2024 NBA Draft Prospect: Stephon Castle

Stephon Castle will bring size, versatility, and defense to the NBA team that drafts him in June.

2024 NBA Draft prospect: Stephon Castle (UConn)

Height without shoes, Weight, and Age when NBA season begins: 6’6”, 210 pounds, 19 years old

Standing reach: 8’6” | Wingspan: 6’9”

Mock average: 4.5

NBA player ranking for access to combine information: 2nd - 6th (for teams drafting 1st to 15th)

What will Castle bring to an NBA team and where will he need to improve going forward?

• Size - At 6’6” and 215 pounds, Castle has size that he’s able to use on both ends of the court. On offense, he can draw contact and he knows how to use his body to get separation from his defender. He’s able to get to the free throw line on his drives, where he’s trying to seek contact with the defender. He can also use his size to post up players around his height or smaller. Castle uses his size off the ball to set off-ball screens for his teammates, and he’s able to set picks, roll, and finish layups by catching pocket passes on the roll. Castle uses his size to help out on the glass by collecting defensive boards, and by also collecting his own misses, or teammates’ misses, since he’s left open from the outside. When trying to get around screens, Castle is able to recover because he uses his size to absorb the bump and get around through the screener.

• Versatility - Castle can defend guards, wings, and even some power forwards. He can also push the ball up the court and run the offense, with experience of running some backup point guard duty for UConn this season. With teams leaving him open from three, he’s learned how to run some sets at the 4, with being able to set screens and play in the dunker spot.

• Passing - Castle knows how to read the floor and find teammates out on the arc, and with the experience of playing with a big like Donovan Clingan, he can throw passes into the post and the hi-low pass. In the open court, Castle can use the 2-handed hit-ahead pass to a teammate open down court. Another pass Castle can make is the crosscourt pass where he might be standing at the right arc, then he can throw a 2-handed pass to the leftside corner.

• Drives - When driving the ball, Castle isn’t explosive with his speed burst, but he is slippery in getting by the defense with moves such as the pro-hop before getting contact.

• Defense - Castle is able to guard multiple positions. If a team needs him to guard a point guard, he can do that with his lateral quickness and using his chest to absorb some contact. If his opponent can get past him, he’s able to recover at the rim and keep his hands up to try to prevent the layup. When guarding on ball, Castle stays low and keeps his arms spread out to make his guarding space bigger. When the ball handler tries to drive past him, he keeps one hand up and the other wide to continue to try to get blocks, force deflections, or steals. Off ball, Castle also keeps his arms open wide off ball to get some deflections in passing lanes, even when he might not be looking. There are moments every now and then where Castle can lose sight of his matchup, and that player may sneak in for a backdoor cut.

• Outside shooting - One of the areas where Castle will have to continue to improve is his outside shot. Defenses will purposely leave him open and in some cases, put bigs on him to shrink the floor on the inside. Castle’s jump shot gather looks a bit slow, and at the NBA level, perhaps he’ll have some shooting coaches who can help him continue to develop his outside shot.

• Poise - For being just 19 years old, Castle plays with a lot of poise and patience out on the floor. He’s very calm with the ball in his hands, where he scans the floor to find the right read.

What do other draft experts say about Castle?

• Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer: Got that dog in him, hustle, on-ball defense, feel for the game

• Jeremy Woo of ESPN: Size, matchup versatility, secondary playmaking ability

• Krysten Peek of Yahoo! Sports: Can defend other team’s best guards, post up smaller guards, can play under pressure

• NBA Draft Room: Defensive intensity, team first game

What are Castle’s NBA comps?

• My comps: Jimmy Butler

• Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer: Shades of Markelle Fultz, Anthony Black

• NBADraftRoom.com: SGA lite

• NBA talent evaluators and scout to HoopsHype.com: Marcus Smart, Evan Turner

Read about other Draft Prospects: Alexandre Sarr | Zaccharie Risacher | Nikola Topic | Ron Holland | Rob Dillingham

How would Castle fit on the San Antonio Spurs?