Stephon Castle Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Davis, Castle, Popovich

May 2nd, 2025 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

On paper, a 48-win season for the Grizzlies looks like a relative success on the heels of last season’s injury-plagued 27-win showing. However, the club went just 14-23 over its final 37 games (including the play-in and playoffs) and finds itself at a crossroads entering the offseason, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic, a former Grizzlies executive.

Having spoken to sources around the league, Hollinger says four main themes were brought up as issues in Memphis: Ja Morant‘s lack of dependability on and off the court in recent years; potentially investing too heavily in Desmond Bane as a third option; gradually losing several key role players (such as Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson); and an inability to hit a home run on the trade market.

Regarding that last point, Hollinger notes that the Grizzlies have made an effort to take big swings over the years — they inquired on impact wings like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Kevin Durant. However, their most significant deal, which saw them give up multiple first-round picks in exchange for Marcus Smart in 2023, didn’t pan out. The club ultimately had to give up another first-round pick to move off Smart’s contract at this year’s trade deadline.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Given the disappointment and anger that Mavericks fans felt over the team’s decision to trade Luka Doncic, the newest impact player in Dallas – Anthony Davis – is under immense pressure as he tries to fill the shoes of a beloved superstar. Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) believes Davis is well suited to take on that challenge and takes an in-depth look at the path the former No. 1 overall pick took to Dallas. “Some people play this game because they make a lot of money. Some people play this game because they care, which makes them a lot of money. AD is a guy that cares,” agent Rich Paul told The Dallas Morning News earlier this year. “He’s bringing all that growth and maturation with him. I think Dallas is actually getting the best AD.”
After being named this season’s Rookie of the Year, Spurs guard Stephon Castle admitted this week that he doesn’t feel yet like he deserves to be mentioned alongside the franchise’s previous winners of the award (Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and Victor Wembanyama). However, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) relays, Castle also pointed out that the back-to-back Rookie of the Year honors for him and Wembanyama bode well for San Antonio’s outlook going forward. “It speaks highly of our future,” he said. “What we have going on and what we plan on doing.” Castle added that he won’t “shy away” from the target that his Rookie of the Year award puts on his back next season.
Although Gregg Popovich will no longer coach the Spurs, his presence will be felt for years to come, according to columnist Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required), who examines the way that Popovich’s influence has permeated through the organization and the impact he has made on the Spurs’ culture over the last three decades.

Spurs’ Stephon Castle Wins Rookie Of Year Award

April 29th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephon Castle won a national championship with the University of Connecticut in his lone college season. The 20-year-old guard has now earned a major individual accolade – the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, , the league announced in a press release.

Castle is the second consecutive San Antonio player to earn Rookie of the Year recognition. Victor Wembanyama captured the award last spring.

Castle appeared in all but one of the Spurs‘ games this season after being selected with the No. 4 overall pick last June. He averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 26.7 minutes per game. Castle, who started 47 games, shot 42.8% from the field.

Castle became a consistent offensive force as the season progressed and reached the 20-point mark 26 times. His post-All-Star averages were 17.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.0 APG in 30 games.

That was enough for him take down the top prize by a landslide over the two other finalists.

Top pick Zaccharie Risacher appeared in 75 games, including 73 starts, for the Hawks. The 6’8″ forward finished the season with averages of 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, shooting 45.8% from the field overall and 35.5% from long range. Risacher scored 30 or more points in four games.

Jaylen Wells proved to be a diamond in the rough for the Grizzlies. The 39th overall pick started 74 of the 79 games in which he played. Wells wasn’t a big part of Memphis’ offense but still averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per night while taking on challenging defensive assignments.

Castle received 92 of a possible 100 votes from a global media panel and accumulated 482 points, according to the league (Twitter link). Risacher had five first-place votes and 245 points, while Wells received three first-place votes and 123 points.

Alex Sarr, Zach Edey, Kel’el Ware, Matas Buzelis, and Jared McCain also received votes. The required 65-game minimum doesn’t apply to Rookie of the Year voting, which is why a player like McCain, who suffered a season-ending injury after just 23 outings, was eligible.

Castle’s scoring average is the second lowest among ROY winners in the last 22 seasons. Only Malcolm Brogdon (2017) had a lower average (10.2 PPG) during that span.

NBA Announces Finalists For 2024/25 Awards

April 20th, 2025 at 6:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic are the three finalists for the league’s Most Valuable Player award this season, the league announced on Sunday (Twitter link).

While all three players put up monster numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is generally considered the favorite to win the award due in large part to the Thunder’s team success this season. Oklahoma City won a league-high 68 regular season games, compared to 50 for Jokic’s Nuggets and 48 for Antetokounmpo’s Bucks.

The finalists for each award represent the top three vote-getters. The winners will be announced at a later date.

Here’s a rundown of the finalists for the major NBA awards voted on by media members:

Coach of the Year

Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
Ime Udoka (Rockets)

Rookie of the Year

Stephon Castle (Spurs)
Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks)
Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies)

Sixth Man of the Year

Malik Beasley (Pistons)
Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)
Payton Pritchard (Celtics)

Defensive Player of the Year

Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
Draymond Green (Warriors)
Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)

Most Improved Player

Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
Ivica Zubac (Clippers)

Clutch Player of the Year

Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)

And-Ones: Howard, Rookies, Stanley, Europe

April 10th, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Officially announced last weekend as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2025 class, longtime NBA star Dwight Howard has decided to play one more season of professional basketball in the BIG3, as first reported by Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

The BIG3 – the 3-on-3 league created by Ice Cube – officially issued a press release on Wednesday confirming that Howard has signed on to play for the Los Angeles Riot this summer.

Howard will team up with former NBA guard Jordan Crawford and former USC standout Elijah Stewart under head coach Nick Young. While Howard played for the Wizards like Crawford and the Lakers like Young, he didn’t overlap with either player during their stints in Washington and Los Angeles.

“I’m excited to join Ice Cube and the BIG3 – especially right after being inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame,” Howard said in a statement. “Words can’t describe how grateful I am for these opportunities. I can’t wait to join the L.A. Riot and try to bring another championship to the city of LA. But, the ultimate goal I have is to help the league go global.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In the final 2024/25 installment of his rookie rankings, Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link) places Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher atop his list, writing that the French forward is delivering on his top-pick status. Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Grizzlies center Zach Edey, Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, and Bulls forward Matas Buzelis round out the top five in Woo’s rankings, in that order.
Former Pacers and Pistons guard Cassius Stanley has signed with ESSM Le Portel for the rest of the season, the French club announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando). Stanley, who was in the NBA from 2020-22, was playing in the G League for the Valley Suns this season.
In the wake of EuroLeague shareholders meeting this week to discuss the future of the league and the NBA’s potential foray into European basketball, the EuroLeague Players Association issued a statement calling for “united efforts” to grow the game on the continent, as BasketNews.com relays. “Despite significant progress, it must be acknowledged that there is still much work to be done to unravel the true potential of European club basketball,” the statement reads, in part. “That potential is lost when the relevant leagues, clubs and governing bodies do not work harmoniously, but seemingly against each other, without consideration for the perspective of players and fans who are the lifeblood of any competition.”

Chris Paul Hopes To Continue Playing Next Season

April 4th, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul will celebrate his 40th birthday next month, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to end his NBA career. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, the Spurs guard says he’ll talk to his family about it this summer, but he wants to keep playing.

“I’ll be 40 in May. So, yeah man, I’m going to keep playing, I think,” Paul said. “At the end of every season, I evaluate everything. Evaluate playing. Evaluate how my body feels. But the more years that go by, it’s more conversations with my family, with my kids. They have a lot of say so. They got a lot of input. Obviously, I got a lot of homies, friends that have retired or whatnot. And they are always like, ‘Man, play as long as you possibly can. Play as long as you possibly can.’ And I appreciate that. But I also, I just always want to talk to my kids about it because that’s the most important job that I have.”

Paul, who was selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the fourth pick in the 2005 draft, is the second-oldest player in the league, a few months behind LeBron James. He has been extremely durable in his 20th NBA season, starting all 76 of San Antonio’s games, but he’s averaging a career-low 8.8 points per game while shooting a career-worst 42.8% from the field.

Spears notes that rookie guard Stephon Castle is likely to become a starter next season alongside De’Aaron Fox, possibly leaving Paul with a reduced role if he returns to San Antonio. He’ll be a free agent again in July after signing a one-year, $10.6MM contract last summer. Brought in to be a veteran leader, Paul said he has been able to “teach what he can, but not be overwhelming” for the young roster, and it sounds like the Spurs have been happy with his influence.

“He’s a teacher at heart. People just see when he’s on the court, but there’s so much more to what he teaches,” general manager Brian Wright told Spears. “Life routine, big picture, business brand, all of it. He’s professional. He made it his home and jumped right in. We’ve had a lot of things happen this year and he’s never wavered. He’s been the same person. He’s been incredible to have him around.”

Spears notes that Paul was drawn to San Antonio by the chance to play for coach Gregg Popovich and team up with Victor Wembanyama, but they both were hit by serious health issues. Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November, and it’s uncertain if he’ll return to coaching next season. Wembanyama was shut down in February with a blood clot in his right shoulder, although he’s projected to make a full recovery.

“It’s extremely tough,” Paul said. “I’ve played against Pop for a number of years. It’s a huge reason why I came here. And so was Vic — two of the main reasons why I came here. But getting to know him the way that I have trumps any other thing that’s going on. I’m grateful for even the opportunity for the time that we did get to play together.”

Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher Named Rookies Of The Month

April 1st, 2025 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs guard Stephon Castle has been named the Western Conference’s Rookie of the Month for March, while Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher has won the award for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Castle, who has emerged as the frontrunner to be named the 2024/25 Rookie of the Year, advanced his case by averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game across 17 outings in March. He posted a shooting line of .456/.302/.686 as the Spurs went 7-10 during that stretch.

As for Risacher, 2024’s No. 1 overall pick averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 27.1 minutes per game in 14 March contests, including nine Hawks victories.

While Castle is the betting favorite, Risacher continued to make his own case for Rookie of the Year consideration by posting a strong .533/.393/.739 shooting line on the month for an Atlanta team headed for a play-in berth.

Through the first four months of the season, no player had won a Rookie of the Month award more than once in either conference, with Jaylen Wells, Yves Missi, Isaiah Collier, and Castle splitting the honors in the West while Jared McCain, Alex Sarr, Kel’el Ware, and Risacher did the same in the East. That makes Castle and Risacher the first repeat honorees of the season.

According to the league (Twitter link), Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey, Quinten Post, Kyle Filipowski, and Collier were also nominated for Rookie of the Month recognition in the Western Conference for March, while Matas Buzelis, Justin Edwards, Jamal Shead, Sarr, and Ware were the other nominees in the East.

Southwest Notes: Missi, Reeves, Sheppard, Castle

March 29th, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Amid everything that has gone wrong for the Pelicans this season, they seem to have found a long-term solution at center, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. They weren’t expecting an immediate impact from Yves Missi after he fell to the 21st pick in last year’s draft, but he’s been proving since training camp that he can contribute and may be headed for a spot on the All-Rookie team.

Guillory notes that the Pelicans were planning to open the season with a starting lineup that didn’t include a traditional center. If that didn’t work, they signed veteran big man Daniel Theis as a backup plan. But Missi quickly showed that he could handle the job, and he’s started 62 of the 68 games he’s played.

“He’s been a huge positive for us all year. Coming into the season, his role wasn’t where it is now, but he kept working, kept earning trust from the coaching staff and his teammates,” coach Willie Green said. “Even though we haven’t been that successful as a team this year, Yves’ development has been a big success for us.”

Missi is averaging 9.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 26.9 minutes per night. Guillory points out that he leads all rookies in total rebounds, is tied with Miami’s Kel’el Ware for the most double-doubles, and is behind only Portland’s Donovan Clingan in blocked shots. The injury woes that decimated the Pelicans’ season will continue, with Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy all uncertain for the start of training camp this fall, but they can count on Missi’s presence in the middle.

“It’s tough. It’s different than anything I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Missi said of his rookie season. “The funny thing is, looking back to (the start of the season), if you told me then, ‘Yeah, you’re going to do this and that during your rookie year,’ no way I would’ve believed it.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Rookie guard Antonio Reeves wasn’t aware that he made 12 straight shots over a recent three-game stretch, but that shooting touch is a major reason why the Pelicans drafted him, per Rod Walker of NOLA. The second-round pick has split the season between the NBA and the G League, but he’s been getting more playing time with New Orleans lately. “He’s doing fantastic,” Green said. “The thing he’s doing is building on what he already has. He really comes in and works on his shots. We see that carry over when he does play. And he’s becoming a really good defender.”
After missing 11 straight games with a fractured right thumb, Rockets rookie guard Reed Sheppard has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s contest, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. Sheppard has been struggling to earn playing time all season, and he’s not guaranteed any minutes as Houston tries to hold on to second place in the West. “We’ll see,” coach Ime Udoka said. “(The rotation) does tighten toward the end of the season, for sure, and kind of implementing him back in there in these last eight (games) might be tough with the time he’s missed. But we also do want to see him get some live action. So whether he gets some practices in the G League or whatever it is to get that in, being that we don’t do as much here, we’ll see.”
Spurs guard Stephon Castle continued his push for Rookie of the Year honors on Thursday with 22 points, a season-high 11 rebounds, and eight assists in a narrow loss to Cleveland, notes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. “He kept us in the game at moments,” Keldon Johnson said. “It’s only up from here. I feel like he’s already a special talent, but I feel like the sky’s the limit for Steph. I feel like the game is already slowing down for him, but once he keeps growing — he works his ass off — he’s going to be great.”

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Davis, Castle, Morant, Aldama, Thompson

March 19th, 2025 at 6:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

In a season that’s been filled with bad nights for the Pelicans, Monday may have been the worst, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans tied a record for the largest margin of defeat in franchise history, falling to Detroit by 46 points, and lost Trey Murphy early in the game with a shoulder injury that could affect his availability for training camp.

New Orleans trailed by 23 points after the first quarter and 31 points at halftime as the home crowd loudly booed the poor effort. It was the fifth loss of the season by at least 30 points, according to Walker.

Coach Willie Green called his players “soft” after the game and said they “looked like a team that forgot how to play basketball.” He also stressed the importance of continuing to compete, even though the Pelicans have been eliminated from the playoff race.

“I think the start of the game with Trey going down, it kinda rocked us from there,” Green said. “We didn’t have a rhythm offensively and we kinda felt sorry for ourselves a bit. You can’t do that. But it shook our guys up, especially with all we’ve been through this season.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks were encouraged by Anthony Davis‘ first practice session with their G League affiliate, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. However, coach Jason Kidd cautioned that Davis still has a long way to go in his recovery from a left adductor strain. “He’s trending in the right place,” Kidd said. “He had a positive experience in the practice. He’ll continue to do things this week. Hopefully the outcome continues to be positive. A lot of good things, but he’s still some time away for him being in a game.”
The Spurs have been impressed by Stephon Castle‘s ability to handle the challenges of his rookie season, per Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. The fourth overall pick has experienced the typical ups and downs that most rookies face, but he has managed to stay focused on developing his overall game while playing elite-level defense. “There are definitely All-Defensive awards in his future,” teammate Harrison Barnes said. “It’s just with his ability to guard one through four. And he’s strong. There’s still years before he’s going to fill out his body and be the type of player that he is going to become. But I think that he shows a great aptitude to defend at a very high level.”
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss his third straight game tonight due to left hamstring soreness, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). Santi Aldama has been upgraded to questionable after missing seven of the last eight games with a strained right calf.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Amen Thompson was able to participate in contact drills on Tuesday as he attempts to return from a sprained left ankle (Twitter link from Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). It still hasn’t been decided whether Thompson will play Friday at Miami.

And-Ones: Flagg, 2025 Draft, Hayes, Kaminsky, Records, RoY

March 13th, 2025 at 4:43pm CST by Rory Maher

Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, sustained a left ankle injury after corralling a rebound and landing on an opponent’s foot in the first half on Thursday vs. Georgia Tech (YouTube link via ESPN).

Flagg was eventually helped to the locker room with the assistance of teammates, and while he was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, he was at least able to return to the bench to cheer on the comeback victory.

“He sprained his ankle,” head coach Jon Scheyer said (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com). “X-rays were negative, which is great. We just have to understand there’s going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there.”

In their latest 2025 mock draft for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) unsurprisingly have Flagg going first overall (to Washington). Two other Blue Devils — center Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel — also go in the lottery, coming off the board with back-to-back picks (seventh and eighth overall, respectively).

UConn’s Liam McNeeley is the final lottery pick of ESPN’s mock, going 14th to Atlanta (via Sacramento), while South East Melbourne forward Malique Lewis is the last player selected at No. 59 (Cleveland). Lewis, who spent last season in the G League with the Mexico City Capitanes, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Killian Hayes has rejoined the Long Island Nets following a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, the G League team announced today in a press release. The former lottery pick averaged 9.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in six games with Brooklyn from February 20 – March 1. He has spent most of ’24/25 with Long Island.
Veteran NBA big man Frank Kaminsky is no longer on the Raptors 905 roster, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who points out (via Twitter) that the former Wisconsin star has been battling a knee injury and recently announced he and his wife are expecting a child. Kaminsky, who spent last season in Serbia, last played in the NBA with Houston in ’22/23. The 31-year-old appeared in 23 regular season games with Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, averaging 12.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.1 APG on .483/.349/.769 shooting in 26.8 MPG.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at some of the NBA’s most unbreakable records. Some records are season-long (Wilt Chamberlain for multiple statistics in ’61/62), some are career-long (Moses Malone‘s 6,731 offensive rebounds), and some are for a single game.
Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on the underwhelming Rookie of the Year race. Harper currently has Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells as his top choice for the award, followed by Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Wells’ teammate Zach Edey.

And-Ones: Eaglestaff, Kyrie, Australia, MVP Race, Rookies, More

March 12th, 2025 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

North Dakota junior Treysen Eaglestaff will enter the NCAA’s transfer portal while testing the NBA draft waters, agent George S. Langberg tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Eaglestaff wasn’t included in Givony’s most recent top-100 list of prospects for the 2025 draft, but he had a strong season as a scorer for the Fighting Hawks in 2024/25, averaging 18.9 points per game on 416/.359/.794 shooting in 33 outings.

Eaglestaff’s scoring average was buoyed by some massive performances, including a 51-point outburst in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament against South Dakota State last Friday. The 6’6″ shooting guard also put up 40 points in a loss to Alabama on December 18. He knocked down a career-high eight three-pointers in both of those games.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

There may be too many hurdles to clear to make it actually happen, but after Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving expressed interest in playing for the Australian national team at the 2028 Olympics, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is fully on board with the idea, per Grant Afseth of RG.org. “Oh yeah, I love it. I love it,” Daniels said. “I know he wants to do it. We want him to come play for us. There’s a lot of stuff that has to get cleared for him to come play, but we welcome him with open arms. He’s a brother. He’s an Australian.” Irving has Australian citizenship, but he previously played for Team USA in international competitions, so both USA Basketball and FIBA would need to sign off for him to play for the Boomers.
In a pair of stories for The Athletic, one panel of NBA writers debates which player is most deserving of this season’s MVP award, while another panel takes a closer look at an uninspiring race for the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference. While a recent three-game winning streak for the Bulls has put them in prime position for a play-in spot, the general consensus on the MVP race is that it remains too close to call between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
Elsewhere at the Athletic, draft expert Sam Vecenie has updated his rookie rankings for the 2024/25 class, placing a pair of Grizzlies – Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey – in his top three, sandwiching Spurs guard Stephon Castle at No. 2. First overall pick Zaccharie Risacher of the Hawks and Heat big man Kel’el Ware round out Vecenie’s top five.
It has been five years since the NBA shut down its 2019/20 season due to COVID-19. In an extensive oral history, Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon of ESPN revisit that period, sharing a number of interesting behind-the-scenes details on how the league came to its decision and how teams and players reacted.