By Michael C. Wright | ESPN, 2025-04-30 07:24:00
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。
圣安东尼奥——慢启动，减速——无论他们现在如何称呼这种著名的欧洲步的新变种——圣安东尼奥新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)在加入马刺的第一周就学会并掌握了它。
“他们在我的第一次训练中就教了我这个，”卡斯尔告诉ESPN。
作为2024年NBA选秀的第四顺位，卡斯尔将这招纳入了他已经很深的技巧库中，并在通往2024-25赛季NBA最佳新秀的道路上用它击败了对手。 卡斯尔获得了92张第一名选票，击败了亚特兰大老鹰队的扎卡里·里萨谢，荣膺该奖项。 孟菲斯灰熊队的新秀杰伦·威尔斯位居第三。 卡斯尔成为第四位获得该奖项的马刺球员，前三位分别是维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)、蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。
“作为一名球员，我一直都非常有自信，”卡斯尔告诉ESPN。“所以，我毫不怀疑自己最终会达到这个目标，特别是考虑到我所付出的所有努力。我觉得这是必然会发生的事情。我觉得[自信]才是我真正走到这一步的原因，并且没有阻止我做任何事情。”
圣安东尼奥成为NBA历史上第五支，也是过去50年中仅有的第二支拥有蝉联最佳新秀的球队。 安德鲁·威金斯（2015年）和卡尔-安东尼·唐斯（2016年）是明尼苏达森林狼队上一次连续获得该奖项的球员。
“我们在这个组织中拥有悠久的历史，”卡斯尔告诉ESPN。“因此，为我们的奖杯陈列柜增添另一件东西肯定意义重大，特别是如果我的名字会被刻在上面。”
卡斯尔作为新秀出战了80场比赛，其中47场担任首发，并在总得分（1190分）、运动战进球数（423个）和抢断数（74次）方面领先所有新秀。 他比任何其他一年级球员多命中100多个罚球（249个），此外，他还平均贡献4.1次助攻，3.7个篮板和0.91次抢断。卡斯尔是自邓肯以来第一位在他的第一个赛季在球队得分和助攻方面均排名前两位的马刺新秀。
卡斯尔也是自埃梅卡·奥卡福在2004-05赛季为夏洛特山猫队效力并获得最佳新秀以来，第一位来自康涅狄格大学并获得最佳新秀的球员。卡斯尔场均14.7分是自2016-17赛季以来最佳新秀的最低得分，当时马尔科姆·布罗格登在密尔沃基雄鹿队场均得到10.2分。
“我想到年度最佳新秀的第一件事是，你有一次机会赢得它，”马刺球星文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)说，“所以，这是一个非常重要的里程碑。我为 斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 （Stephon Castle）在适应联盟和成长中所做的一切感到非常自豪。”
作为2025年新秀挑战赛的MVP和两次西部联盟月度最佳新秀（1月和3月），卡斯尔是他的选秀班级中唯一一个得分超过1000分的球员，并在新秀中以60场得分上双的成绩领先。 卡斯尔有26场比赛得分超过20分，两次得分超过30分，此外，他还贡献了5次两双和18场比赛多次抢断。
卡斯尔在上半赛季场均得到12.9分，2.8个篮板和3.5次助攻，然后在全明星赛后将产量提高到17.8分，5.1个篮板和5.0次助攻。
马刺队将卡斯尔视为球队未来核心的一部分，与文班亚马和新加入的德阿隆·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)并肩作战。
“他将是一股不可忽视的强大力量，”马刺代理教练米奇·约翰逊说。
至于卡斯尔，在听取了老将队友克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)的建议后，他准备回到训练馆，参加一些季后赛比赛，以了解未来的发展方向。 卡斯尔在加入马刺的第一周就掌握了他标志性的慢启动。 因此，自然而然地，他对自己在圣安东尼奥的整个休赛期所能取得的成就感到兴奋。
“这是我第一个真正的休赛期，”卡斯尔告诉ESPN。“因此，我终于有机会专注于我的比赛。 老实说，这是我第一个没有参加某种夏季训练，为球队，AAU或类似的事情做准备的赛季。 因此，我将能够真正进入训练馆并进行所有方面的训练：组织，投篮。 我还需要让我的运球更犀利。 此外，在夏天打球而不仅仅是训练将有助于了解如何更好地管理比赛以及诸如此类的事情。”
点击查看原文：Stephon Castle named Spurs' second-straight Rookie of the Year
Stephon Castle named Spurs’ second-straight Rookie of the Year
SAN ANTONIO – Slow step, deceleration – whatever they’re now calling this new variation of the famed Eurostep – San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle learned and mastered it in his first week as a Spur.
“They taught me that in one of my first workouts,” Castle told ESPN.
The fourth pick of the 2024 NBA draft, Castle stuffed the move into his already deep bag and obliterated opponents with it on the way to capturing 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Castle received 92 first-place votes to take the award over runner-up Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks. Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells came in third. Castle became the fourth Spur to win the award, joining Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
“I’ve always been super confident as a player,” Castle told ESPN. “So, I felt like there was no doubt in my mind that I would eventually get to this point, especially with all the work that I put in. I felt like it was just inevitable to happen. I feel like [confidence is] what really got me to this point, and not holding myself back from anything.”
San Antonio became the fifth team in NBA history and just the second team in the past 50 years to feature back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners. Andrew Wiggins (2015) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016) are the last consecutive winners of the award for one franchise (Minnesota).
“We have a lot of history in this organization,” Castle told ESPN. “So, to add another thing to our trophy case would definitely mean a lot, especially if it’s something that my name is being engraved into.”
Castle played 80 games as a rookie, starting in 47, and led all rookies in total points (1,190), made field goals (423) and steals (74). He hit more than 100 more free throws (249) than any other first-year player, in addition to averaging 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 0.91 steals. Castle is the first Spurs rookie since Duncan to finish his first season ranked in the top two on the team in both points and assists.
Castle is also the first player from the University of Connecticut to win Rookie of the Year since Emeka Okafor captured it in 2004-05 with the Charlotte Bobcats. Castle’s 14.7 points per game rank as the fewest by a Rookie of the Year since 2016-17, when Malcolm Brogdon averaged 10.2 points with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“The first thing I think about [with] Rookie of the Year, [is you] get one chance to win it,” Spurs star Wembanyama said. “So, it’s a big, big milestone. I’m really proud of Steph for what he’s done in his adaptation in the league and his growth.”
The MVP of the 2025 Rising Stars game and two-time Western Conference Rookie of the Month (January and March), Castle was the only player in his draft class to surpass 1,000 points, scoring double figures in a rookie-best 60 games. Castle had 26 outings with 20 points or more and two 30-point performances, in addition to putting together five double-doubles and 18 games with multiple steals.
Castle averaged 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the first half of the season before cranking up production after the All-Star break to 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
The Spurs see Castle as a core part of the organization’s future alongside Wembanyama and new addition De’Aaron Fox.
“He’ll be a dynamic force to be reckoned with,” acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
As for Castle, he’s ready to get back to the lab after taking the advice of veteran teammate Chris Paul to attend some postseason games to get a feel for what lies ahead. Castle mastered his patented slow step during Week 1 with the Spurs. So, naturally, he’s excited about what he can accomplish over the course of an entire offseason in San Antonio.
“This is my first real offseason,” Castle told ESPN. “So, I finally get a chance to just work on my game. Honestly, it’s the first season I’m not doing some type of summer training, getting ready for a team, AAU or something like that. So, I’ll be able to actually just get in the lab and work on everything: facilitating, shooting. I need to get my handle sharper as well. Also, playing in the summer and not just doing workouts will help in knowing how to manage games better and stuff like that.”
By Michael C. Wright | ESPN, via ESPN