Spurs players Stephon Castle and Blake Wesley shake hands after a play. Credit: Instagram / Spurs

Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle landed big praise from the NBA’s biggest star following the Silver and Black’s 120-115 loss against the Lakers over the weekend.

After Friday’s thrilling matchup, the Lakers’ LeBron James approached Castle — the No. 4 overall 2024 NBA Draft Pick — and shared a few words. While James was heading back to the locker room, a reporter asked him what he’d told the younger player.

“Keep going, keep going, man,” James said. “He’s going to be special. He’s going to be special, man.”

Indeed, Castle’s performance in the Spurs’ loss was perhaps the best of his young career. He knocked down 22 points while shooting 58% from the field. The 20-year-old Castle also had five assists and two rebounds.

The impressive start to Castle’s career stands in stark contrast to the largely muted reactions of Spurs fans following the franchise’s decision to draft him.

“Not the most exciting pick, but I trust the organization, and they’ll probably develop him into a great player,” fan Aaron Chbeir told the Current during the team’s draft watch party at The Rock in June.

Even so, Castle has proved naysayers wrong, starting in the past seven games and averaging 9 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in the first 14 games of his pro career.

Castle and the Spurs will next take on Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Frost Bank Center. The game will air on TNT, and tickets start at $12.

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This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...