By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-07-07 13:27:05
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。
周六上午，马刺新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)在维克托资本表演中心向媒体和受邀嘉宾亮相后运球。
萨克拉门托——一年前，马刺新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)坐在电视机前，渴望一睹未来。
去年 7 月，就在维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)即将在拉斯维加斯完成夏季联赛首秀的那天，卡斯尔正准备在康涅狄格大学开启他的大学一年级赛季。
和散布在世界各地的其他篮球迷一样，卡斯尔也抽出时间观看了这场必看的电视直播，见证这位“外星人”降临内华达沙漠。
看完文班亚马的 NBA 首秀后，他并没有感到特别震惊。
“我不认为他打得很好，”卡斯尔说道。
通过那次观看经历，卡斯尔吸取了一个教训，并在 365 天后自己的首场 NBA 夏季联赛中得到了印证。
“这是一个漫长的过程，”卡斯尔说道，这位身高 6 英尺 6 英寸的后卫在今年的选秀大会上被马刺以第四顺位选中。“现在是时候解决所有问题，然后自由发挥了。”
如果说卡斯尔在周六于萨克拉门托黄金一号中心球馆举行的马刺以 97-65 惨败于夏洛特的比赛中表现抢眼，那将是言过其实的。
然而，即使是在他适应比赛的过程中，这位 19 岁的球员也展现出了许多特质，正是这些特质让马刺在上个月毫不犹豫地用高顺位签下了他。
卡斯尔克服了开局投篮不佳的困境，在 21 分钟内得到 12 分和 6 个篮板，并持续展现出一种冷静沉着、掌控比赛的气质，这在一个十几岁的孩子身上并不常见。
有时，这位场上最年轻的球员看起来却是最有经验的。
“这对于一个 19 岁的新秀来说实属罕见，”马刺夏季联赛教练肯尼·特雷维诺(Kenny Trevino)说道。“但这对斯蒂芬·卡斯尔来说可能并不罕见。如果你回过头去看他高中的比赛录像，你会发现他的比赛节奏也是如此。”
卡斯尔参加选秀时，被认为是一位体型偏大的后卫，拥有为他人创造机会的能力和在防守端的顽强决心。但他的跳投能力也受到质疑。
在周六的比赛中，他在这两个方面都没有让人失望。
希望挑刺的马刺球迷看到，卡斯尔在对阵夏洛特的比赛中，前四次出手都没有命中，最终 12 投 4 中。
卡斯尔说，第一次穿上 NBA 球衣，难免会感到紧张。这也是他自 4 月份代表康涅狄格大学击败普渡大学夺得 NCAA 总冠军以来的第一场正式比赛。
“当然会有点紧张，”卡斯尔说道。“我只是以开放的心态去面对比赛，这是我复出后的第一场比赛，没有给自己太大的压力。我只是想上场享受比赛。”
看到球最终落入篮筐，这有助于他克服紧张情绪。
卡斯尔终于投进了他的第一个球，在第一节还剩 3 分 40 秒时，他在油漆区内完成了一记抛投。在那之后，他逐渐安定下来。
除了投篮挣扎之外，卡斯尔在场上大部分时间看起来都是最优秀的球员。
在第一节比赛中，卡斯尔在几乎整个 24 秒进攻时间里都压制着尼克·史密斯二世，最终迫使这位夏洛特后卫失误。
在另一端，卡斯尔抢下一个进攻篮板，并将球传给底角的泰森·沃德，后者命中一记三分球。
卡斯尔的超凡镇定给其他马刺球员留下了深刻印象。
“这是他的第一次，但他有点像是在领导球队，”前锋西迪·西索科(Sidy Cissoko)说道。“当你做好防守时，进攻就会水到渠成。对于他的第一场比赛来说，他做得很好。”
随着比赛的进行，卡斯尔展现出了另一项重要技能：学习和适应的能力。
在第一节比赛进行到一半时，犹豫不决的卡斯尔放弃了一次空位三分球的机会，选择了突破。然而，他的脚步跟不上他的思维，最终出现了一次走步违例。
几分钟后，面对同样的情况，卡斯尔没有想太多。他毫不费力地在接近黄金一号中心球馆标志的位置投进一记 27 英尺外的三分球，仿佛他的姓氏是库里而不是卡斯尔。
“自从斯蒂芬来到我们球队的那一刻起，我就告诉他，他永远不应该放弃任何一次空位三分的机会，永远不要，”特雷维诺说道。“在整个夏季联赛中，这一点都会始终如一。”
卡斯尔三分球 4 投 2 中，对于这位在康涅狄格大学三分球命中率只有 26.7% 的新秀来说，这是一个不错的结果。
马刺教练组毫不怀疑，卡斯尔的外线投篮最终会赶上他比赛的其他方面。
周六的表现并没有改变这种看法。
“他对自己有信心，我对他也充满了信心，”特雷维诺说道。“如果他放弃了一次空位三分，他会听到我的声音的。”
最终，卡斯尔的球队以一边倒的态势输掉了比赛——这种情况在他效力康涅狄格大学期间的 37 胜 3 负的赛季中从未发生过。
考虑到他加入的是一支刚刚经历了连续两个赛季 60 负的球队，卡斯尔意识到在不久的将来可能会遭遇更多失利。
“并不是每个人的大学赛季都能像我们那样顺利，”卡斯尔说道。“我已经思考过很多次了。你只需要明白，你现在身处一个更好的联盟，身边都是优秀的 NBA 球员，你不可能赢得每一场比赛。”
卡斯尔还需要一些时间才能摆脱失败的苦涩。在背靠背的第二晚，他将在周日对阵萨克拉门托的夏季联赛比赛中轮休。
“我只是想享受比赛，”卡斯尔说道。“我没有过多地关注比分。我只是想打出自己的风格。”
无论如何，卡斯尔可以安心了，因为他知道自己的夏季联赛首秀比文班亚马要好一些。
文班亚马在拉斯维加斯的首秀中 13 投 2 中，得到 9 分，这让一些观察人士一度愚蠢地怀疑，人们对他的炒作是否过头了。
最终，他成为了 NBA 历史上最没有悬念的年度最佳新秀，马刺相信卡斯尔也将加入到这个奖项的竞争中来。
和去年的文班亚马一样，卡斯尔在第一次体验 NBA 比赛时也没有打出精彩的表现。但这并不意味着他未来没有能力取得伟大的成就。
卡斯尔发誓，他会用时间来证明这一点。
周六上午，马刺新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔在维克托资本表演中心向媒体和受邀嘉宾亮相后走下球场。
周六上午，马刺新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔在维克托资本表演中心向媒体和受邀嘉宾亮相后，练习投篮三分球。
周六上午，马刺新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔在维克托资本表演中心向媒体和受邀嘉宾问好。
点击查看原文：Spurs' Castle struts stuff in his Summer League debut
Spurs’ Castle struts stuff in his Summer League debut
Spurs draft pick Stephon Castle dribbles after being introduced to the media and invited guests Saturday morning as at the Victory Capital Performance Center.
SACRAMENTO – A year ago, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle settled in front of a television screen pining for a glimpse of the future.
The day Victor Wembanyama was set to make his Summer League debut in Las Vegas last July, Castle was preparing for his freshman season at the University of Connecticut.
Like other basketball fans scattered across the globe, Castle took time for the must-see TV of an alien alighting in the Nevada desert.
He came away from Wembanyama’s NBA debut something short of awestruck.
“I don’t think he had a great game,” Castle said.
Through that viewing experience, Castle learned a lesson that would come into play in his first NBA Summer League game some 365 days later.
“It’s a long process,” said Castle, the 6-foot-6 guard the Spurs selected fourth in this year’s draft. “This is the time to get all the problem areas out of the way and just play free.”
It would be disingenuous to suggest Castle starred in the Spurs’ 97-65 blowout loss to Charlotte at Sacramento’s Golden1 Center on Saturday.
Even as he got his feet wet, however, the 19-year-old Castle showed off many of the attributes that led the Spurs to invest a high lottery pick on him last month.
Shrugging off a slow shooting start, Castle finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes and continually showed a cool, calm command of the game that doesn’t often come fitted in a teenaged package.
At times, the youngest player on the floor looked like the most experienced.
“It’s rare for a 19-year-old rookie,” Spurs Summer League coach Kenny Trevino said. “It’s probably not rare for Steph Castle. If you go back and watch his high school film, he plays with the same kind of pace.”
Castle came into the draft billed as an oversized guard with the ability to make plays for others and a dogged determination on the defensive end. He also came with questions about his jump shot.
He surprised in neither area Saturday.
Spurs fans looking to nitpick saw Castle miss his first four attempts in the first quarter against Charlotte before finishing 4 of 12.
There were butterflies associated with pulling on an NBA jersey for the first time, Castle said. It was also his first organized game since UConn beat Purdue for the NCAA national championship in April.
“Of course there were a little nerves,” Castle said. “I was going out there open-minded, the first game back, not giving myself too much pressure. Just go out there and have fun.”
Seeing the ball at last go in the net help beat back those butterflies.
Castle finally made his first basket, a floater in the paint with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter. He settled down after that.
Apart from his shooting struggles, Castle often looked like the best player in the building.
In the first quarter, Castle bodied up Nick Smith Jr. for nearly the full duration of the 24-second clock, eventually forcing the Charlotte guard to fumble the ball.
On the other end, Castle snagged an offensive rebound and found Tyson Ward in the opposite corner for a 3-pointer.
Other Spurs were impressed by Castle’s preternatural poise.
“It was his first time and he kind of led the team,” forward Sidy Cissoko said. “When you play good defense, offense comes by itself. He did pretty well for his first game.”
As the game went along Castle showed off another important skill: An ability to learn and adapt.
Midway through the first quarter, an indecisive Castle passed up an open 3-pointer and instead opted to drive the ball. His feet got ahead of his brain, however, and he ended up with a traveling violation.
Presented with the same situation moments later, Castle did not overthink things. He buried an effortless 27-footer from near the Golden1 Center logo as if his last name was Curry and not Castle.
“I have told Steph since the moment he got in our building that he should never turn down an open three, ever,” Trevino said. “That will be consistent throughout summer league.”
Castle finished 2 of 4 from 3-point range, an outcome that will play for a rookie who shot 26.7% from beyond the arc at UConn.
The Spurs staff harbors little doubt Castle’s perimeter shot will eventually catch up to the rest of his game.
Saturday’s performance did little to alter that belief.
“He’s got confidence in it, and I’ve got confidence in it,” Trevino said. “If he passes up a three, he’s going to hear it.”
In the end, Castle’s team lost the game in lopsided fashion – an outcome that never happened to him during 37-3 season at UConn.
Seeing as he has joined a team coming off back-to-back 60-loss seasons, Castle is aware there could be more losing in the near future.
“Everybody’s college season doesn’t go the way ours went,” Castle said. “I’ve thought about that a lot. It’s just understanding you’re in a better league now with great NBA players and you’re not going to win every game.”
It will take a bit for Castle to shake the taste of defeat from his mouth. He was set to sit out Sunday’s Summer League game against Sacramento on the second night of a back-to-back.
“I was just trying to have fun,” Castle said. “I wasn’t going out there and looking at the score too much. I was just trying to make a play.”
If nothing else, Castle can rest easy in the knowledge his Summer League debut went a little better than Wembanyama’s.
Wembanyama started off by scoring nine points on 2-of-13 shooting in Las Vegas, leading some observers to briefly and foolishly wonder what all the hype was about.
He wound up the NBA’s unanimous Rookie of the Year, and award the Spurs believe Castle will compete for as well.
Like Wembanyama last year, Castle did not have a great game in his first taste of NBA action. That does not mean he is not capable of great things to come.
In time, Castle vows to show it.
Spurs draft pick Stephon Castle walks off the court after being introduced to the media and invited guests Saturday morning as at the Victory Capital Performance Center.
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.
Spurs draft pick Stephon Castle greets the media and invited guests Saturday at the Victory Capital Performance Center Saturday morning.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News