By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-10-13 11:07:53
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。
2025年4月2日，星期三，在丹佛进行的一场NBA篮球比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 在下半场对阵丹佛掘金队时扣篮得分。(美联社照片/大卫·扎鲁博夫斯基 (David Zalubowski))
印第安纳波利斯电 – 周一，在甘布里奇球馆 (Gainbridge FieldHouse)，马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 以一记轻松写意的双手反身暴扣，结束了球队的投篮训练。
此举似乎在向所有人宣告他当晚对阵印第安纳步行者队的出战计划。
“是的，我会出场，”卡斯尔说道。
这位新科NBA年度最佳新秀因右膝挫伤，缺席了马刺队的前三场季前赛。
卡斯尔是在球队10月4日的银黑对抗赛中受伤的，当时他令人匪夷所思地与身高7英尺4英寸的维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 发生了膝盖相撞。
阅读更多： 季前赛进入最后一周，马刺仍在调试阵容
在马刺队缺少他的情况下取得季前赛3胜0负开局期间，卡斯尔一直在场边观战。周一的走场演练结束后，他宣告自己已100%恢复，并准备好重返赛场。
“那只是一次膝盖对膝盖的碰撞，没什么太严重的，”卡斯尔说。“球队只是想让我好好休息一下。”
季前赛早些时候，马刺队教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 曾表示，他并不在意20岁的卡斯尔能出战多少场比赛。
“无论如何，他都不是那种我希望在季前赛里大量考察的球员，”约翰逊说道。
尽管如此，在德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 预计将缺席到常规赛初段的情况下，卡斯尔预计将成为马刺队揭幕战的首发控球后卫。
新秀赛季，卡斯尔共出战81场比赛，其中47场首发，并且能够同时胜任有球和无球角色。
他在所有这些角色中都表现出色，场均贡献14.7分，最终在文班亚马捧起2023-24赛季威尔特·张伯伦奖杯后，为马刺队带来了队史第二座连续的年度最佳新秀奖。
当被问及球队是将卡斯尔视为防守基调的奠定者、一名高产得分手，还是一个串联全队的粘合剂时，约翰逊的回答基本上是“三者皆是”。
“他有能力做到上述的每一项，”约翰逊说，“而且我认为，只要他能保持清醒的头脑并持续努力，他就有潜力在所有这些方面继续成长。能在这个联盟里具备这种全面的能力是一项巨大的优势……有很多非常优秀的球员也无法做到这一切。”
然而，就目前而言，卡斯尔渴望重返赛场，并真正开启自己的NBA二年级赛季。周一的比赛正是他的第一次机会。
“我超级兴奋，”卡斯尔说。“我不得不在场边观战了几场比赛，但能够亲自踏上球场的感觉总是最棒的。”
点击查看原文：Spurs' Stephon Castle set for preseason debut
Spurs’ Stephon Castle set for preseason debut
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle dunks the ball for a basket against the Denver Nuggets in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
INDIANAPOLIS – Spurs guard Stephon Castle finished his time at the team’s shootaround Gainbridge FieldHouse on Monday with an easy-does-it, two-handed reverse slam dunk.
In case anyone was wondering what his plans were for later that night against the Indiana Pacers.
“Yeah, I’m playing,” Castle said.
The NBA’s most recent Rookie of the Year missed the Spurs’ first three preseason contests with a right knee contusion.
Castle suffered the injury in the team’s Oct. 4 Silver & Black scrimmage, accomplishing the mind-boggling feat of somehow banging knees with the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama.
READ MORE: Spurs still tinkering as preseason hits final week
Having watched from the bench as the Spurs got off to a 3-0 start to the exhibition slate without him, Castle pronounced himself 100% after Monday’s walkthrough and ready to join the fray.
“It was knee-to-knee contact, nothing too serious,” Castle said. “They just wanted me to rest it.”
Earlier in the preseason, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said he was unconcerned with how many exhibition appearances the 20-year-old Castle made.
“He’s not someone I was trying to see a bunch of in the preseason anyway,” Johnson said.
Still with De’Aaron Fox expected to be sidelined through the beginning of the regular season, Castle is projected to be the Spurs’ opening-night starter at point guard.
Castle played in 81 games as a rookie, started 47 of them and filled roles both on and off the ball.
He thrived in all of those scenarios, averaging 14.7 points on his way to giving the Spurs their second consecutive Rookie of the Year winner after Wembanyama hoisted the 2023-24 Wilt Chamberlain Trophy.
Asked if the team views Castle as a defensive tone-setter, a volume scorer or a connective piece, Johnson’s answer was, essentially “all of the above.”
“He has the capability of doing some of all that,” Johnson said, and I think as long as he keeps his head on straight and keeps working, he’s going to have the capacity to grow in all those areas. That’s a tremendous skill to have in this league … They are very good players that can’t do all those things.”
For now, however, Castle is eager to get back on the floor and get his sophomore NBA season started in earnest. Monday marked his first chance at that.
“I’m super excited,” Castle said. “I got to be on the sideline and watch for a couple of games, but it’s always good to be out there on the court.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News