Sophomore slump schlo-phomore schlump. As the Spurs look to take that next step into contender status, many of their hopes rest beyond the (now clot-free) shoulders of Victor Wembanyama. Reigning rookie of the year Stephon Castle will look to ascend higher than his already impressive inaugural NBA season.

ESPN’s Jimmy Woo ranked the most intriguing second-year players heading into the season , and Castle came in second behind Houston Rocket Reed Sheppard.

“ Rookie season superlative: A solid debut season earned Castle Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 14.7 points and 4.1 assists in 26.7 minutes and making 47 starts for the Spurs. Predictably, he struggled with efficiency (42.8% FG and 28.5% from 3), but was solid defensively and played better after the All-Star break, benefiting f

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