Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2025–26
68 games · 2,259 minutes
NBA player comparison
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Stephon Castle: 2025–26 season
Regular-season verdict
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads in impact for 2025–26
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranks ahead of Stephon Castle in estimated impact while playing. This compares regular-season performance, not total contribution across the season.
Stephon Castle
2025–26
68 games · 2,038 minutes
Impact comparison
Impact estimate is measured in points per 100 possessions above league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Impact Rate rank is a league place, not a 0–100 score: No. 1 is best.
+5.1LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.5
#2LeadsImpact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#170
+2.13LeadsEstimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+1.08
+4.76LeadsEstimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions-0.41
2.0%LeadsSteal rate1.8%
8.7%LeadsTurnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload18.0%
33.4%Offensive usage24.9%
66.5%LeadsTrue shooting %57.5%
35.0%LeadsAssist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court34.5%
7.0%Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court9.5%Leads
68Games68
2,259Minutes2,038
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +5.1, compared with +0.5 for Stephon Castle. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 68 games and 2,259 minutes. Stephon Castle: 68 games and 2,038 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Behind the estimate
Why the model rates them this way
The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderMetricStephon Castle
+4.21LeadsFrom recorded individual stats+0.80
+0.90LeadsAdjustment from recent lineup results-0.30
+5.10LeadsFinal estimated impact+0.50
Lineup evidence: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 3 seasons; Stephon Castle — 2 seasons. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.
Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season
These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderMetricStephon Castle
+4.76LeadsAdjusted offensive impact-0.41
+2.13LeadsAdjusted defensive impact+1.08
What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.
Full comparison · 2025–26 season
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +5.1Better result for this metric. | +0.5 |
| Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best | #2Better result for this metric. | #170 |
| From recorded individual stats | +4.21Better result for this metric. | +0.80 |
| Adjustment from recent lineup results | +0.90Better result for this metric. | -0.30 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. Stephon Castle: 2 seasons of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Final estimated impact | +5.10Better result for this metric. | +0.50 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 68 | 68 |
| Minutes | 2,259 | 2,038 |
| Offensive usage | 33.4% | 24.9% |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 66.5%Better result for this metric. | 57.5% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 55.3%Better result for this metric. | 47.1% |
| Three-point percentage | 38.6%Better result for this metric. | 33.2% |
| Free-throw percentage | 87.9%Better result for this metric. | 73.4% |
| Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality | 22.6% | 29.9% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court | 35.0%Better result for this metric. | 34.5% |
| Assists per game | 6.6 | 7.4Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload | 8.7%Better result for this metric. | 18.0% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court | 7.0% | 9.5%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 4.3 | 5.3Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rate | 2.0%Better result for this metric. | 1.8% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court | 2.3%Better result for this metric. | 0.8% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 31.1Better result for this metric. | 16.7 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates
These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.
| Metric | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Stephon Castle |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted offensive impact | +4.76Better result for this metric. | -0.41 |
| Adjusted defensive impact | +2.13Better result for this metric. | +1.08 |
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads in impact for 2025–26.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderMetricStephon Castle
+5.1LeadsImpact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.5
#2LeadsImpact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#170
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderMetricStephon Castle
367LeadsListed-team regular-season wins96
57.7%Listed-team winning percentage58.5%Leads
3Leads50-win team seasons1
2Leads60-win team seasons1
5LeadsPlayoff team seasons1
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads every available measure below.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderMetricStephon Castle
5LeadsPlayoff appearances1
61LeadsPlayoff games23
38LeadsTeam playoff wins13
1Finals appearances1
1LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderMetricStephon Castle
4LeadsAll-Star0
2LeadsMVP0
4LeadsAll-NBA0
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year1Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Selected seasons
Box impact
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderStephon Castle
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average