By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-06-27 11:34:40
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。
圣安东尼奥马刺队并没有因为即战力的疑问而放弃选择斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)，并交易了8号签，换来了一个未来可能极具价值的选秀权。
对于马刺队来说，这是一个有趣的选秀夜。他们用第四顺位选中了斯蒂芬·卡斯尔，一个天赋异禀但投篮尚未得到证实的球员。而投篮能力，可以说是马刺队目前最需要的。随后，据ESPN的阿德里安·沃纳罗斯基(Adrian Wojnarowski)报道，他们将第八顺位交易到明尼苏达森林狼队，换来了一个受保护的2030年选秀权互换权和一个2031年不受保护的首轮签。
这并不是那些希望球队加速重建的球迷所期望的选秀，但这届选秀给了马刺队构建可持续赢球阵容的工具。耐心似乎是管理层最大的美德，虽然没有哪种策略能保证取得好成绩，但马刺队的策略已经有了足够的保障，彻底失败似乎是不可能的。
没有人对卡斯尔在第四顺位被选中感到惊讶，但对他能否融入球队有一些担忧是可以理解的。他想成为一名控球后卫，就像他上大学之前那样，但他还没有传统的控球后卫技术。更令人担忧的是，虽然他的投篮动作看起来没有问题，但目前他还不是一个外线威胁。马刺队在德章泰·穆雷(Dejounte Murray)和德里克·怀特(Derrick White)身上积累了将防守型大个子后卫培养成进攻全面的球员的经验，但这两个人花了数年时间才练出可靠的跳投，而当他们拥有跳投时，他们已经不再身披银黑战袍了。在球队层面，最大的担忧是卡斯尔和杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)能否共存，因为他们在投篮方面的局限性。正如ESPN分析师杰伊·比拉斯(Jay Bilas)在选秀直播中所说，卡斯尔可能会成为一个更大版本的朱·霍勒迪(Jrue Holiday)，或者像卡斯尔自己比较的对象谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大(Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)那样，但他几乎肯定需要时间才能达到那个水平。
等待是值得的。卡斯尔在防守端是个怪物，他是那种能在防守端定下基调并减轻内线球员压力的外线球员。穆雷、怀特和霍勒迪都是他未来所能带来的贡献的良好参照对象，任何其他精英级别的后卫防守者也是如此。他的防守和串联球队的能力已经足够出色，即使他永远成不了主要的进攻创造者，他在两个后卫位置上都能做出足够的贡献。投篮是一个真正的问题，但这次选秀中的每个球员都有一些问号，没有理由相信卡斯尔不能从命中底角投篮开始，然后扩大他的武器库。卡斯尔在康涅狄格大学(UConn)愿意扮演任何角色来赢得NCAA冠军，这也体现了他的无形资产。他是一个努力工作的人，不介意牺牲，但也有领导的信心。即使他需要一段时间才能证明自己的价值，但他很有可能取得成功。
选择卡斯尔是一个很好的选择。马刺队在选秀之夜做出的另一个决定则真正引发了争议。有一种情况是优先考虑长远，还有一种情况是将第八顺位交易出去，换来在未来的选秀权，而当这些选秀权可以使用时，维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)已经25岁左右了。看到一支显然需要天赋来避免另一个平淡无奇的赛季的球队放弃了增加天赋的机会，人们的本能反应不会是积极的。但就像选择卡斯尔时无视他目前的局限性一样，这是一步聪明的棋，可能会带来巨大的回报。
让我们来分析一下这笔交易对休赛期的影响。马刺队将专家们一致认为的选秀小年中的第八顺位交易成了一个不受限制的2031年选秀权和一个2030年的选秀权互换权。通过这样做，他们立即腾出了大约600万美元的薪资空间，可以在自由球员市场上使用，因为他们移除了第八顺位新秀的工资帽。在试图寻找一两名老将来填补阵容空缺时，这些薪资空间可能会派上用场，这并非不可能，甚至很有可能。马刺队现在还将拥有一个额外的阵容名额，他们可以用它来冒险签下一名球员，或者带来即战力。通常情况下，一支重建球队会把年轻和潜力置于一切之上，但算上卡斯尔，圣安东尼奥已经有6名21岁或以下的球员获得了保障合同，所以教练组将有得忙了。这笔交易关乎未来，但它也帮助了现在的球队。
至于回报，它比表面上看起来要好，原因有很多。首先，马刺队应该能在2030年文班亚马的第二份合同中期与他续约，但安东尼·爱德华兹(Anthony Edwards)将在2029/30赛季结束后成为一名不受限制的自由球员。鲁迪·戈贝尔(Rudy Gobert)32岁，卡尔-安东尼·唐斯(Karl-Anthony Towns)28岁。明尼苏达不是一个吸引自由球员的目的地，而且他们把所有未来的选秀权都欠给了犹他爵士队。罗比·迪林厄姆(Rob Dillingham)是一个充满活力的得分手和组织者，但他的身高可能会让他在防守端成为目标。没有人能预测未来，但假设森林狼队在六年后可能不会太好似乎是合理的，这将使选秀权互换和首轮签变得极其有价值。而且马刺队拥有自己的选秀权，还有两个来自亚特兰大老鹰队的首轮签和一些在不久的将来可以进行的选秀权互换，所以在那之前，他们不会缺少增加年轻球员的机会。
马刺队正在从几十年的角度来思考问题，这只有在管理层得到老板完全支持的情况下才能做到。对于那些渴望球队快速进步的球迷来说，这可能会让他们感到沮丧，这是可以理解的，但管理层所展现出的这种远见和耐心可能会让他们打造出一支常年有竞争力的球队，并在文班亚马的巅峰时期，通过选秀不断补充年轻、廉价的天赋，从而在不受奢侈税和超级顶薪限制的情况下保持核心阵容的完整。或者，通过积累资产，他们可以等到文班亚马合适的超级巨星搭档出现，然后给出比其他所有球队都高的报价。
很快，圣安东尼奥的决策者们就需要拿出成绩了。如果卡斯尔没有打出来，在第八顺位之后被选中的球员中有人成为了球星，而休赛期的其他操作也没能让球队取得进步，那么对他们的质疑应该而且将会增加。就目前而言，仅凭我们在选秀日获得的信息，我们很难对一支似乎在避免许多重建球队常犯的短视错误的管理层感到不满。
点击查看原文：The Spurs reaffirmed their commitment to the long view on draft night
The Spurs reaffirmed their commitment to the long view on draft night
San Antonio didn’t let questions of immediate fit dissuade them from picking Stephon Castle and traded the 8th pick for a future selection that could be extremely valuable.
The Spurs had an interesting draft night. With the fourth overall pick, they selected Stephon Castle, an intriguing prospect who brings elite defense but is not a proven shooter, which is arguably what San Antonio needed most. Then, they traded the eighth pick to Minnesota for a protected 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It’s not the draft fans of speeding up the rebuild were hoping for, but it’s a draft that gives the Spurs the tools to potentially build a sustainable winner. Patience appears to be the front office’s greatest virtue and while no strategy guarantees good results, San Antonio’s has enough safeguards that a complete fail seems impossible.
No one is surprised to see Castle selected fourth, but it’s understandable to have some worries about his fit. He wants to be a point guard, like he was before college, but doesn’t have traditional lead guard skills yet. More concerning, while his shot doesn’t seem broken, at this point he’s not an outside threat. The Spurs have experience developing defensive-minded big guards into well-rounded offensive players after doing it with Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, but those two took years to get reliable jumpers and by the time they had them they were not wearing Silver and Black anymore. At the team level, the biggest concern is whether Castle and Jeremy Sochan can even coexist due to their limitations as shooters. Castle could turn out to be a bigger Jrue Holiday, as ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said during the draft broadcast, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom Castle compared himself to, but it will almost certainly take time for him to get there.
The upside is worth the wait. Castle is a monster defensively, the type of perimeter player that sets the tone on that end and makes a rim protector’s job easier. Murray, White and Holiday are all good comparisons for what he could bring, as is any other elite guard defender. He’s good enough on defense and as a connective piece that even if he never becomes a primary shot-creator, he’ll bring enough to the table at either guard spot. The shot is a real issue, but every player in this draft had some question marks and there’s no reason to believe Castle can’t start by hitting corner shots and then expand his arsenal. The intangibles are also there since Castle was happy to play any role needed of him to win an NCAA Championship with UConn. He’s a hard worker who has no problem sacrificing but has the confidence to lead. Even if it takes him a while to show his worth, there’s a good chance he’ll succeed.
Castle is a good pick. The other decision the Spurs made on draft night is the really controversial one. There’s prioritizing the long view and then there’s trading the eighth selection for picks so far in the future that Victor Wembanyama will be in his mid-20s when they can be used. The visceral reaction to seeing a team that clearly needs talent now to avoid another uninspiring season punt on the possibility to add some is not going to be positive. But just like picking Castle despite his current limitations, it’s a smart play that could pay off hugely.
Let’s break down the details of the impact the move has this offseason. San Antonio traded the eighth pick on what experts universally called a weak draft into an unrestricted 2031 pick and a pick swap in 2030. By doing that they immediately created around $6 million in cap space to use in free agency by removing the cap hold of the eighth pick. It’s possible and even likely that cap room comes in handy when trying to target a veteran or two to plug in the holes. The Spurs will now also have another roster spot as well that they can use to take a flyer on someone or bring immediate help. Normally a rebuilding team would covet youth and upside over everything, but San Antonio has six players 21 or under on guaranteed contracts, counting Castle, so the developmental staff will have its hands full. The trade is about the future, but it also helps the team now.
As for the return, it’s better than it appears, for several reasons. First, the Spurs should have Victor Wembanyama locked up in the middle of his second contract in 2030 but Anthony Edwards will be an unrestricted free agent after 2029/30. Rudy Gobert is 32 and Karl-Anthony Towns is 28. Minnesota is not a free agent destination and they owe all their future picks to Utah. Rob Dillingham is a dynamic scorer and playmaker, but his height could make him a target on defense. No one can predict the future, but it seems sensible to assume the Timberwolves might not be good in six years, which would make the swap and the pick extremely valuable. And the Spurs have their picks along with two incoming Hawks picks and a few swaps set up in the near future, so they won’t be devoid of opportunities to add young talent until then.
The Spurs are thinking in terms of decades, which is something only a brain trust that has complete backing from ownership can do. It can be frustrating to deal with for fans who understandably want quick improvement but the type of vision and patience the front office is showing could allow them to create a perennial contender that keeps its core together despite the limitations of luxury taxes and second aprons by adding young, cheap talent through the draft well into Wembanyama’s prime. Or by accumulating assets, they can wait until the right superstar partner for Wemby becomes available and outbid all others.
Soon enough, the decision-makers in San Antonio will need to produce results. If Castle is not a hit, someone picked after the eighth pick turns into a star and the rest of the offseason fails to create progress, the scrutiny should and will increase. For now, with only the information we have on draft day, it’s hard to be angry at a front office that seems to be avoiding the myopia that often dooms rebuilding franchises.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock