SPURRED BY ROOKIES TO HANDLE THE HEAT

Young stars like Wemby, Castle lead the way for San Antonio who host in-form Miami

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In Spurs history, four players have won the National Basketball Association (NBA) Rookie of the Year award - legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan, as well as current stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.

Wembanyama won the award in 2024 and Castle followed in 2025, making the Spurs just the sixth NBA franchise to earn that honour in consecutive years.

Listed at 2.24m, although there are suggestions that he has grown even taller since last season, Wembanyama is a versatile superstar who is off to a great start, averaging 31.0 points and 13.8 rebounds while leading the league in blocks (4.8).

He is shooting 80.0 per cent from the foul line, 60.3 per cent from the field and 36.4 per cent on three-pointers.

"He has such a good feel," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Wembanyama. "It feels like he can block every shot."

Castle is San Antonio's second-leading scorer (18.3), and joint-top in assists (4.8). He averaged 14.7 points as a rookie.