By Tom Orsborn, Sports reporter | San Antonio Express-News, 2024-05-20 14:38:26
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
康涅狄格大学后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（5）在 2024 年 4 月 8 日星期一亚利桑那州格兰代尔举行的 NCAA 大学最终四强篮球锦标赛上半场控球，普渡大学后卫兰斯·琼斯防守。
上周，马刺队仔细研究了选秀大会上的情报，毫无疑问，他们将密切关注一名排名前 10 的新秀，此人几乎挂着牌子说，“我非常适合你们的球队”。
前康涅狄格大学一年级球员斯蒂芬·卡斯尔在芝加哥明确表示，在五年级老将、埃尔帕索当地人特里斯坦·牛顿上赛季担任哈士奇队控球后卫并带领他们连续第二次获得 NCAA 冠军后，他想作为控球后卫获得聘用。
卡斯尔去年以来自乔治亚州科文顿（靠近亚特兰大）的五星级控球后卫的身份来到康涅狄格州，但在牛顿场均助攻近五次帮助球队获得 2023 年冠军后，他不得不在哈士奇队打无球。
“我觉得我真正的位置是控球后卫，而我觉得在过去的几个月里，我不得不为了球队的利益做出牺牲，”卡斯尔说道。“这对我们有好处，所以也没什么好喋喋不休或抱怨的。”
但当他在媒体访问中被问及孟菲斯队可能在总排名中选择他的可能性时，卡斯尔明确表示他不希望在 NBA 中重复这种情况。
“他们已经有了全明星控球后卫贾·莫兰特，”卡斯尔说。“我觉得我可以在任何类型的球队中立足。我觉得我的比赛相当灵活。我觉得我可以用任何方式与任何类型的家伙打球。但我也觉得我在大学时做出了这样的牺牲。现在，我们谈论的是我的职业生涯，这是我引以为豪的事情。现在，我真的很想打控卫。所以，这只是需要考虑的事情。”
拥有第 4 和第 8 顺位签位的马刺队正在寻找一名与维克托·文班亚马合作的长期指挥官。特雷·琼斯在过去两个赛季里为马刺队打了 113 场控球后卫比赛并表现出色，但他的身材矮小，只有 6 英尺 1 英寸，而且他的三分投射一直很挣扎，尽管上赛季有所提高。
在 19 岁的卡斯尔身上，马刺队将拥有一名身材魁梧的 6 英尺 6 英寸、210 磅、潜力无限的后场防守球员，他的臂展为 6 英尺 9 英寸，在为哈士奇队出战的 34 场比赛中，场均得到 11.1 分、4.7个篮板和 2.9 次助攻，命中率为 54.4%。
“我对联盟的防守很有抱负，”卡斯尔说道。“我希望在未来几年能够争取到最佳防守一阵。”
马刺队可能对卡斯尔的一个担忧是他本赛季三分球命中率只有 26.7%。但他场均只投出 2.2 次远投，并且在选秀大会的投篮训练中，他表现出色。
“我会没事的，”他谈到自己的外线投射。“我非常努力。我对此非常有信心。这不是我害怕投出去的球。我一生都在投三分球，贯穿整个高中生涯。我只是在适应在康涅狄格大学必须扮演的角色。”
而他的这位前队友相信角色会引起马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇的兴趣。
“没有太多后卫像他那样想防守球，”来自康涅狄格大学的另一位乐透新秀、中锋多诺万·克林甘说道。“他不在乎是否得到零分，他的任务是阻止对手的最佳球员得分。”
但这并不是说卡斯尔不能在进攻上产生影响。
“我觉得他的进攻比赛中还有很多东西需要展现，”克林甘说道。“他可以高水平突入禁区，他极具爆发力。我们看到（在选秀大会投篮训练中），他一直在训练场练习投篮。”
在宣传自己入选前 10 名优资格时，卡斯尔列出了马刺队在球员身上寻找的几项人格特质。
“无论哪支球队愿意给我机会，我希望他们知道他们得到了一个努力工作、出色的队友、一个出色的人，以及一位在过去几个月里展现出的比赛水平远远高于他们所表现出来的球员，”他说道。
卡斯尔也来自一种文化，这种文化在波波维奇的领导下，马刺队已经保持了很长时间。丹·赫利的哈士奇队以 37-3 结束比赛，包括以场均 23.3 分的优势赢得了他们在 NCAA 锦标赛中的六场比赛，对手包括斯泰森、西北大学、圣地亚哥州立大学、伊利诺斯大学、阿拉巴马大学和普渡大学，这是疯狂三月历史上最大的分差（+140）。
“这是一种勤奋的文化，”卡斯尔说道。“这说明了我们去年球队的情况，我们整个首发阵容都来到了这里（参加选秀大会）。我们是一支超级强大的队伍。我们所有人都努力工作，我们都知道如何取胜。如果你从康涅狄格大学找到人，我认为你得到了一位相当不错的球员。”
在半决赛中以 86-72 击败阿拉巴马大学的比赛中，卡斯尔展示了他的进攻技巧，在出战 29 分钟，13 投 7 中的情况下，追平了他本赛季的 21 分最高分。
“我觉得最终四强赛确实为我说明了一切，”他说道。“我觉得我对阵红潮队时打得非常好，并在一个好的舞台上表现了自己。我只想说，最终四强的比赛对我决定（变为职业球员）产生了重大影响。”
现在，他准备在 NBA 继续展示他的全面技能。
“我更像是一个双向控球后卫，”他说道。“我真的很喜欢传球。而且我非常喜欢运球投篮。这正是我的比赛真正包含的内容，控球、让我的队友参与进来、在我需要的时候得分并以高水平防守。”
但这一切都伴随着他获得打控球后卫机会的条件。
“我很荣幸能去任何地方打球，”卡斯尔说道。“我非常想去一个能让我以自己希望的方式发展和拓展比赛的地方。…我有太多东西没有机会展示出来。”
原文如下：
Castle points out to NBA teams he wants to play the point
[Image] UConn guard Stephon Castle (5) drives as Purdue guard Lance Jones defends during the first half of the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz.
As the Spurs pore over intelligence gathered at the draft combine last week, they’re undoubtedly paying close attention to a top-10 prospect who all but hung a sign around his neck saying, “I’m a great fit for your team.”
One-and-done Connecticut-ex Stephon Castle made it clear in Chicago he’s seeking employment as a point guard after fifth-year senior and El Paso native Tristen Newton filled that role for the Huskies last season in leading them to their second consecutive NCAA championship.
Castle arrived in Connecticut last year as a five-star point guard out of Covington, Ga., near Atlanta, but he had to play off the ball for the Huskies after Newton averaged nearly five assists per game in helping guide them to the 2023 title.
"I feel my true position is point guard, and I feel the last few months I had to sacrifice for the betterment of the team,” Castle said. “It worked out for us, so it’s not anything to harp on or be bitter about.”
But when he was asked during media availability about the possibility of Memphis selecting him ninth overall, Castle made it clear he doesn’t want to repeat that scenario in the NBA.
“They have a star point guard in Ja Morant,” Castle said. "I feel like I can fit on to any kind of team. I feel like my game is pretty flexible. I feel like I can play with any kind of guys in any kind of way. But I also feel like I made that sacrifice in college. Now, we’re talking about my career, and that’s something I take pride in. Now, I really want to play the one. So, that’s just something to think about.”
The Spurs, who own the No. 4 and No. 8 overall picks, are in the market for a long-term field general to team with Victor Wembanyama. Tre Jones started 113 games at point guard for the Spurs over the last two seasons and acquitted himself well, but he’s undersized at 6-foot-1 and has struggled with his 3-point shooting, although he showed improvement last season.
In the 19-year-old Castle, the Spurs would have a sturdy 6-foot-6, 210-pound high-ceiling defender with a 6-foot-9 wingspan who averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field in 34 games for the Huskies.
“I have a lot of aspirations defensively in the league,” Castle said. “I think I’ll be shooting for, hopefully, first-team all-defense in the next couple of years.”
One concern the Spurs might have concerning Castle is he shot just 26.7% from beyond the arc this season. But he averaged only 2.2 shots from deep and he shot well from deep in drills at the combine.
“I’ll be fine," he said of his perimeter stroke. “I work super hard on it. I’m super confident in it. It’s not a shot that I’m scared of taking. I’ve taken 3s my whole life, my whole high school career. I was just adapting to a role I had to play at UConn.”
And it’s a role one of his former teammates believes will intrigue Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“There aren’t too many guards out there that want to guard the ball the way he does,” said center Donovan Clingan, another lottery prospect from Connecticut. “He doesn’t care if he scores zero points, his mission is to stop their best player from scoring.”
But that’s not to say Castle can’t make an impact offensively.
“I feel like he has a lot more to his offensive game to show,” Clingan said. “He can get to the rim at a high level, he’s very explosive. We saw (during combine shooting drills) that he’s been in the gym working on shooting the ball.”
In touting his qualifications for top-10 status, Castle listed several character traits the Spurs look for in a player.
“Whatever team that takes the chance on me, I want them to know that they’re getting a hard worker, a great teammate, a great person and somebody that has so much more to their game than they’ve shown the past couple of months," he said.
Castle also comes from a culture that mirrors the one the Spurs have had for so long under Popovich. Dan Hurley’s Huskies finished 37-3, including winning their six NCAA Tournament games over Stetson, Northwestern, San Diego State, Illinois, Alabama and Purdue by an average of 23.3 points per game, the largest differential (plus-140) in March Madness history.
“It’s a hard-working culture," Castle said. "It speaks to the kind of team that we had last year that we have our whole starting five here (at the combine). We were a super deep team. We all work hard and we all know how to win. If you get somebody from UConn, I’d say you’re getting a pretty good player.”
In the 86-72 win over Alabama in the semis, Castle showcased his offensive skills by tying his season high with 21 points on 7 of 13 from the field over 29 minutes.
“I feel like the Final Four really said it all for me," he said. "I feel like I had a pretty good game (against the Crimson Tide) and put myself on a good stage. I would just say that Final Four run had a big impact on my decision (to turn pro).”
Now he’s ready to continue to showcase his all-around skills in the NBA.
“I’m more of a two-way point guard," he said. “I really like to pass the ball. And I like to shoot off the dribble a lot. That’s what my game really consists of, being on the ball, getting my teammates involved, scoring whenever I need to and defending at a high level.”
But it all comes with the stipulation that he gets a shot at playing the point.
“I’d be blessed to play anywhere," Castle said. “I would love to go somewhere that allows me to develop and expand my game in the way I desire. … There’s a lot I haven’t been able to showcase.”
By Tom Orsborn, Sports reporter , via San Antonio Express-News