NBA fans react to concerns around Stephon Castle’s shooting: “Weak rookie class”

NBA fans are buzzing about San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle’s shooting woes. Castle, the fourth pick in the 2024 NBA draft, showed flashes of brilliance, but his outside shooting has raised concerns.

Those concerns were shared by unnamed NBA executives, according to a Friday report by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. A concern that has caused a frenzy on X/Twitter.

A fan wrote,

"I love Castle and think he's great but I think the weak rookie class has inflated his actual value. Drop him in any other class since 2017 (Malcolm Brogdon ROTY) and he's not winning. I just wish spurs fans were more realistic and didn't put crazy expectations on him."

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Some other fans criticized Stephon Castle's shooting:

"His shooting is a legit concern. It's his ultimate swing move," a fan tweeted.

"His shooting is his biggest limitation. He also still has to clean up his game overall. The only stat indicator that he was elite at was drawing fouls," another fan added.

Some fans defended him.

"He singlehandedly kept us in play in a bunch of games. We would have a worst record if it wasn't for him. He outplayed more than half of the players in the league AS A ROOKIE! Let him cook," a fan mentioned.

"And Castle played significant minutes on a non-playoffs team lacking its two best players down the stretch. That said, the concerns about his shooting were there since UCONN and Castle has still be highly effective and worked to improve. He’s going to be very good," another fan added.

After Victor Wembanyama's injury in February, Castle took on a more prominent role. He led the Spurs in scoring and displayed his ability to dominate games. He averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, shooting 42.8% from the field.

Stephon Castle won the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month in January and March. He won the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award in a landslide victory, receiving 92 out of 100 first-place votes and accumulating 482 points.

Stephon Castle congratulated by teammate after winning ROTY

Victor Wembanyama sent his love to teammate Stephon Castle after he was crowned the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year last month.

"Hustle, heart & just pure talent... all year long, you showed why you deserved this title !! So proud of you," Wemby posted on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a few emojis.

Wembanyama was sidelined earlier this season with a bout of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Spurs fans will hope to have both players back together for next season.

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About the author

Ubong Richard Archibong

Ubong Richard Archibong is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over a year's experience in the field with FirstSportz.

Ubong is an LA Lakers fan, and he grew up watching Kobe Bryant taking on everyone with his Mamba mentality. Ubong's love for the Lakers hit another level when his favorite player, LeBron James, joined LA from the Cavs. Other than LeBron, Ubong likes Anthony Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Phil Jackson.

Beyond the court, Ubong is a traveler at heart and a Chelsea fan, always ready for the thrill and tension they bring. When not working, Ubong likes traveling and volunteering.

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