so be it, but we all know that's not happening.

This is a non story unless you just want to make it a story. We can't let a kid influence us into not taking him because of what he wants.

Dude, lol. We agree we should both take him. But when the player himself says he wants to be a point guard, and if that story is true he refuses to workout with teams like us with an established point guard it's not exactly something you shrug off. I do not know how else to explain this to you.

If we both agree we should take him why are you continuing to give it attention?

Feels like you trying to talk yourself out of it. I'm not because I'm already sold on him. So there is no need to keep discussing it.

[Liver_Pooty]

Okay and?

I don't care what he wants. He's not even that great to be demanding anything. I still have him high on my board. If he's available I'm taking him. If he sits out so be it, but we all know that's not happening.

This is a non story unless you just want to make it a story. We can't let a kid influence us into not taking him because of what he wants.

Dude, lol. We agree we should both take him. But when the player himself says he wants to be a point guard, and if that story is true he refuses to workout with teams like us with an established point guard it's not exactly something you shrug off. I do not know how else to explain this to you.

If we both agree we should take him why are you continuing to give it attention?

Feels like you trying to talk yourself out of it. I'm not because I'm already sold on him. So there is no need to keep discussing it.

Because it's a red flag. I take the best player available which he would be at 6. But it's a red flag and it's not something to dismiss.

[JustBuzzin]

Dude, lol. We agree we should both take him. But when the player himself says he wants to be a point guard, and if that story is true he refuses to workout with teams like us with an established point guard it's not exactly something you shrug off. I do not know how else to explain this to you.

If we both agree we should take him why are you continuing to give it attention?

Feels like you trying to talk yourself out of it. I'm not because I'm already sold on him. So there is no need to keep discussing it.

Because it's a red flag. I take the best player available which he would be at 6. But it's a red flag and it's not something to dismiss.

Well I dismissed it. That's just me. You're more than welcome to have second thoughts I get it trust me I do. I'm just speaking for me that's all.

[KingCat]

Marcus Smart is a classic example of a off ball defender that thought he was a primary ball handler. I know in a vacuum, grabbing a Smart level player at 6 would be considered good for this draft, but it just feels so off lol.

[Rich4114]

In a flat draft, for a team that already has had leadership issues and challenges of being immature, the last thing we need is to pick the guy who can't shoot and insists on being a PG despite not playing PG in college. Especially when there are other, just as promising prospects.

[Chapelchilla]

In a flat draft, for a team that already has had leadership issues and challenges of being immature, the last thing we need is to pick the guy who can't shoot and insists on being a PG despite not playing PG in college. Especially when there are other, just as promising prospects.

AGREED

[JDR720]

There aren't any comps besides Marcus Smart for this type of player that I can think of. 6'5-ish poor/non-shooting, defensive minded college wings that transitioned into PG in the NBA. And even then, Smart was a PG in college. So even this comp isn't perfect.

There are plenty of defensive/passing PG's that are poor shooters in the NBA. Rubio. Rondo etc. But these guys are usually natural playmakers and higher level ball handlers. And obviously played PG in college/Europe. Not converted SG's.

To me, Castle is either trying to angle himself to the Spurs or trying to compensate for his lack of shooting by becoming a PG.

Because of the top 10 drafting teams, I'd say all of them besides the Spurs, Utah and Washington have a PG.

Atlanta - Trae and Murray
Washington - ?
Houston - VanVleet
Spurs - ?
Detroit - Cade
Charlotte - Melo
Portland - Scoot
Spurs (again) - ?
Memphis - Ja
Utah - ?

You could even extend that to the lottery as a whole too. Then you'd add Chicago, OKC, Portland again and the Kings. All of them have PG's too.

[CoachinCarolina]

He is actually a pretty solid, just struggled this year. Shot very well in high school and EYBL against top notch competition as well as the combine (no defense tho). I'm not worried about his shooting, it will be good enough. I take this kid 10/10 times.

[Rich4114]

He is actually a pretty solid, just struggled this year. Shot very well in high school and EYBL against top notch competition as well as the combine (no defense tho). I'm not worried about his shooting, it will be good enough. I take this kid 10/10 times.

If he is easily head and shoulders above the other prospects available to us and he does in fact offer that on-ball defense we so desperately lack, then sure. But what's his separation from the other prospects? In terms of raw talent, upside (fit aside)? Also, drafting for fit based on the 4th worst record in the league is preposterous anyway, you simply draft BPA or in a draft like this - safest to be an actual contributor IMO.

[JMAC3]

Castle is fine, but man he is getting really oversold at this point by several.

He is a significantly worse prospect than say Lonzo Ball, who was big and could play defense. Lonzo was the superior play maker and better shooter.

I don't think Castle can play point guard, so yes him saying he can and only will go to teams that give him a starting pg spot day 1 is a red flag. I am not saying he is a bad kid or bad attitude, but I also have to go on what I am seeing.

If Holland said he would only workout for Hawks and no other team that would be red flag for him, regardless if it was confidence he was the best player in the class in his mind.

[EmpireFalls]

Castle is fine, but man he is getting really oversold at this point by several.

He is a significantly worse prospect than say Lonzo Ball, who was big and could play defense. Lonzo was the superior play maker and better shooter.

I don't think Castle can play point guard, so yes him saying he can and only will go to teams that give him a starting pg spot day 1 is a red flag. I am not saying he is a bad kid or bad attitude, but I also have to go on what I am seeing.

If Holland said he would only workout for Hawks and no other team that would be red flag for him, regardless if it was confidence he was the best player in the class in his mind.

Nah you’re right. He’s not worth everyone losing their minds over. He projects as a Cody Martin replacement.

[Bassman]

It’s easy for us to pronounce on Castle one way or the other, given his publicly stated desire and said refusal for select workouts with established PG teams.

But think about this from the standpoint of the organization. If you are the GM, and/or the head coach, do YOU pick a guy who refused to come to Charlotte for a workout or interview? Think about what Jeff Peterson said he was looking for in his draft picks. Many of those elements are discovered during focused one on one discussions, testing and workout challenges.

You’re taking a big chance picking without any of that information.

[fatlever]

lets see what happens in the pre-draft workout cycle. it's gonna be a weird year. imagine lot of the players (like 10 guys) being told they could go top 3. that might cause some in the top 10 to pass on charlotte, thinking 6 is too low. i reality, only sarr should have that feeling. curious to see how the agents play this.
i'm always a bit weary of drafting guys in lotto who didn't work out or at least come for an interview or hold private workout. in this draft, with so many dudes in similar tier, personality, maturity, work ethic - stuff you need to see in person - would be really important to me as gm.
if i have castle and holland in same tier for example and only holland is willing to come to visit in person, i'm probaby taking holland.
that being said... castle would be silly to rule us out. he has legit chance to start by year 2 at sg, melo can play equally well off-ball, leaving lot of playmaking to castle, melo is injury prone so castle would most likely get plenty of reps at pg, and days of pure pg running everything are dead. teams need multiple guys, with size, who can initiate

[wilson115]

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/castle-points-nba-teams-wants-play-point-19467937.php

Spoiler:

"I feel my true position is point guard, and I feel the last few months I had to sacrifice for the betterment of the team,” Castle said. "It worked out for us, so it's not anything to harp on or be bitter about."

But when he was asked during media availability about the possibility of Memphis selecting him ninth overall, Castle made it clear he doesn't want to repeat that scenario in the NBA.

"They have a star point guard in Ja Morant," Castle said. "I feel like I can fit on to any kind of team. I feel like my game is pretty flexible. I feel like I can play with any kind of guys in any kind of way. But I also feel like I made that sacrifice in college. Now, we’re talking about my career, and that’s something I take pride in. Now, I really want to play the one. So, that’s just something to think about.”

“Whatever team that takes the chance on me, I want them to know that they’re getting a hard worker, a great teammate, a great person and somebody that has so much more to their game than they’ve shown the past couple of months," he said.

Now he's ready to continue to showcase his all-around skills in the NBA.

“I’m more of a two-way point guard," he said. "I really like to pass the ball. And I like to shoot off the dribble a lot. That’s what my game really consists of, being on the ball, getting my teammates involved, scoring whenever I need to and defending at a high level."

But it all comes with the stipulation that he gets a shot at playing the point.

“I’d be blessed to play anywhere," Castle said. "I would love to go somewhere that allows me to develop and expand my game in the way I desire. ... There’s a lot I haven’t been able to showcase."

[KingCat]

I don't care if he's throwing tantrums all throughout summerleague and training camp. I'd still take him over Matas and Clingan lol

[JustBuzzin]

I don't care if he's throwing tantrums all throughout summerleague and training camp. I'd still take him over Matas and Clingan lol

Yeah I'm not taking a lesser prospect just because he wants to play PG. He will have to suck it up and play ball. He will get his chance to play PG when Melo is out of the game or when he gets injured.

[luciano-davidwesley]

There is a tier of 6-10 guys who have NOT separated themselves from one another (including Castle) yet we are on here discussing him ad nauseum like he's Wemby and we've got the first pick. People are making out like he's the consensus BPA and we'd be stupid to take into account his alarming comments in the media, which I feel are an obvious smokescreen to take attention away from his poor shooting. He's getting awful advice from his handlers.

Feel free to also discuss the other 9 guys in this pretty flat top 10 lol.