If you’re referring to the linked article, that’s not what they said. They said he’s not a “standout vertical leaper”, which is 100% true. Remember, this is all in the context of and comparison to NBA athletes, not college. They specifically say that his athleticism will help him earn minutes at the next level.
Then im not sure what standout means, he rises quickly and rises high, he’s not Derrick Jones Jr, but he can get up.
I think the ESPN article made it seem like he was some sort of Kyle Anderson like prospect who can barely get off the ground. I feel like a lot of these dudes only grade athleticism on a who can jump the highest standard rather than the body awareness and proprioception athleticism that it takes to master body control around the rim like Steph does. In that sense he grades out an A for me and his natural vertical athleticism is above average especially with a full head of steam.
His willingness to be a lockdown defender from day 1 and his basketball IQ separate him from other 5 star freshmen. He seems like a stoic 28 year old out there. He's a special player.
He definitely jumps well. I don’t know how that started. He’s an excellent overall athlete as you mentioned.
He's not like Jordan, Lebron, Vinsanity (who is?) and he doesn't need to be. He's plenty athletic and can measure up athletically with Luka, Tatum, Jimmy Buckets, DeRozan, Jamal Murray, Booker, Paul George, Kawhi, Harden etc.
Yeah, if it’s the same article I recall, they essentially say he has “above average” hops versus some of the insane combo guards you see in the league. As a prospect, the tools are all there & his shooting - while streaky - will improve with reps and continued coaching.
As others have mentioned, you have to consider it's evaluating in the context of draft prospects. Castle has very good athleticism, but not standout among elite lottery NBA wing guard prospects. Strength is often overlooked a bit, because they assume it can or will be added later. His strength and frame for his age is his best feature athletically. His vertical is... good.
Yeah it seems you do, because Derrick Jones Jr or guys like Keon Johnson or Shaedon Shape is standout athleticism.
Feels like you’ve kind of got the gist. There’s a a wide gap between not impressive and elite NBA tool. I’ve yet to see (not saying it doesn’t exist) someone say his athleticism is a detractor at the next level. That’s pretty clearly one of the biggest reasons he’s viewed as a lottery pick.
I'm going to guess that as much as we all may not be able to properly evaluate a college player's NBA viability, we all have seen Castle play much more than most of these evaluators. If you only saw Castle play a few games, and haven't seen him play a bunch of times recently, you're probably going to say things about him that may not necessarily reflect his skills.
Our NIL isn’t that good. And I actually think he’ll be picked before the 10th pick. Plus, it also about getting the best second contact possible. Let’s just enjoy him the rest of the season. He’s a stud.
It’s not about next year’s income. It’s about being one year closer to and one year younger at all of the subsequent contracts along with the risk of injury coming back.
You can't really believe this crap.
Do any schools give $4 million a year NIL deals? I doubt it.
Fair, I agree then. Those guys seem like otherworldly athletes though, standout seems a tier below them. But, it’s splitting hairs I admit.
It is about next year’s income because your analysis changes significantly the lower he’s drafted. If he’s 1-15, it’s an easy choice. 16-30 less so.
While I don’t disagree with your overall premise, he’s pretty much a guaranteed lottery pick so it’s irrelevant to this specific discussion.
As long as you're not dropping down to a mid-major to play, how does a 20 year old turn that down? Even if you'll be playing in the NFL shortly.
He makes it look effortless at times, when he is defending he doesn't seem put a ton of effort in keeping his guy in front of him and yet keeps him there more than not, at first I thought it was just good positioning but it's more then that, it's great reflexes that allow him to move immediately without wasting a step. He doesn't bounce around with happy feet trying to stay on top of his man, he is decisive & can get the jump on what ever arises because of it.
