Jaylen Wells and Kel’el Ware each rise a spot in the Top 5 as the Kia Rookie of the Year chase continues to be anything but set.
San Antonio’s Stephon Castle hangs onto the top spot on the Kia Rookie Ladder and remains a betting favorite in Las Vegas for the NBA’s Wilt Chamberlain Trophy as the league’s top first-year player.
But nothing is guaranteed. Reflective of how close the Class of 2024 was coming in, there has been no runaway and every rung-holder has identifiable strengths and weaknesses.
In Castle’s case, the flurry of changes in San Antonio has brought challenges. With De’Aaron Fox dropped into the backcourt via the trade with the Sacramento Kings, on top of pivotal young star Victor Wembanyama (shoulder blood clot) getting shut down for the season, added to coach Gregg Popovich’s indefinite absence (stroke), Castle has had a bushel of adjustments to make as a player and as a new professional.
Over the past five games heading into Wednesday at Houston (9:30 ET, ESPN), the 6-foot-6 guard has averaged 9.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He has made only 33% of his shots (20% from the arc) and averaged 19.5 minutes, all off the bench in the Spurs’ latest rotation.
Against New Orleans Tuesday, he scored four points in only 12 minutes and had interim coach Mitch Johnson answering questions about Castle sitting out the fourth quarter entirely. The ROY race, in other words, is up for grabs at this stage.
