XTC wrote:Reeko wrote:RoteSchroder wrote:
He's being used as a connector on O and defender at UConn. I see his role in the NBA as an SG.
Out of the 4, he's the best passer/playmaker. 2nd best first step/explosiveness. Top 2 defender. Maybe #1 in b-ball IQ.
Major thing he's lacking is a jump shot, which is a make or break skill.
If you look at his plays, every defender is giving him 2-3 feet of space or going under screens because he's not a good shooter. That's how every single team is playing him. Major polishing on his jumper would open things up a lot and at the moment, I don't see any major red flags at preventing him from improving his shot.
Castle's also good at evaluating during his drives, he can pull up for a mid-range shot, pass, continue to the basket, go for a floater. Holland plays with a little less control during his drives and needs to slow down at times. Risacher is more of a straight line driver. Williams just tends to drive near the basket for a floater, but usually doesn't get all the way to the rim. None of them have reached the same level of court vision as Castle either.
After watching some more film of Castle I will say that I like the way he moves with the ball, kind of reminds me of Wade in the way that he's able to navigate in tight spaces. With so little scouting material available online it's much harder for me to get a feel for these prospects as I don't watch full games, so I'm relying on highlights, stats, and whatever little scouting reports there are on these guys.
Castle is super hard to gauge. You either love him or hate him. The best comparision I can come up with is Jimmy Butler before he became an allstar, or maybe Alex Caruso. If he learns to shoot at even an average level he could carve out a career similiar to Andre Iguodala. His best attribute will always be his defense, he's a menace on ball, and his ability to be a secondary ball handler. His potential is super dependant on him becoming a better shooter, but man if he learns to shoot, his game is going to open up.
I think the best comp for Castle might be Jrue Holiday? Holiday was pretty mediocre as a shooter/scorer for the first few years of his career but he was solid at slashing, play making and POA defense which are things Castle could bring to the table at the NBA level.....a POA defender is something the current Raptor core lacks. I kind of feel #6 might be too high for him but he'll likely be gone by the Pacers pick.....this draft is so all over the place so who really knows.
Regarding Reeko's point above about the difficultly getting a feel for these prospects....I agree 100%. I rarely comment in these draft threads because I've always felt you need to watch at least 10 full games in order to getting a real gauge on any player and highly doubt anybody here has that kind of time. Our opinions are largely based on the odd game here and there, scouting reports and highlights which can lead us astray.
