Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles with the ball against the Houston Rockets on January 29th, 2026. Castle has been a standout player for the Spurs this season. Photo courtesy of @theslashbrothers on Instagram.
In an era of All-Star Weekend festivities becoming more of a popularity contest, one man is omitted from the roster. Stephon Castle is instead participating in the Rising Stars Game while his fellow teammate Victor Wembanyama suits up for his second all-star game in as many years.
Castle has made leaps in every category compared to last season. Going from 14.7 to 17.1 points per game, 4.1 to 7 assists per game, 3.7 to 5.2 rebounds per game and even his shooting has increased from 42.8% to 46.7%.
Castle had an unreal game on Saturday against the Mavericks. In the win, Castle had 40 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. A performance which has only been done by Luka Doncic and Larry Bird. A historic performance like this should catapult the eyes of the national audience for an all-star bid.
Players keep dropping out of the ASG and Castle’s number has still not been called.
On Tuesday, Brandon Ingram was selected to replace Steph Curry in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Let’s compare Ingram’s stats to Castle’s.
Ingram’s big advantages are in points per game and three-point percentage, while Castle’s assist and steal numbers are higher than Ingram’s.
They are pretty even on rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks per game. Both are a part of teams exceeding their expectations this season. Castle and the Spurs are 36-16 this season, with the former UConn guard being a massive part of the rotation with Wemby. The Raptors, led by Ingram, are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-22.
Another player to make it over Castle is Norman Powell. Powell is scoring at a great rate for the Miami Heat, but that is really all he is doing. Is the all-star game only about scoring? Yes, but that does not mean that Castle’s 17.1 points per game should be scoffed at.
Regardless of the points per game, Castle is a highlight player who would entertain the crowd while also playing some of the best basketball in the league. The 6’6 guard can jump out of the gym and it would be awesome to see him throw a lob to the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Jalen Johnson and Jalen Duren among others playing for the two United States teams.
Then there is Lebron James. Of course, he is always going to be selected for the all-star game, but if there was any year for him to not make it, it would have been this year.
Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs waits to see if his basket went through in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Castle has been an integral part of the Spurs’ offensive effort this season. Photo courtesy of @spurs on Pinterest.
Despite no announcements yet, it could very well be James’ last season in the NBA, so the league has to get him in the game one way or another. Comparing his numbers to Castle’s and you see James real only has the edge in points per game and field goal percentage.
James has also only played 34 games this season while Castle has been much more healthy playing in 43 games. This could skew averages for better or worse, but the voters will go with James over Castle any day of the week.
Every player discussed in this article deserves to be an all-star, including Castle. Despite him not being named one, the 2024 National Champion has had a phenomenal season and only continues to grow as a player. UConn and Spurs fans alike should be proud of the second-year player and should be excited to see him in the playoffs. Hopefully he will perform as well as he did during the Huskies National Championship run two years ago.
Castle will get his all-star appearance soon, but it would be cool to see him rewarded for his hard work and team success this season.
