Stephon Castle made it clear: his aim was the rookie of the year title, and he achieved it convincingly.

The San Antonio Spurs now boast back-to-back winners of this honor, with Castle following in the footsteps of Victor Wembanyama from the previous year. Castle became the fifth rookie in Spurs history to surpass 1,000 points in a single season.

In a landslide voting result, Castle secured 92 first-place votes, far ahead of the runner-up, Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks, who garnered five votes. Jaylen Wells from the Memphis Grizzlies placed third with three votes.

“Coming in with all the confidence that I had in myself as a player, that was definitely a goal of mine from Day 1,” Castle expressed on TNT during the announcement. “I’m just happy I was able to execute it.”

Castle’s achievement marks only the second time in over fifty years that one franchise has secured consecutive top rookie awards, reminiscent of Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Chris Paul, Castle’s teammate, noted, “I get so excited watching him play… The first thing I want to see in a teammate is how competitive they are. That’ll take you further than talent any day. And I saw immediately that he was competitive.”

Castle led all rookies with 1,190 points and 74 steals during the season. Risacher finished strong, while Wells dominated in games started and three-pointers made.

The rookie award was determined by a global panel of 100 sports writers and broadcasters shortly after the regular season concluded.

In conclusion, Castle’s win adds to the excitement surrounding the future of the Spurs and highlights the growing talent within the NBA.