1 week Ago
The San Antonio Spurs lost their first NBA Cup game on Friday night, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 120-115. In his 22nd NBA season, LeBron James was able to score 15 points, but the major storyline coming out of the game was Spurs' rookie Stephon Castle playing like a veteran. He posted 22 points and five assists while making three of his four shots from beyond the arc.
His plus/minus of +17 was by far the best on the Spurs. © Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Castle is only 19 years old, meaning he has never watched an NBA season that James was not a part of. After the game, James took Castle aside and offered him some advice on navigating his career.
He later told reporters what message he had for the rookie. "He's going to be special," said James. "It's always great to see young talent come into our league and make an impact right away.
" Castle understood the significance of going up against James and even managed to score over him in the fourth quarter. "To go up against LeBron, a guy I've been watching since I was a kid, it's definitely crazy to share the court with him," he said after the game before changing his tune in true Spurs fashion. "At the end of the day, we still wanted to win the game, so I'm not really thinking about that in the middle of the game.
But I'm definitely gonna look back on that moment for sure." While James and the Lakers may have gotten a win, Castle's recent five-game stretch has been truly special. The rookie has averaged 15.
8 points, five assists, one "stock" and has shot 40.9 percent from 3-point range. He entered the league with concerns about his offensive game and has quickly shut down any reason to panic.
Related: Spurs to Take on Flailing Mavericks in Texas Showdown On Saturday night the Spurs will travel to take on the Dallas Mavericks, and Castle will get to go toe to toe with another superstar in Luka Doncic. Related: What's Wembanyama Saying About 'Troubling' Injury?.
