That 28% from 3 is exactly why the Rockets didn't draft Castle. They had enough uber-athletic guys who sucked at shooting 3s.
I like Castle (he was the #2 player in the draft behind Reed IMO, at least for the Rockets), but yeah I'm not sure the fit would have been great here. His skillset overlaps with several players, and I'm not sure he's really better than most of those guys (especially as a rookie). I think long-term, he has potential to be an all-star esque type player. Jrue Holiday type player (and of course I could be wrong and he's even better). I don't really see the CP3 comparison, and I ultimately assessed him as unlikely to be good enough to be an offensive engine (or something along those lines). I think he can make the first and second reads at a good level, but I'm not sure he's an elite playmaker. Also not sure he's necessarily an elite scorer, especially if he doesn't figure out his shot (though I think he will eventually). All of that is fine (still a *really* good player, especially in a weak draft), but I personally saw more elite potential with Reed (elite in needed skillsets), so I preferred him over Castle. I'm not surprised Castle looks better in Y1 though, especially given the roles for each player. Castle is also significantly better on the defensive end right now, and he came into the league with an NBA ready body. Reed has a lower floor in a lot of ways, and he'll have to put in a lot of work to provide a similar overall impact as Castle did in his rookie year.
Issue with Castle is that he isn't uber athletic. He's just a bad shooter and a middling athlete. He's Patrick Beverly with bad hair. Point guard Tari Eason maybe.
I can see Castle develop into an elite rim runner and slasher&penetrator. He is very tall, and fast also. Reed is a different breed, and his success relies on shotmaking.
Castle would have played all 82 games here too regardless because he can do pretty much everything else. He, a now 2nd year player, can always learn how to shoot better.
The Spurs have a defensive problem that Wemby is not healthy enough and the second problem is shooting for their entire squad. Regardless if they trade for Giannis or not, shooting is a premium.
I don't know if I see him as an elite rim runner (maybe semantics), though yes I think he is a great off-ball cutter/slasher. Also very good as a connective/secondary playermaker on the floor. I do like his overall combination of size/length, skill, IQ/feel, strength, and athleticism. Sure, I guess he's not a top 5-10% athlete, but outside of maybe limiting his super high end ceiling, don't think that hurts that much. As long as he can clean up his shooting, I think he will end being a very high end player in the league for a long time. Even without the shot (or if it takes 4+ years), he can be a positive I think, especially with his defense. I saw more elite potential with Reed (with potential for elite playmaking, shooting, and defensive playmaking), and since he possessed skills this team needed (vs another good cutter, another long defender, etc), I leaned that way. But yes, it is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Very different players with different paths to success. And despite what some people might think, it is possible for both to be good at basketball. OK, if they aren't on the Rockets, then I don't think they're good at basketball. Sorry I forgot about that very important rule of basketball.
Good question. Cade's rookie efficiency: .504 TS%, .471 eFG%, .314 3p% Fairly close to Castle's. But the difference is, Cade already showed his playmaking ability even on a terrible team. Cade landed on a worse situation than Jalen, if that was even possible. He had to generate everything for the Pistons. And people thought he was a bust. Castle on the other hand joined a structured team and had star players doing heavy lifting on offense.
Castle's midrange percentage is in the 30s. The 39-year-old CP's midrange percentage is in the 50s. That's about 3 or 4 levels difference.
