Former Florida basketball standout Colin Castleton did not hear his name called during the draft back on June 22 but was still able to sign on with the Los Angeles Lakers on an undrafted free agent contract. It appears that the Lakers’ gamble on the ex-Gator was a good one, as the center has performed well during the NBA Summer League schedule.
For The Win’s NBA staff writer Bryan Kalbrosky recently took a look at the top five players in this year’s summer league action, which includes the UF alumnus. The big man has put up numbers similar to what he recorded during college, which bodes well for his future in the league.
After signing a two-way deal with the Lakers, undrafted free agent big man Colin Castleton looked outstanding during summer league.
He averaged 20.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes for Los Angeles. He was 8 of 11 (72.7%) as the roll man during ball screens, per Synergy, and 6 of 8 (75.0%) when cutting to the basket.
His blend of rim protection and offensive playmaking is hard to find.
Castleton is one of just three high-major players on record since 2008 to reach challenging thresholds for assist rate (15.0 percent) and block rate (9.0 percent) in the same season, via Bart Torvik.
He is also one of just three Division I men’s college basketball players on record with at least collegiate 140 assists, 140 blocks and fewer than 200 fouls.
He recorded at least six assists in more than half of his games during summer league for the Lakers.
19.8 percent of his passes led directly to a shot from a teammate at Florida last season. That ranked top-15 among all notable undrafted free agents who played in NBA 2K24 Summer League, per Stats Perform.
Castleton also set 0.13 dribble handoffs per touch last season, also via Stats Perform, which ranked top-15 among notable UDFA as well. These actions give him tremendous value as a connective piece for Los Angeles.
Castleton is just about 6-foot-11-inches in socks and his wingspan is nearly 7-foot-4-inches.
According to Stadium Speak, his closest physical comparisons include Chris Bosh and Mike Muscala.
He could potentially crack the rotation in the frontcourt for the Lakers if they become depleted by any unexpected injuries or if they do not make any more transactions to replenish their frontcourt depth.
The NBA Summer League continues on Monday night as the Houston Rockets take on the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the final game of the season, starting at 9 p.m. EDT.
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