Stephon Castle's big passing night adds to Rookie of the Year resume

Stephon Castle dished out 14 assists in the Spurs' 128-120 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night. That's the most of his young career and the most any rookie has had in a single game this season.

San Antonio drafted Castle with the No. 4 pick last June after he won a national title in his one year at UConn. The Spurs brought the rookie along slowly, bringing in Chris Paul to mentor him, easing the 20-year-old into pro basketball.

But after the Spurs shut down Wembanyama with blood clots and Fox, their midseason trade addition, had season-ending surgery on his hand, the team had no choice but to unleash Castle. He's responded in March, averaging 20.2 points, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals. Castle has shot 48 percent for the month, a huge improvement from his 41.1 percent in the season's first five months.

That was the biggest knock on Castle coming into the draft: his inconsistent shooting. He's still not great on three-pointers, but he's improving, and he's also getting to the foul line.

In a lackluster year for rookies, Castle has easily scored the most points, with 952. He might never be the primary offensive option for the Spurs with two All-Stars besides him, but Castle is showing he should be another key piece for the Spurs going forward.

If he happens to pick up a Rookie of the Year trophy along the way, that's just an added bonus.