On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, falling 124-116. Keeping it close against one of the very best teams in the NBA is an accomplishment in and of itself, although the Spurs were in it and were thinking about winning, in large part thanks to rookie Stephon Castle.
The first-year guard posted 22 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. He has been the best player on the roster since Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox went down with injuries and is the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year.
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During the game, the Spurs celebrated their rookie.
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon CastleEd Szczepanski-Imagn Images
After Wembanyama won ROTY unanimously last season, the Spurs are the favorites to have back-to-back winners of the award, as Castle has -700 odds to win the award, according to FanDuel.
Castle became the first rookie this year to record 1,000 points, and unless Zaccharie Risacher averages 22.6 points through the rest of the season, Castle will be the only rookie to reach that milestone.
While Risacher, Alexandre Sarr, and Jaylen Wells have all received some ROTY love this season, Castle has run away with the award since the All-Star Break.
If Castle wins the award, he and Wembanyama would be the first teammates since Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns to win back-to-back ROTY awards, and the Spurs would be only the second team with back-to-back winners since the NBA/ABA merger.
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Over his last 15 games, Castle is averaging 20.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
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