Chuck Everett wrote:The point of attack defense being played in these playoffs might be making the case that Stephon Castle should be going in the top 3. If the Spurs have a chance to grab him, they really should.
I am intrigued by how the new rules have allowed defensive players, especially physical POA ones, to thrive and how it changes the draft pick calculus. Who knows if it holds going forward as well.
Castle is growing for me too for the same reason. Him and NAW play similar style of defense, though I’m unconvinced that Castle is actually that long.
The issue is, and this is a larger point on draft philosophy and fit, regular season play doesn’t favor Castle that much. He’s a 6’5” combo guard who kind of has lead guard ball skills, can’t really shoot, and is not some 1v1 get down hill guy. He really plays a lot like Bruce Brown on offense, and it’s concerning how few guys I’ve seen him beat off the dribble. I think his athleticism in that respect is overhyped, someone like Holland is clearly more explosive and quick. His offense has no clear strengths and what’s more he plays a premium position where shooting and/or ball handling juice is almost a bare minimum. I can’t think of any successful starting 2 guards that don’t have either a nice 3 point jumper or an ability to get to the rim and self create.
The other issue is when will Castle get an opportunity to showcase his strengths if he’s on a bad team? I can almost guarantee someone like Reed Sheppard will be a more additive player than Castle as a rookie in a regular season setting bc of his shooting and off ball gravity. And on a bad team that typically needs offense badly, that’s going to translate easier. But long term upside Castle can do things defensively that Sheppard will never be able to, the question is how long do you wait with him until your crap team actually makes the postseason consistently?
Tough conundrums this time of year. As usual.