Video: Lakers' LeBron James Praises Spurs' Stephon Castle: 'He's going to Be Special'

Following the Los Angeles Lakers' 120-115 road win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, Lakers superstar and NBA legend LeBron James gave some words of encouragement to Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle.

When asked what he said to Castle when they convened on the court after the game, James replied: "Keep going, keep going, man. He's going to be special. He's going to be special, man."

Castle, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, enjoyed arguably the best game of his young career Friday, going 7-of-12 for 22 points to go along with five assists and two rebounds.

After starring at UConn to the tune of a national title and Big East Freshman of the Year honors in his only season with the Huskies, Castle entered the 2024 NBA draft and didn't have to wait long to hear his name called.

San Antonio seemed like the perfect landing spot for Castle since it allowed him to join forces with the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in 7'3" center Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs initially eased Castle into the fold due to the presence of veteran point guard likely future Hall of Famer Chris Paul. That led to Castle failing to score double digits in points in each of his first six career NBA games.

However, Castle has started each of the past six games, and over his past five contests, he is averaging 15.8 points, 5.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 three-pointers made, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Given the inconsistency of some of the other top picks in the 2024 draft, including No. 1 overall selection Zaccharie Risacher and No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, Castle is playing his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation.

There is perhaps no player in NBA history with a better knowledge of having huge expectations at a young age than James, who was heralded as the next Michael Jordan from the time he was in high school.

James met and exceeded all expectations, putting himself in the greatest of all time conversation along with Jordan.

The expectations aren't quite as high for Castle, but he is thriving with the opportunities he has been given at just 20 years of age, and he will likely be a huge part of the Spurs' future success.

If both Castle and Wembanyama continue to develop and thrive, the Spurs could be trending toward another golden era, much like the one they enjoyed thanks to players such as David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.

James, who will turn 40 in December, is approaching the end of his career despite continuing to play at a high level.

Once he, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and other aging stars are gone, the new generation will have to step up to keep the NBA on an upward trajectory, and LeBron seems to have identified Castle as one of the players who can do that.