John Hollinger on Castle, who he ranks #2:
For a league where everyone is looking for big, ballhandling wings, teams sure seem to like finding reasons to avoid taking one in the draft. I’ve seen Castle ranked much lower than this on several draft boards, and I’m not sure I get it.
Castle isn’t perfect — questions about his shooting persist — but in this draft, he stands out as a plus defender from day one who also adds secondary ballhandling and creation chops. A 6-6 freshman wing with 6.2 assists per 100 possessions and a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio certainly stands out, especially since he did so for a team that cruised to the national title.
Like Holland above, Castle has high-end possibilities on the defensive end that help provide a solid floor even if he doesn’t hit his offensive ceiling. He was impressive contesting shots at the end of plays and using verticality, although he did foul too much for a perimeter player. In terms of lateral quickness, I wouldn’t quite put him on the top shelf, but he was good — straight-line drives weren’t beating him, but sometimes quick stops and changes of direction got him a step behind.
Getting back to the offense end, the shooting question looms large. Castle's balance and form on his shot varies quite a bit depending on whether he’s shooting off the catch, off the dribble going left or off the dribble going right. At times, his arms look like they’re fighting each other, with the guide hand getting too much in the way.
On the other hand, his size, athleticism and ball skills should allow him to thrive in the more open floor of the NBA, and the more the ball is in his hands, the less of an issue his catch-and-shoot jumper becomes. Even with his issues shooting, Castle made 75.5 percent from the line last season.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5484657/2024/05/13/nba-draft-2024-top-prospects-players-hollinger/
