The Atlanta Hawks just moved on from Zaccharie Risacher, the 2024 No. 1 pick, in a three-team deal with the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder. The return was Lu Dort and Ryan Nembhard, and it only adds to the sense that the top of that draft class hasn’t delivered the kind of star power teams usually chase.
For the San Antonio Spurs, though, the bigger story is what they found at No. 4.
By the way this has played out, the Spurs appear to have landed the best player from the 2024 draft in Stephon Castle. He’s already sitting first in points among players from that class and ranks inside the top 10 in assists, rebounds, and win shares. That’s a strong early return for a player taken after Risacher, Alex Sarr, and Reed Sheppard.
The 2024 class came into the league with a reputation for being lighter on elite talent than most. Wembanyama had just finished a dominant rookie season, and teams were hunting for the next big difference-maker. Sarr was viewed as the best bet for a while and looked like the consensus top choice for months, but his limitations were obvious enough that Risacher ended up going first.
That hasn’t aged well. In two NBA seasons, Risacher has averaged 11.1 points and shot 36 percent from three. That’s not a disaster, but it’s a long way from what teams expect at the top of the draft.
Sarr has been decent, but still very raw. Sheppard has been in that same category. Castle, on the other hand, has already become one of the better two-way guards in the league and was a major part of the Spurs’ run to the Finals.
His fall to No. 4 still stands out. Coming out of UConn, Castle had the kind of frame and defensive discipline that translated cleanly to the NBA, and he had just helped win a national title under Dan Hurley. The concern was offense, especially shooting, but the floor looked high enough that he seemed like a safe bet to become an All-Defensive-caliber lead guard.
Instead, he’s been even better than that. Paired with Wembanyama and Dylan Harper, Castle is part of what looks like the best young core in the league.
And while the Spurs have benefited from some luck - including landing the first and second overall picks in 2023 and 2025 - three teams still passed on Castle in 2024. It’s also hard to imagine he would have been there at No. 8, when San Antonio was back on the clock for another pick.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Look Built To Fully Unleash Victor Wembanyama
The Spurs kept their roster churn moving by bringing back David Jones-Garcia on a two-way contract, a move that adds another young piece to a group already built with flexibility in mind. After waiving Emanuel Miller to open the spot, San Antonio now has a full slate of 17 players under contract, with 14 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts.
For a team trying to give Victor Wembanyama the kind of support that can keep him fresh and maximize his impact, the structure matters as much as the names. San Antonio has spent the offseason assembling depth and versatility, the sort of roster construction that should help it stay competitive without leaning too heavily on any one player over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Already Left One Supposed Rival Far Behind
Victor Wembanyamas rise has been so fast that the leagues early attempt to frame him against another top young guard already feels dated. The Spurs center has gone from No. 1 pick to the face of a team that has surged back into the Finals conversation, and his new long-term deal only reinforces how firmly San Antonio has built around him.
Scoot Henderson, the player many expected to grow into Wembanyamas natural draft-night foil, has not matched that trajectory. His uneven play has left the comparison looking lopsided for now, with the gap between the two only widening as Wembanyama keeps stacking milestones and Henderson searches for a steadier footing. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Pick Looks Even Better After Stunning Top Pick Twist
Stephon Castle is already looking like a sturdy win for the Spurs at No. 4 in the 2024 draft, and the comparison game around that class has only gotten louder. What once looked like a straightforward evaluation of who landed where has turned into something more interesting for San Antonio, because Castle has quickly become a key part of the rotation and the kind of two-way piece teams spend years trying to find.
The broader draft picture has shifted again after Oklahoma City moved Lu Dort in a three-team deal with Atlanta and Dallas, another reminder that the top of the 2024 board has already taken some unexpected turns. For the Spurs, the encouraging part is that Castles value is no longer theoretical, and the early returns suggest San Antonio may have come away with one of the most reliable players in the class, even as the rest of the draft continues to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]