Stephon Castle has already debunked the NBA's biggest misconception about him

One of the biggest criticisms lobbied at Stephon Castle entering the NBA was that he wasn't a true point guard. Two years into his career, those skeptics still exist, questioning whether he's truly a lead ball handler or simply a combo guard.

The problem with those criticisms is they ignore the production on the floor. The former UConn champion has already answered those questions emphatically.

Just check the stats.

Stephon Castle's numbers have settled the point guard debate

First things first, the "pass first" point guard doesn't really exist anymore. That archetype is a rare breed, as almost all ball handlers are taught to look for their own shots these days. Some are better than others at the distribution part of the job, but Castle deserves respect as one of them.

Steph averaged 7.4 assists per game as a sophomore during the regular season—10th in the NBA. His 6.1 assists during the playoffs were good for 9th. San Antonio consistently ran one of the best offenses in the NBA with the younger part of Area 51 as the initiator.

Is he still learning? Yes, of course, but he hasn't done anything to have his duties as a playmaker revoked. We can talk about his 3.2 turnovers per game as long as we can talk about the four a night from Luka Doncic, the 3.7 from Nikola Jokic, or the 3.7 from Cade Cunningham.

Castle's all-around game makes the criticism even weaker

Turnovers are part of the game, especially when you have a high usage rate. Castle provides more than enough as a defender, scorer, and even as a rebounder to make up for his mishaps. In fact, there are only four players in Spurs history with more triple-doubles than Steph has (5).

He's even passed Tim Duncan despite only playing two years. Some of those massive stat nights were truly explosive, too. These weren't 10/10/10 nights. Mitch Johnson's young floor general has posted 40-point and 30-point triple-doubles.

Castle's style may not look traditional, but that's why he's so special. He doesn't need to look like Chris Paul or Tyrese Haliburton when he's orchestrating the offense. Strength and downhill pressure are his tools, and he uses them to generate open looks for his teammates when defenses collapse.

That's still point guard play, no matter how you slice it. We can debate labels all day, but if a player is averaging over seven assists, posts triple-doubles, and is entrusted to run the offense of a 62-win ball club, it's hard to argue he can't be the team's point guard. He already is.

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This article was originally published on airalamo.com as Stephon Castle has already debunked the NBA's biggest misconception about him.