On May 3, the major awards of the 2024-25 NBA regular season were announced one after another. Today, the official announced the winner of the most watched Rookie of the Year award. San Antonio Spurs guard Stephen Castle stood out with his stable and comprehensive performance and successfully won the "NBA Rookie of the Year" honor, becoming the fourth player in the history of the Spurs to win this award.

Throughout the long history of the NBA, the Spurs have always been known for their accurate draft vision, and Castle's selection this time once again verifies the continuation of this tradition. He succeeded three legends in the team's history - "Admiral" David Robinson (1989-90 season), "Stone Buddha" Tim Duncan (1997-98 season) and last year's "French Monster" Victor Wembanyama - and became the fourth Spurs player to receive this honor. What is particularly noteworthy is that the Spurs have won the Rookie of the Year award for two consecutive seasons, proving that the management's draft strategy during the reconstruction period was extremely successful.

As the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the 20-year-old Castle has quickly established himself in the league. He played 81 regular season games for the Spurs this season, averaging 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game. Whether in offensive organization, defensive rotation or decision-making at critical moments, Castle has shown a maturity and basketball IQ far beyond that of a rookie.

In the Rookie of the Year voting, Castle won by an overwhelming margin. He received 92 first-place votes and scored 482 points, far more than the 245 points of Atlanta Hawks No. 1 pick Riccardo Shai, and almost secured the award with a huge lead. This result not only reflects the high recognition of his performance by the media and professional judges, but also means that he will play an extremely key role in the future reconstruction of the Spurs.

In an interview earlier this month, Castle said he was "very confident" of winning the award, but emphasized that he always focused on improving himself and helping the team win. "I don't play with these awards in mind," he said, "but as the season progresses, I feel more and more that I deserve this honor. I work hard and the results will come naturally."

Castle's sudden appearance has injected new hope into the Spurs. With the shining foundation of Wen Banyama and him, this young team is quietly growing. The future of the Holy City Army is worth the fans' expectations.