Giorgi Kharshiladze

Stephon Castle is a leading candidate for Rookie of the year award

Left without a sensational Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season, San Antonio Spurs will have to regroup and fight for the play-in place in a crowded Western Conference. The arrival of De’Aaron Fox gives them some needed talent, but the loss of Wemby is huge. The team needs to regroup and play its best basketball.

And, here comes the new kid in town, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year award, Mr Stephon Castle.

He started slowly. He needed to adjust to this game, to another world, to another challenge. And, boy, he delivered.

Drafted as N 4 out of UConn, Castle is playing the best basketball of his life lately.

He reached double figures in scoring in 14 of his last 15 games. He had a career high 33 point game versus Charlotte Hornets. The Fox arrival may have pushed him into a sixth man role, but he continues to deliver at a best possible level.

He is an athletic defender, who can guard any kind or ones and twos. He is a relentless slasher, who never hesitates to attack. He averages only 12.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, but the stats will go up. Castle is just too good.

Stephon got his taste of All Star game, winning MVP of the Rising Stars, when knocking down a game winner for the semifinals and later assisted on a game winning shot.

The sky is the limit.

This Castle guy is for real.