Many have already crowned Jared McCain the new NBA Rookie of the Year, and it's not a bad bet. McCain is a rock-solid scorer, who down the line could become an

Wembanyama and Castle have since been dubbed the “Area 51” for their locked-down defense, which has propelled the Spurs to a resurgence this season. The number came from Castle’s jersey number of 5 and Wembanyama’s jersey number of 1, creating a witty nickname for two impressive defenders.

The San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 17-point deficit to upset the Golden State Warriors ,104-94, on Saturday, and it was the stellar two-way play their two young building blocks that brought them home.

Castle learned the slow step after tutelage from Mike Noyes, the Spurs assistant who is the team’s player development coach. Noyes, like Castle, was a former UConn guard and joined the Spurs in July after spending six years with the Memphis Grizzlies, most recently as player development director.

Victor Wembanyama scored 34 points, rookie Stephon Castle matched a season high with 23 and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 128-115 in an NBA Cup game on Tuesday night. The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama made six 3-pointers and shot 13 of 23 from the field.