By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-06-29 14:45:25
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。
早在周六早上走进马刺队(Spurs)灯光熠熠的训练馆之前，斯蒂芬·卡斯尔就已意识到摆在他面前的挑战。
作为今年 NBA 选秀大会的四号秀，卡斯尔在马刺队面临的任务与他在康涅狄格大学(Connecticut)时类似，只是对手更高大。
在过去的一个赛季中，卡斯尔一直为同样是乐透秀的多诺万·克林根(Donovan Clingan)这位 7 英尺 2 英寸（约 2.18 米）的大个子传出空中接力球，如今，他渴望为一位比克林根更全能的队友送出更多空中接力。
“给 DC 传空接球很有趣，”卡斯尔说道，脑海中无疑浮现着文班亚马暴扣的画面，“所以，我很期待与文班亚马合作会是什么样子。”
周六，卡斯尔抵达圣安东尼奥，受到了英雄般的欢迎，他和球队二轮秀之一、北卡罗来纳大学(North Carolina)前锋哈里森·英格拉姆(Harrison Ingram)一起出席了新闻发布会，并被介绍给了他的新主场球迷。
马刺队的另一位二轮秀，西班牙控球后卫胡安·努涅斯(Juan Nunez)没有出席，因为他已经回到欧洲，开始为国家队的奥运之旅做准备。
作为自去年文班亚马之后马刺队顺位最高的选秀球员，这位 19 岁的年轻人很快就证明了自己知道自己在球队中的位置。
卡斯尔在大一赛季期间并没有与世隔绝，他说他很清楚文班亚马的功绩，文班亚马上赛季全票当选最佳新秀，并且有望从现在到退役一直都是最有价值球员的有力竞争者。
在上赛季康涅狄格大学 Huskies 队高歌猛进，最终赢得 NCAA 总冠军的过程中，卡斯尔在安静的时刻也会放纵自己去想象与一位“天外来客”并肩作战会是什么样子。
“当然，我会在脑海中想象，”卡斯尔说，“但只有当它成为现实时，才会觉得真实。”
当英格拉姆第一次踏进马刺队的训练馆，从总经理布莱恩·赖特(Brian Wright)手中接过印有 55 号的银黑色球衣时，他也有一种类似的感觉。
“这太疯狂了，”英格拉姆惊叹道。
现年 21 岁的英格拉姆来自达拉斯，在斯坦福大学(Stanford)打了两个赛季，在北卡罗来纳大学打了一个赛季，然后在周四的选秀大会上被马刺队以第 48 顺位选中。
在这两所大学效力期间，身高 6 英尺 6 英寸（约 1.98 米）的英格拉姆展现出了样样皆能的能力。他能控球、为其他球员创造机会、抢篮板、防守和投三分球。
在周六的庆祝活动中，英格拉姆展示了最有可能让他受到新球迷喜爱的技能。
当一位 Univision 的当地记者用西班牙语问他问题时，英格拉姆用同样的语言流畅地回答。
“从我上幼儿园开始，我上的每一所学校都必须上西班牙语课，”英格拉姆说，“我想说我的西班牙语很流利。”
这将使英格拉姆有资格用母语与马刺队的另一位二轮秀交流。
20 岁的努涅斯可以说是今年选秀大会上最优秀的挡拆组织者，这项技能应该会与文班亚马完美契合——最终。
努涅斯是否会在本赛季进入 NBA 还有待观察。他与海外球队还有一年的合同，今年夏天他将随西班牙国家队在国外度过。
与马刺队 2024 年的另外两名新秀不同，努涅斯将不会参加马刺队夏季联赛的阵容，球队的夏季联赛将于周一开赛。
尽管如此，努涅斯——他在马刺队与印第安纳步行者队(Indiana Pacers)交易了一个顺位后，以第 36 顺位被选中——表示他不打算无限期地留在国外。
“对每个孩子来说，在 NBA 打球都是一个梦想，”努涅斯在电话中说，“这是我从小就一直在为之努力的目标。”
周六新秀见面会的盛况只是马刺队休赛期球队建设过程的一部分。
下一步很快就会到来，NBA 自由球员市场将于周日下午 5 点正式开放。
马刺队将带着至少三个空出的球员名单、充足的薪资空间、大量的未来选秀权和文班亚马这位极具吸引力的年轻核心球员进入今夏的自由球员争夺战。
马刺队在周三增加了他们的筹码，他们将第八顺位选秀权（明尼苏达森林狼队(Minnesota Timberwolves)用它选中了肯塔基大学(Kentucky)后卫罗布·迪林汉姆(Rob Dillingham)）交易出去，换来了一个不受保护的 2031 年首轮选秀权和一个 2030 年的首轮选秀权互换权。
这一切都应该让马刺队在今年夏天任何可被签下或交易的球员的争夺中占有一席之地，尽管赖特提醒说，这部分计划中的很多内容都不在球队的掌控之中。
其他球队和自由球员也必须配合。
“我们在交易截止日期前打了很多电话，而不仅仅是一个，”赖特说，这意味着马刺队在今年 2 月想要做的不仅仅是将道格·麦克德莫特(Doug McDermott)交易到印第安纳，“你永远不知道会发生什么。结果和过程是两码事。”
马刺队可能会加入洛杉矶快船队(Los Angeles Clippers)全明星前锋保罗·乔治(Paul George)的争夺战，也可能会对丹佛掘金队(Denver Nuggets)的全能摇摆人肯塔维奥斯·卡德维尔-波普(Kentavious Caldwell-Pope)发起冲击，或者选择等到明年夏天再搞个大动作。
长期以来一直有传言说亚特兰大老鹰队(Atlanta Hawks)全明星后卫特雷·杨(Trae Young)将被交易到马刺队，但即使在老鹰队周五将德章泰·穆雷(Dejounte Murray)交易到新奥尔良鹈鹕队(New Orleans Pelicans)之后，这笔交易仍然被认为希望渺茫。
作为上赛季联盟三分球最差的球队之一，马刺队将在自由球员市场上寻找填补这一漏洞的人选。费城 76 人队(Philadelphia 76ers)的巴迪·希尔德(Buddy Hield)和德安东尼·梅尔顿(De’Anthony Melton)、密尔沃基雄鹿队(Milwaukee Bucks)的马利克·比斯利(Malik Beasley)以及——如果他们想要追求顶级球员——金州勇士队(Golden State Warriors)的克莱·汤普森(Klay Thompson)都应该在马刺队的考察范围内。
“你可以采取策略性地积极进攻，但结果可能会成功，也可能会失败，”赖特说，“我们在这里的每个夏天，都采取了策略性地积极进攻。我们拭目以待结果如何。”
与此同时，周六是关于庆祝马刺队可以控制的那一部分过程。
马刺队相信，他们在卡斯尔身上增加了一块重要的基石。他是一名高大型后卫，一名防守悍将，一名高智商的组织者，而且——正如他在上赛季在康涅狄格大学所证明的那样——一名天生的赢家。
现在，卡斯尔有 NBA 的“外星人”队友作为后盾。
“仅仅是知道那将是我未来的队友，”卡斯尔谈到文班亚马时说，“我就对我们的未来感到非常兴奋。”
马刺队新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔周六上午在维克托资本表演中心接受媒体采访。
马刺队新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔周六上午在维克托资本表演中心接受媒体和受邀嘉宾的采访。
马刺队新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔周六上午在维克托资本表演中心向媒体和受邀嘉宾介绍自己后，进行了一些三分球投篮练习。
点击查看原文：Stephon Castle 'excited' for a future playing with Victor Wembanyama
Stephon Castle ‘excited’ for a future playing with Victor Wembanyama
Even before Stephon Castle walked into the Spurs’ gleaming practice facility Saturday morning, he was aware of the challenge ahead.
The task he faces with the Spurs, as the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, is similar to the one he faced in college at Connecticut. Only taller.
After a season of firing lobs to a 7-foot-2 target in fellow lottery pick Donovan Clingan, Castle is eager to get to work tossing alley-oops to a teammate even more rangy than that.
“It was fun throwing lobs to DC,” Castle said, visions of Victor Wembanyama dunks no doubt dancing in his head. “So I can only imagine what it will be like.”
Castle arrived in San Antonio to a hero’s welcome Saturday, as he was introduced to his new home crowd in a news conference alongside one of the team’s second-round picks, North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram.
The Spurs’ other second-rounder, Spanish point guard Juan Nunez, was not in attendance having returned to Europe to begin preparations for his national team’s Olympic push.
As the Spurs’ second-highest draft pick since 1997 behind Wembanyama last year, the 19-year-old Castle wasted little time proving he knows his place in the club’s pecking order.
Having not lived under a rock during his lone college season, Castle said he was well aware of the exploits of Wembanyama, last season’s unanimous Rookie of the Year and a player poised to become a fixture in every MVP race from now until his retirement.
In quiet moments at UConn, even as the Huskies were steaming toward last season’s NCAA national championship, Castle allowed himself the indulgence of envisioning what it might be like to play with a certified extraterrestrial.
“Of course it circulates in your mind,” Castle said. “But it doesn’t feel real until it becomes reality.”
Ingram had a similar feeling when he first stepped foot into the Spurs’ practice gym to accept his No. 55 silver-and-black jersey from general manager Brian Wright.
“This is crazy,” Ingram muttered, awestruck.
Ingram, a 21-year-old Dallas native, played two college seasons at Stanford and one at North Carolina before the Spurs made him the 48th overall pick Thursday.
Over the course of his two collegiate stops, the 6-6 Ingram flashed the ability to do a bit of everything. He can handle the ball, create for other players, rebound, defend and shoot the 3-pointer.
During his portion of Saturday’s festivities, Ingram showed off the skill most likely to endear him to his new fan base.
Asked a question in Spanish by a local Univision reporter, Ingram answered seamlessly in kind.
“Ever since I was in kindergarten, every school I went to, we had to take a Spanish class,” Ingram said. “I would say I’m pretty fluent.”
That would make Ingram qualified to converse with the Spurs’ other second-round pick in his native tongue.
The 20-year-old Nunez was arguably the top pick-and-roll playmaker in this year’s draft pool, a skill that should mesh spectacularly with Wembanyama — eventually.
It remains to be seen if Nunez will matriculate to the NBA this season. He is still under contract overseas for another season and will spend the summer abroad with the Spanish national team.
Unlike the Spurs’ other two 2024 picks, Nunez will not be a part of the Spurs’ Summer League squad that begins practice Monday.
Even so, Nunez — who was taken with the 36th pick, after the Spurs traded with Indiana one spot down — said he does not plan to remain abroad indefinitely.
“For every kid, playing in in the NBA is a dream,” Nunez said by phone. “It is something I’ve been working for since I was a little kid.”
The pomp and circumstance of Saturday’s introductory press conferences highlighted one part of the Spurs’ offseason team-building process.
The next step is coming fast, with NBA free agency officially set to open at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Spurs enter the summer free-for-all with at least three open roster spots to fill, and are armed with salary cap space, beaucoup future draft assets and a magnetic young centerpiece in Wembanyama.
The Spurs added to their chest of assets Wednesday when they traded the No. 8 pick — which Minnesota used on Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham — to pocket an unprotected 2031 first-rounder and a 2030 pick swap.
All of that should put the Spurs in the conversation for any player available to be signed or traded this summer, though Wright cautioned so much of this part of the plan is out of the team’s hands.
Other teams and free agents have to cooperate, too.
“We didn’t make one call at the trade deadline, we made a bunch,” Wright said, inferring the Spurs were looking to do more than simply deal Doug McDermott to Indiana last February. “You just never know. Outcome and process are two different things.”
The Spurs could be in the mix for Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Paul George, could make a run at Denver do-it-all swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or could choose to wait until next summer to make a bigger splash.
A long-rumored deal of Atlanta All-Star guard Trae Young to the Spurs is still considered a long shot, even after the Hawks dealt Dejounte Murray to New Orleans on Friday.
As one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams last season, the Spurs will look to fill that hole on the free-agent market. That should place players such as Philadelphia’s Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton, Milwaukee’s Malik Beasley and — should they shoot for the stars — Golden State’s Klay Thompson on the Spurs’ radar.
“You can be strategically aggressive and the outcomes may or may not happen,” Wright said. “Every summer that we’ve been here, we’ve been strategically aggressive. We’ll see where things fall.”
Saturday, meanwhile, was about celebrating the part of the process the Spurs can control.
In Castle, the Spurs believe they have added an important cornerstone. He is a big guard, a hellacious defender, a high-IQ playmaker and — as he evidenced last season at UConn — a bona fide winner.
And now Castle has the NBA’s resident alien for backup.
“Just to know that’s going to be my future teammate now,” Castle said of Wembanyama, “I’m just really excited for what our future looks like.”
Spurs draft pick Stephon Castle speaks to the media Saturday at the Victory Capital Performance Center Saturday morning.
Spurs draft pick Stephon Castle speaks to the media and invited guests Saturday at the Victory Capital Performance Center Saturday morning.
Spurs draft pick Stephon Castle shoots some three-pointers after his introduction to the media and invited guests Saturday at the Victory Capital Performance Center Saturday morning.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News