By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-06-25 14:08:15
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
布莱恩·赖特（Brian Wright）和其他马刺队高层成员在 2023 年 6 月 22 日的早晨醒来时，发现自己拥有着 NBA 最轻松的工作，至少在接下来的 12 个小时里是如此。
凭借上一年选秀大会上的状元签，赖特和他的团队只需要做到不要睡过头，并在关键时刻说出“维克多·文班亚马（Victor Wembanyama）”的名字。
大约 370 天后，马刺队和他们的总经理迎来了 2024 年选秀大会，这一次他们的工作量明显增加了。
马刺队历史上首次在同一届选秀大会上拥有两张前十顺位的选秀权，赖特和他的团队将在周三的选秀盛会上做出关键的决定，这些决定将影响球队未来的走向。
“我总是这么说，每一届选秀大会上都会有优秀的球员，”赖特说道。“你只需要做好功课，做出最明智的选择。”
赖特会是第一个承认，拥有今年选秀大会的第 4 号和第 8 号签，与去年拥有状元签完全不同。
首先，由于缺少文班亚马这样的天才球员，今年的选秀人才库显得相对薄弱。
除非马刺队进行交易，而他们并未排除这种可能性，否则另外三支球队（老鹰、奇才和火箭）将决定赖特第一次选择时哪些球员还剩。
除了他们自己的第四顺位签，这是连续第二个赛季战绩为 22 胜 60 负的结果，马刺队还拥有第八顺位签，这是 2023 年 2 月雅各布·珀尔特尔（Jakob Poeltl）被交易到猛龙的“战利品”。
马刺队还拥有两张第二轮签，分别是他们自己的第 35 号签和第 48 号签，后者来自 2022 年选秀夜的交易，当时他们将后卫肯尼迪·钱德勒（Kennedy Chandler）的选秀权送给了灰熊。这两张第二轮签将在周四进行，这是 NBA 首次将选秀大会分成两天进行。
总而言之，这将是马刺队历史上最重大的也是最不可预测的选秀大会之一。
“我们没有状元签，所以那将是别人来决定，”赖特说。“但我们认为这届选秀大会上有不少优秀的球员可以帮助我们。”
大多数选秀观察员一致认为，马刺队可能会用他们的首轮签之一来填补控球后卫位置上的空缺。
特雷·琼斯（Tre Jones）是球队目前的先发控卫，他与球队还有一年的合同，预计将在 2024-25 赛季回归。但是，据信马刺队仍可能寻求升级这个位置，寻找一位拥有更大体型和/或更佳投射能力的球员。
基于这一点，康涅狄格大学的斯特芬·卡斯尔（Stephon Castle）、肯塔基大学的罗伯·迪林汉姆（Rob Dillingham）和普罗维登斯大学的德文·卡特被认为是马刺队两张签位上的理想人选。塞尔维亚的年轻球员尼古拉·托皮奇（Nikola Topic）本来也是备选，但他在上个月的亚得里亚海联盟季后赛中撕裂了 ACL。
赖特承认，投射能力是另一个需要加强的领域，因为马刺队上个赛季的联盟三分球命中率排名倒数第三。
“我们打破了（球队）历史的三分球总数记录，但从命中率来看，我们在联盟中处于倒数，”赖特说。“所以我想你当然希望能够增加投射能力。”
这就是事情变得有趣的地方。
今年选秀大会中备受赞誉的射手，肯塔基大学的里德·谢泼德，预计将在马刺队第四顺位选秀时已被选中。
许多选秀分析师认为，如果火箭队保留第三顺位签，他们会在那里选择谢泼德。
马刺队可以打包其中一张签位向上交易，以得到谢泼德，他在大学的最后一个赛季三分球命中率高达 52%。
还有一种情况，火箭队将第三顺位签交易给其他球队，该球队想要选择谢泼德以外的球员，在这种情况下，这位神射手可能会跌落到第四顺位，被马刺队选中。
如果马刺队错过了谢泼德，但仍然想要增加一名射手，田纳西大学的达尔顿·奈克特是一个不错的选择，他有可能在第八顺位被选中。
尽管增加投射能力非常吸引人，但赖特表示马刺队不会在选秀夜受限于某个特定的位置。
“你想在很多方面都得到提升，”赖特说。“我认为我们不会走进这个休赛期说，只要我们做好这两件事，我们就能达到目标。”
马刺队很有可能利用其中一张签位，进一步加强他们去年与文班亚马和西迪·西索科（Sidy Cissoko）建立的法国球员阵容。
预计有三名法国球员将在周三的首轮选秀中被选中，其中两位——多才多艺的前锋扎卡里·里沙尔和防守型中锋亚历克斯·萨尔（Alex Sarr）——预计会被排在乐透区。
普遍认为，奇才队已经锁定萨尔作为他们第二顺位的选择。
里沙尔曾被认为是亚特兰大状元签的潜在人选，但他可能会在如此充满变数的选秀中下滑。如果里沙尔在第四顺位时仍未被选中，马刺队会非常感兴趣。
第三位法国球员，前锋蒂贾内·萨隆（Tidjane Salaun），自从赛季结束以来一直迅速蹿升选秀榜。他可能是马刺队第八顺位签的选择。
无论周三发生什么，有一点是肯定的：文班亚马会观看选秀。
这位去年的选秀状元目前正在法国，为今年夏天在巴黎举行的奥运会法国国家队比赛做准备。
然而，在他回到海外之前，文班亚马对赖特和马刺队表示了信心，相信他们会做出正确的选择。
即使他们不再拥有 NBA 最轻松的工作。
“我们不会仅仅通过说我们想要赢得总冠军来构建伟大，”文班亚马在休赛期初期说道。“要每天砌一块砖，然后我们会建成一所房子。”
肯塔基大学的罗伯·迪林汉姆在 2024 年 3 月 6 日星期三在肯塔基州列克星敦举行的对阵范德比尔特的 NCAA 男子篮球比赛中，在终场哨响后完成扣篮。 （美联社照片/詹姆斯·克里斯普）
亚利桑那州格伦代尔 - 4 月 8 日：康涅狄格大学的斯特芬·卡斯尔（#5）在 2024 年 4 月 8 日在亚利桑那州格伦代尔的州立农场体育场举行的 NCAA 男子篮球锦标赛决赛中，以 75-60 战胜普渡大学后，砍下球网。
法国巴黎 - 12 月 30 日：法国队的扎卡里·里沙尔在 2023 年 12 月 30 日在法国巴黎的阿科酒店竞技场举行的全明星赛中带球奔跑。
肯塔基大学后卫里德·谢泼德在本赛季获得了 USBWA 颁发的全国最佳新秀荣誉。
田纳西州诺克斯维尔 - 2 月 28 日：田纳西大学的达尔顿·奈克特（#3）在 2024 年 2 月 28 日在田纳西州诺克斯维尔的汤普森-博林竞技场举行的对阵奥本大学的比赛中庆祝三分球命中。 （美联社照片/玛丽·阿尔塔弗）
普罗维登斯大学后卫德文·卡特在 2024 年 3 月 15 日星期五在纽约举行的大东区男子锦标赛半决赛中，对阵马奎特大学的比赛下半场投出三分球。 （美联社照片/玛丽·阿尔塔弗）
点击查看原文：Spurs have tough decisions to make in 2024 NBA draft
Spurs have tough decisions to make in 2024 NBA draft
Brian Wright and other members of the Spurs’ brain trust awoke the morning of June 22, 2023 with what for the next 12 hours or so would be the easiest job in the NBA.
Blessed with the No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA draft, all Wright and Co. had to do was not oversleep and remember to say the name “Victor Wembanyama” when the big moment arrived.
Some 370 days later, the Spurs and their general manager arrive at the 2024 draft with a bit more work to do than that.
Armed with a pair of top 10 picks in the same draft for the first time in club history, Wright and his staff will face key franchise-shaping decisions as Wednesday’s festivities unfold in New York.
“I say this all time — there are players in every draft,” Wright said. “You’ve just got to do your homework and make the best decision you can.”
Wright will be the first to admit, owning the No. 4 and No. 8 pick in this year’s draft is a different animal than having the No. 1 pick last year.
For starters, the draft pool is a bit shallower without a generational talent like Wembanyama as the top prize.
Barring a trade — which the Spurs have not ruled out — three other teams (Atlanta, Washington and Houston) will have a say in which players are still available by the time Wright takes his first turn.
In addition to their own fourth pick — the product of a second consecutive 22-60 season — the Spurs also have the eighth pick as spoils from the February 2023 trade of Jakob Poeltl to Toronto.
The Spurs have a pair of second-round picks — their own at No. 35 and a No. 48 stemming from a 2022 draft-night trade that awarded Memphis the rights to guard Kennedy Chandler. Those second-round picks will be made Thursday as for the first time the NBA has fashioned its draft into a two-day event.
All told, it stands to be one of the most consequential and unpredictable drafts in Spurs history.
“We don’t have the No. 1 pick, so that is someone else’s decision there,” Wright said. “We do think there are good players in this draft who can help us.”
The consensus among draft observers is that the Spurs could look to fill a perceived void at point guard with one of their first-round selections.
Tre Jones, the team’s incumbent starter, is under contract for one more season and expected to return in 2024-25. However, it is believed the Spurs might still look to upgrade the position with someone possessing greater size and/or shooting ability.
With that in mind, Connecticut’s Stephon Castle, Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham and Providence’s Devin Carter are considered worthy candidates at either of the Spurs’ draft positions. Serbian teenager Nikola Topic might have been in the discussion had he not torn an ACL in the Adriatic League playoffs last month.
Shooting is another area of need, Wright acknowledged, as the Spurs finished last season third-to-last in the NBA in 3-point percentage.
“We broke the (franchise) record for (total) 3-pointers, but then percentage-wise we’re towards the bottom end of the league, right?” Wright said. “So I think you obviously want to add shooting.”
That’s where things could get interesting.
The most highly touted shooter in this year’s draft field, Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard, is widely expected to be off the board by the time the Spurs pick at four.
Many draft analysts believe Houston will select Sheppard at No. 3 — if the Rockets keep the pick.
The Spurs could package one of their picks to trade up for Sheppard, who shot 52% from beyond the arc in his lone college season.
There are other scenarios in which the Rockets trade the third slot to another team that aims to nab someone other than Sheppard, in which case the sharpshooter could drop into the Spurs’ lap at No. 4.
If the Spurs miss on Sheppard but still want to add a shooter, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht is a consolation prize that could be available in the No. 8 range.
Despite the allure of added shooting, Wright suggested the Spurs will not be handcuffed to one area of need on draft night.
“You want to improve in a lot of different areas,” Wright said. “I don’t think we’re walking into this offseason saying if we just do these two things, we’re exactly where we want to be.”
There remains a strong chance the Spurs could use one of their picks to enhance the French connection they commenced last year with the selection of Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko.
Three Frenchmen are projected to go in the first round Wednesday, with two — versatile forward Zaccharie Risacher and defensive-minded big man Alex Sarr — expected to be high lottery selections.
General belief holds that Washington has zeroed in on Sarr as its pick at No. 2.
Risacher has been mentioned as a potential No. 1 overall selection for Atlanta, but could slide in a draft as fluid as this one. The Spurs would have high interest in Risacher if he is still around at No. 4.
A third French player, forward Tidjane Salaun, has been zooming up draft boards since the end of the season. He might be an option for the Spurs with the eighth pick.
Whatever happens Wednesday, this much is for certain: Wembanyama will be watching.
The crown jewel of last year’s draft is back in France, preparing for a run with his country’s Olympic team at the Paris Games later this summer.
Before he returned overseas, however, Wembanyama expressed confidence Wright and the Spurs would do right by him.
Even if they no longer have the easiest job in the NBA.
“We’re not going to build something great (just) by saying we want to win a championship,” Wembanyama said at the beginning of the offseason. “It’s set a new brick every day, and then we’ll build a house.”
Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham dunks after the final buzzer in the team’s NCAA college basketball game against Vanderbilt, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/James Crisp)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - APRIL 08: Stephon Castle #5 of the Connecticut Huskies cuts down the net after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.
PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 30: Zaccharie Risacher of Team France runs with the ball during the All Star Game at AccorHotels Arena on December 30, 2023 in Paris, France.
Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard earned national freshman of the year honors from the USBWA this season.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 28: Dalton Knecht #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a three-point basket against the Auburn Tigers in the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 28, 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Providence guard Devin Carter shoots from 3-point range during the second half of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the semifinals of the Big East men’s tournament Friday, March 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News