Analyst Exposes Major Red Flag for UConn Standout After NBA Rookie Season

Former UConn Huskies guard Stephon Castle enjoyed quite the rookie season on the NBA level, winning the Rookie of the Year award after a tremendous debut with the San Antonio Spurs.

Castle averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds over 26.7 minutes per game on 42.8/28.5/72.4 shooting splits during the 2024-25 campaign and was also a unanimous First-Team All-Rookie selection.

The 20-year-old obviously has incredible potential, possessing a terrific feel for the game offensively while also having outstanding defensive chops.

However, Jacob Douglas of Pounding the Rock has identified one major flaw in Castle's game that could ultimately prevent him from becoming a truly dominant offensive force: his jump shot.

"Castle showed flashes of shot-making ability this season, but his jumper is far too inconsistent to be relied upon as a go-to scorer," Douglas wrote. "No matter how strong a driver you are, teams can play you off the court if you’re not a threat to shoot, especially in a playoff setting."

Castle wasn't a great three-point shooter at UConn, either, making just 26.7 percent of his long-range attempts during his lone season with the Huskies.

Douglas is right: especially in today's NBA game that is largely predicated on floor spacing and being able to keep defenses honest, Castle will need to develop his perimeter shot if he wants to genuinely become one of the elite guards in basketball.

The good news is that the Covington, Ga. native has plenty of time to get things right, and Spurs fans don't have to look any further than Kawhi Leonard to find a player who had a questionable jumper upon entering the league and then turned into a reliable three-point shooter.