Stephon Castle: The Missing Piece for the Hornets’ Playoff Push?

With the conclusion of the 2024 NBA draft, the Charlotte Hornets secured the 6th pick. Despite having a 13% chance to get the #1 pick, teams like the Hawks and the Rockets jumped ahead of them. As is the case with any struggling team picking high in the draft, the Charlotte Hornets face significant challenges. The arrival of a new president of basketball operations, Jeff Peterson, and a new coach, Charles Lee, heralds a promising future for the team.

Examining the core of the Hornets roster, it’s clear this is not a bad team. LaMelo Ball is a franchise point guard (when healthy). Additionally, Brandon Miller, who had a solid rookie season, placing him third in ROTY voting, and Mark Williams, a paint beast until his back sidelined him after 19 games, form a strong foundation. In addition, Grant Williams, Tre Mann, and Nick Richards are vital rotational pieces. The Hornets are just a few additional veterans away from being in the Eastern Conference discussion. This raises the intriguing question: what should the Hornets do with the sixth pick?

The mock says…

The Charlotte Hornets will select guard Stephon Castle from UCONN. Castle, a 6’6” 215-pound guard, is immensely versatile. His skills span from ball-handling and facilitating, making him a potential point guard, to the physical attributes that allow him to play shooting guard, small forward, and power forward. In his one season at UCONN, Castle averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 27 minutes. Castle was the 2024 BIG EAST freshman of the year, making the 2024 NCAA East Region All-Regional Team and the 2024 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, showcasing his potential to impact the Hornets significantly.

Where can Stephon Castle excel in Charlotte?

One area where Stephon Castle will immediately excel is the pick-and-roll. Imagine the pick-and-roll offense with him, Mark Williams, or Miles Bridges (if he returns). Another strength of Stephon Castle that will earn him valuable minutes on the court is his ball-handling and playmaking skills. These qualities will allow LaMelo Ball to play off the ball more, enabling him to be more aggressive as a scorer. This potential on-court synergy is something that fans should be excited about.

Castle shot 54% from two-point range, but that can be due to his scoring in transition, ball screens, and offensive rebounding. In addition to his offensive skills, Castle brings it on the defensive end. Castles’ size, strength, and length can allow him to guard a team’s best perimeter player and excel. He averaged 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per 40 minutes in college.

What should Hornets fans be concerned with Stephon Castle?

Charlotte finished the regular season 21st with a three-point percentage of 35%. It’s important to note that Castle’s three-point shooting, at 26%, may not significantly improve this percentage. He isn’t a guy that you can depend on to create his shot. That may not be a problem, considering Charlotte has a bunch of guys that can do just that. As a Hornets fan, that’s an area of his game you’d want to see him work on. His play in the open court will be effective, but when the team has to play some half-court offense, Castle will need that shot to keep the defense honest.

What should Charlotte do?

The first question is how close they feel they are from truly contending. If you are close to contending, picking in this draft may be a minor priority. Charlotte is in the same position as the Detroit Pistons. These two teams have abundant young talent and can’t rely on constantly bringing in younger talent to turn the corner. Stephon Castle will fit perfectly with this Hornets team’s core. He won’t need the ball to be effective. Castle will be able to impact the game in other areas, and you will feel his impact even if he doesn’t score.

Hornets fans chime in. What would you do with the 6th pick in the draft? Would you draft Stephon Castle, trade the pick, or draft someone else? Let’s talk about it…

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