JMAC3 wrote:The thing with Castle is he is playing on the National Champs who brought back 3 starters.
2 starters - only Karaban and Newton. And those 2 were both pretty minor role players on last year' titles team. Newton might not get drafted. Karaban might only be a 2nd round pick - or he may return for his junior season.
Spencer is just a shooter. Not a high usage ball handler.
Newton is a good player but he's not a stud. And with his size at 6'5", he's easily a guy you could just move over to the wing.
Castle is arguable the best freshman player in the country. If he was a PG, he'd be playing PG for his college team. At least more PG than he has played this season.
When Duhon was a freshman at Duke, he didn't get a ton of reps at PG because they had Jay Williams, of course. But Duhon played more PG that season than Castle has played this season. Duhon got *all* the PG reps anytime Jay Williams was out of the game, and he would sometimes bring the ball up and initiate the offense, even when Jay was in the game (whether it was to take the pressure of Jay for a play or 2, to give the opposing defense a different look, or to play Jay off ball since he was such a good shooter)
Also, Jay Williams was arguably the best player in college basketball, the no. 2 pick in the draft so was MUCH better than Tristen Newton is.
Another Duke example but last season Proctor got a good amount of PG reps (way more PG reps than we've seen this season from Castle) as a freshman, even with Jeremy Roach on the team.
TyTy Washington joined Kentucky. They already had a freshman, Savir Wheeler. Cal was loyal to the older, more experienced guard. Started Wheeler most of the time. But Washington still got plenty of PG reps, way more PG reps than Castle has gotten. And it was even clear later in the season that Washington was much better at running the team's offense than Wheeler...and Washington was still just a late 1st round pick who got waived and is now stuck in the G league. We're supposed to pencil Castle in as a PG, take him in the top 10, when he's getting way less PG reps than Washington?
Same thing with JD Davison. Bama had Quinerly, the veteran PG. Oates ended up flip flopping quite a bit, sometime starting Quinerly at PG, sometimes starting Davison. Sometimes playing them together. Again, JD got way more PG reps than Castle got..and Davison was the 53rd pick, stuck in the G league for Boston.
JMAC3 wrote:To expect Castle to just kick them off the ball and run the show on a 31-3 team is probably not the right expectations to decide if he can play a lead guard role in the NBA.
Well then Castle should return for his sophomore season and show us he can play lead guard.
JMAC3 wrote:If Castle came back to college next year I would assume it very likely he played the point given the playmaking he has showcased.
That sounds like a dangerous assumption.
You know what they say. When you assume, you make a you know what out of u and me..
Sounds nice in theory that maybe Castle would play PG if he returned for his sophomore season at Uconn and maybe he would be great at it. But it's just a theory. It's not reality. It's a woulda coulda shoulda. Maybe, maybe not. I think a team drafting in the lottery (or especially in the top 5 or 10 picks) would prefer to have more certainty and not draft based on a hope and a prayer.