Many have already crowned Jared McCain the new NBA Rookie of the Year, and it’s not a bad bet. McCain is a rock-solid scorer, who down the line could become an elite floor-spacer and a nightly lock for 20 points per game. That’s obviously enormously valuable.

But here’s what we’re missing. What McCain is doing offensively, Castle is doing defensively. 

The 6-foot-6 guard is already a pest. He switches seamlessly, fights through screens like a seasoned vet, and pre-switches if he sniffs out what the opposing offense is trying to do. 

At just 20 years of age, Castle is playing defensive chess, asserting himself as the best perimeter defender of his rookie class, and perhaps even overall defender. 

When he’s on the court with Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s net rating is +9.61, sporting a defensive rating of 108.3 which would rank as the fifth-best defense in the NBA. Of course, defense doesn’t make for sexy headlines and it’s not as if Castle can talk a big game about his offense yet. 

Although, let’s take a look at that. 

Over his past nine games, Castle has scored in double-digits in all of them, averaging 15.3 points, and 5.0 assists, while hitting 44% from the field, 34.9% from range, and 79.4% from the line. While those percentages are certainly some ways from being elite, they aren’t bad for a young rookie who’s trying to learn the point guard position on the fly. 

In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if Castle’s slow scoring start to the season (5.2 points on 28.9% shooting over his first six games), will penalize him for the rest of the season.

You see, people rarely keep themselves updated throughout the course of a long season. Players go through long stretches where their play deviates quite substantially, but where only the real sickos are aware of it. 

Castle could find himself in a similar situation, where it’ll have to take some truly ridiculous numbers for him to get the attention he deserves – except that’s not how he operates. 

An endearing element to Castle’s game is how he’s extremely willing to relinquish his own shots, and his own numbers, for the betterment of the team. 

Mitch Johnson, who’s acting head coach for the Spurs these days due to the mild stroke Gregg Popovich suffered in early November, has thrown all kinds of assignments Castle’s way, and the rookie has responded to them with a full embrace. 

One night, he’ll have to guard the best perimeter opponent, and the only way for him to score is by finding gaps in the defense. 

The next, he’ll be featured in the offense, tasked with playing pick and roll, and getting downhill to put pressure on the defense. 

At this point, Castle is probably the most well-rounded rookie in the class. He’s an exceptional defender, an improving scorer, and thoroughly committed to his team in whatever capacity they wish to play him. 

He might not be splashy, but there’s no reason for him to not be right up alongside McCain as a legitimate NBA Rookie of the Year candidate. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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