San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle makes massive statement

After the San Antonio Spurs found their foundational piece in Victor Wembanyama, they were in search of a lead guard next to him to keep building for the future. Stephon Castle, out of UConn with the No. 4 pick, seemed to be the missing piece of the puzzle. He gave a confident statement considering his prospect for the Rookie of the Year this season.

While Castle wasn't a perfect prospect and needed polishing as a shooter, his defensive prowess, court vision, and upside made him one of the most promising rookies in this class.

Castle seemed to have surpassed the expectations with 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game and seems to be leading the race to win Rookie of the Year. Addressing this, he said:

“I feel like, at this point, I pretty much got it locked up," Castle told Paul Garcia of TheSpotUpShot.com." I mean really just continuing to be myself, not really think about it when I’m in the game. Just game by game, I feel like I’m more confident to be able to say that I am it.”

With just a handful of games remaining in the regular season, the talented combo guard leads all first-year players in points scored, assists, 20-point games, and steals.

Mitch Johnson makes ROY case for Stephon Castle

When asked about Stephon Castle's chances of winning Rookie of the Year, Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson raved about the fact that he's been asked to do a lot of things and carry a big load right out of the gate.

“A lot of rookies, you come in and learn by watching, or you come in beside one or two, multiple guys,” Johnson said. “Very few rookies come into the league and are asked to be the guy or one of the main guys. He’s been asked to do all that. He’s been asked to play alongside guys; he’s been asked to play off the bench; he’s been asked to start; he’s been asked at times to be one of the main guys."

The Spurs lost Wembanyama to a season-ending injury shortly after the All-Star break, and they also shut down De'Aaron Fox for the year.

Stephon Castle has stepped up as the team's primary ball-handler, soaking in a lot from Chris Paul and taking a big leap as a scorer as well. If he continues to go down this road, the Spurs will have one of the most entertaining Big 3s in the league for a very long time.