'Confident' Castle gives Spurs back-to-back ROYs

SAN ANTONIO -- Slow step, deceleration -- whatever they're now calling this new variation of the famed Eurostep -- San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle learned and mastered it in his first week as a Spur.

"They taught me that in one of my first workouts," Castle told ESPN.

The fourth pick of the 2024 NBA draft, Castle stuffed the move into his already deep bag and obliterated opponents with it on the way to capturing 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Castle received 92 first-place votes to take the award over runner-up Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks. Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells came in third. Castle became the fourth Spur to win the award, joining Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

"I've always been super confident as a player," Castle told ESPN. "So, I felt like there was no doubt in my mind that I would eventually get to this point, especially with all the work that I put in. I felt like it was just inevitable to happen. I feel like [confidence is] what really got me to this point, and not holding myself back from anything."

San Antonio became the fifth team in NBA history and just the second team in the past 50 years to feature back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners. Andrew Wiggins (2015) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016) are the last consecutive winners of the award for one franchise (Minnesota).

"We have a lot of history in this organization," Castle told ESPN. "So, to add another thing to our trophy case would definitely mean a lot, especially if it's something that my name is being engraved into."

Castle played 80 games as a rookie, starting in 47, and led all rookies in total points (1,190), made field goals (423) and steals (74). He hit more than 100 more free throws (249) than any other first-year player, in addition to averaging 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 0.91 steals. Castle is the first Spurs rookie since Duncan to finish his first season ranked in the top two on the team in both points and assists.

Castle is also the first player from the University of Connecticut to win Rookie of the Year since Emeka Okafor captured it in 2004-05 with the Charlotte Bobcats. Castle's 14.7 points per game rank as the fewest by a Rookie of the Year since 2016-17, when Malcolm Brogdon averaged 10.2 points with the Milwaukee Bucks.

"The first thing I think about [with] Rookie of the Year, [is you] get one chance to win it," Spurs star Wembanyama said. "So, it's a big, big milestone. I'm really proud of Steph for what he's done in his adaptation in the league and his growth."

The MVP of the 2025 Rising Stars game and two-time Western Conference Rookie of the Month (January and March), Castle was the only player in his draft class to surpass 1,000 points, scoring double figures in a rookie-best 60 games. Castle had 26 outings with 20 points or more and two 30-point performances, in addition to putting together five double-doubles and 18 games with multiple steals.

Castle averaged 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the first half of the season before cranking up production after the All-Star break to 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

The Spurs see Castle as a core part of the organization's future alongside Wembanyama and new addition De'Aaron Fox.

"He'll be a dynamic force to be reckoned with," acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.

As for Castle, he's ready to get back to the lab after taking the advice of veteran teammate Chris Paul to attend some postseason games to get a feel for what lies ahead. Castle mastered his patented slow step during Week 1 with the Spurs. So, naturally, he's excited about what he can accomplish over the course of an entire offseason in San Antonio.

"This is my first real offseason," Castle told ESPN. "So, I finally get a chance to just work on my game. Honestly, it's the first season I'm not doing some type of summer training, getting ready for a team, AAU or something like that. So, I'll be able to actually just get in the lab and work on everything: facilitating, shooting. I need to get my handle sharper as well. Also, playing in the summer and not just doing workouts will help in knowing how to manage games better and stuff like that."