{"id":758000,"date":"2026-06-11T03:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T03:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/758000\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T03:12:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T03:12:14","slug":"southwest-notes-castle-ejiofor-grizzlies-draft-pelicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/758000\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Notes: Castle, Ejiofor, Grizzlies’ Draft, Pelicans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephon Castle<\/a> used some strategy to maneuver his way to the Spurs in the 2024 draft, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic<\/a>. San Antonio held the No. 4 pick, and Castle was intrigued by the chance to team his perimeter defensive skills with an elite rim protector like Victor Wembanyama<\/a>,<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just looking on the defensive side of things (in San Antonio), where being able to pair with Victor was definitely a plus in my eyes,\u201d Castle said. \u201cI just thought it would have been a perfect fit, and I feel like it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

To reach the Spurs, Castle had to get past the Rockets, who held the third pick. Castle was aware of coach Ime Udoka\u2019s interest in him, but preferred not to join a team with a veteran point guard already in place. Houston had Fred VanVleet<\/a>, so Castle opted against holding a private workout with the Rockets. The strategy worked, as Houston selected Reed Sheppard<\/a>, and Castle went on to win Rookie of the Year honors and become a fixture on a young team that\u2019s already in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think being (in San Antonio) was always number one on my list,\u201d Castle added. \u201cInternally, I always felt like I was the best player in that draft. (But) I didn\u2019t know what could happen. My agent always told me, like, anything can happen in a draft. Like, you could not work out for a team, not have talked to a team, and they can still take you. So, I mean, I wasn\u2019t really planning on playing in Houston. I didn\u2019t really know how any of that worked. I was kind of hoping I could slide my way to San Antonio. It kind of worked out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more from the Southwest Division:<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s forward\u00a0Zuby Ejiofor<\/a> will have a pre-draft workout with the Spurs on Thursday, according to Adam Zagoria (Twitter link<\/a>). San Antonio holds the 20th pick, which falls within Ejiofor\u2019s projected draft range.
\nCameron Boozer<\/a> appears headed to the Grizzlies with the third pick, and the team may try to find Ja Morant<\/a>\u2018s eventual replacement at No. 16, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal<\/a> states in a subscriber-only story. Cole examines the fit for Texas Tech\u2019s Christian Anderson<\/a>, Alabama\u2019s Labaron Philon<\/a>, Iowa\u2019s Bennett Stirtz<\/a> and Stanford\u2019s Ebuka Okorie<\/a>.
\nThe Pelicans are hiring David Cosgrave as vice president of health and performance and Joe Sharpe as head athletic trainer, states Rod Walker of NOLA<\/a>. \u201cDavid Cosgrave and Joe Sharpe bring a level of professionalism and experience that immediately strengthens our organization and supports our commitment to build a fully integrated, best-in-class medical and performance team,\u201d executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said.
\nScoop Jardine<\/a> announced that he\u2019ll be joining the Pelicans as a \u201cglobal director scout\u201d (Instagram link<\/a>). The former Syracuse standout spent time playing in the G League and in Canada before moving into coaching at the high school level.<\/p>\n

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