Back in the fall, if Stephon Castle would have written down a list of accomplishments that would have made for the perfect freshman season at UConn, it probably would’ve looked something like this:
-Big East Freshman of the Year
-National Championship
-No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft
A half a year later, he can check off two of those on the list. And the last one? Well, it’s a possibility, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
O’Connor, who covers basketball and the draft for the outlet, lists Castle as the No. 1 prospect on his Big Board, which is put together based on “factors such as physical traits; high school, college, and G League production; and skills that seem translatable to the next level.”
Though it’s not a mock draft, it’s a prospect rankings, and Castle’s inclusion in the No. 1 spot means O’Connor believes he will be the best pro.
Castle checked in at No. 2 on O’Connor’s mock draft, with the UConn freshman going to the Utah Jazz.
UConn sophomore center Donovan Clingan came in at No. 3 on O’Connor’s Big Board, and No. 6 in his mock draft, with the San Antonio Spurs taking the big man to pair with Victor Wembanyama (talk about a scary frontcourt duo).
This year’s NBA mock drafts vary greatly by outlet, with no consensus No. 1 overall pick, but Castle and Clingan rank highly on just about every one of them. Yahoo!’s latest mock has Castle going No. 3 to the Charlotte Hornets and Clingan No. 5 to the Portland Trail Blazers, CBS Sports’ has Clingan No. 5 and Castle No. 8 to the Jazz, and Sporting News has Castle going No. 6 to the Toronto Raptors and Clingan No. 9 to the Houston Rockets.
Both were among the four Huskies named to the All-Tournament team after UConn won its second straight national title, with Tristen Netwon and Cam Spencer also earning the honor.
Castle finished the season averaging 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. Clingan put up 13 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes.
The NBA Draft is set for June 26-27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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