Stephon Castle Stats Tonight: How did the Spurs rookie fare against Sacramento Kings? (Dec. 1)

Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs began a two-game road swing with a matchup against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. The Spurs looked to bounce back versus the Kings after losing 119-101 to the LA Lakers on Wednesday.

The No. 4 pick in the 2024 NBA draft continued to start alongside veteran Chris Paul. Castle and San Antonio’s perimeter defense struggled to contain the Kings’ shooters in the first half. Sacramento took a 42-28 after one quarter.

The San Antonio Spurs defense woke up in the second quarter behind Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio’s rookie played a big role in slowing down DeMar DeRozan, who had 12 points and four assists in the first period. Deebo had four points with no dime in the second period.

Stephon Castle finished the first half with five points, one assist and one steal. San Antonio trailed 65-58 after two quarters.

Stephon Castle's rough-shooting night continued in the third quarter. He scored a 23-footer off a Victor Wembanyama pass but missed two open attempts. Castle also had one layup blocked by Malik Monk.

San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson kept playing him because of his impact on the defensive end. Castle didn't score again in the game. He played roughly five minutes in the fourth quarter. Johnson made sure to put him late in the game for defense. The 6-foot-5 rookie helped his team to a 127-125 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Stephon Castle	8	0	1	0	1	3	3-12	2-7	0-0	-7

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Stephon Castle continues to struggle with his shooting

Stephon Castle's minutes have increased every month. He averaged 20.8 minutes per game in October before it went up to 28.6 MPG last month. Despite having another rough-shooting night, he saw action for 33 minutes in the San Antonio Spurs' first December game.

Castle has the trust of the coaching staff because of his defense, hustle, savvy plays and versatility. But, he continues to have trouble scoring efficiently.

The former UConn star averages 11.5 points per game on 39.7% shooting, including 28.9% from deep. San Antonio hasn't had much success when it pairs Victor Wembanyama with the rookie. Opponents would dare Castle to shoot and collapse on Wemby.

Stephon Castle has improved his shooting from October to November. It remains to be seen if he can do that again this month. San Antonio's offense will be more dynamic if its best perimeter can efficiently make shots.