Stephon Castle won the NBA Rookie of the Year, but that doesn’t mean he was the best first-year player.
On April 29, Ernie Johnson announced on TNT that San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle had won the Rookie of the Year Award, joining Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson as the only players in franchise history to take home the hardware.
Castle led all rookies in total points and steals, and finished in the top ten in assists and rebounds. He was long expected to win the award, although that doesn’t mean he was the best rookie.
Just 23 games into his season, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain tore his meniscus and was ruled out for the season, but before that, he was the frontrunner.
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesJared McCain was robbed of an award-winning season
As soon as McCain was ruled out for the season, it was clear that he would not win Rookie of the Year.
Through 23 games, he was easily the best first-year player, although the sample size was much too small.
He received a single third-place vote, showcasing that he was at least in mind when the ballots were filled out.
The 16th overall pick out of Duke was initially expected to back up Tyrese Maxey and maybe even Kyle Lowery on the 76ers’ depth chart, although his breakout coincided with an injury-riddled season for the Sixers, and he was leaned on heavily early.
He averaged a stellar 15.3 points and shot 38.3% from 3-point range, and there was talk that he, along with Maxey, could usurp Joel Embiid as the centerpiece of the Sixers moving forward.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images2024-24 rookies with the best NBA chances
There is no doubt that Castle will have a long and productive rookie season, but fans are all too familiar with the Rookie of the Year ending up not being the best player in the draft class.
Scottie Barnes won in 2022 and has since been passed by Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner.
Malcolm Brogdon won in 2017, beating out perennial All-Stars like Jaylen Brown and Pascal Siakam, and Michael Carter-Williams bested Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert.
ROTY is an inexact science. By winning MVP, a Hall-of-Fame career is all but cemented. Derrick Rose will likely be the first MVP to not make the Hall, and he might still make it.
Rookie of the Year measures only 82 games, and while McCain was “robbed” of the award, it doesn’t matter much for his future success.