Something unexpected has happened in this season’s Rookie of the Year race. San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is now the odds-on favorite at BetMGM after overtaking Miami Heat big man Ke’lel Ware heading into the second half of the season. The UConn product spent a significant amount of time as a starter for the Spurs alongside Chris Paul early in his pro career before being relegated to the bench. While some expected Castle to be bumped down another peg when San Antonio acquired De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings via trade, he’s stepped up his game.
Castle (+130) is acting as a key reserve for the Spurs alongside Jeremy Sochan. The first-year guard has averaged 19.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 52.5% from the field and 41.2% from deep since Fox made his Spurs debut. His scoring and efficiency have gone up in a big way despite his slight cut in playing time. Keeping up his current level of play will be difficult coming off the bench, though. That’s what gives this award race value.
Ware (+280) appears set to remain a starter for the rest of the season following Jimmy Butler’s move to the Golden State Warriors. The big man has cooled off some since taking on his new role, but is averaging 11.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a starter. Miami still has a realistic path to the playoffs and Ware’s ability to adapt quickly as a featured player will be crucial to the team’s success. He’s probably more likely to average a double-double for the rest of the season than Castle is to average nearly 20.0 points per game off the bench. Ware is still very much a live dog in this race.
Zacharrie Risacher (+700), Jaylen Wells (+750), and Zach Edey (+1300) have fallen by the wayside in recent weeks. Risacher is amid his best scoring month of the season and is averaging 14.0 points per game on 55.2% shooting in February. Jalen Johnson is out for the season with a shoulder injury and De’Andre Hunter is a Cleveland Cavalier, so Risacher has an opportunity to pad his stats. Poor team results could hurt him, but he has the best shot at climbing back into the race of all the longshots.
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