By Casey Coggins | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-07-10 05:00:00
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。
圣安东尼奥马刺队的引援似乎都有一个共同点：人品
多年来，圣安东尼奥马刺队在格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)教练的带领下创造的文化一直广为流传。虽然迈阿密的“热火文化”可能让他们最近成为这个话题上讨论最多的球队，但马刺队的文化依然存在并充满活力。它体现在球队所做的一切事情中，无论是招聘人员、与赞助商合作，还是组建阵容。这种文化的潜在信息是为他人着想，即使这意味着要做出个人牺牲。
最能体现这一点的可能是波波维奇教练的这句话：“这不是关乎任何个人的事情。你必须克服自我，并意识到需要团队合作才能完成这件事。”
马刺队休赛期的操作似乎正是这句话的缩影。马刺管理层进行了三轮选秀，签下了一名自由球员，并交易来了一名球员，所有这些球员都表现出了为了团队成功而愿意做出个人牺牲的精神。
先从自由球员签约说起，克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)对马刺球迷来说本身就是一个两极分化的人物。可以肯定地说，赛场上和场下关于他的传闻都足以让你对他产生某种看法。同样可以肯定的是，保罗是NBA历史上最伟大的控球后卫之一。他之所以能取得后者的成就，其中一个原因是他明白，如果球队想要争夺总冠军，他就需要让他的队友们发挥出最佳水平。在新奥尔良黄蜂队和洛杉矶快船队效力期间，他的控球时间一直名列前茅（控球时间榜从2013-14赛季才开始统计），但当他来到休斯顿火箭队后，情况开始发生变化。
与詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)并肩作战意味着控球时间减少，这并不奇怪，但这是他做出的选择。他知道他们两人可以一起争夺总冠军（如果不是因为不幸的腿筋受伤，他们或许已经做到了），而这需要让哈登来主导比赛。保罗确实得到了超过他应得的控球时间和指挥球队的权利，但火箭队是哈登的球队。
两年后，保罗被交易到俄克拉荷马城雷霆队，并带领他们以西部第五名的身份打进了季后赛。那一年，我们清楚地看到了他是一位多么出色的年轻球员导师。从那以后，我们看到他退居二线，尽其所能地扮演好自己的角色，帮助球队实现目标。当然，他还是会有一些滑稽的举动，但他已经证明了他已经“克服”了自我。这也是为什么有报道称，波波维奇与他谈论球队文化是他加盟的一大卖点。
接下来是哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)。他可能不是大多数球迷希望看到的马刺队交易的对象，但仅仅凭借薪金空间就得到像他这样的球员（更不用说选秀权互换了）是一个不可思议的操作。他知道自己的职责是什么，他会直接走进更衣室，因为他为来到这里经历了相当长的旅程。
作为ESPN评选的全美第一高中生，巴恩斯在进入大学时就被寄予厚望，希望他能成为一名NBA超级巨星。当他被金州勇士队选中后，他加入了一支由进入职业生涯第四个赛季的斯蒂芬·库里(Steph Curry)和进入第二个赛季的克莱·汤普森(Klay Thompson)领衔的球队。他们还有老将大卫·李(David Lee)和贾莱特·杰克(Jarrett Jack)，所以巴恩斯根本不需要在任何时候都成为球队的核心。在勇士队的四个赛季里，他的场均出手次数从未超过10次。他被要求扮演一个角色，而他也做到了。然后，为了让球队引进凯文·杜兰特(Kevin Durant)，他被扫地出门。
当达拉斯独行侠队引进他时，他的角色变成了主要的得分手，他也尽力做到了。在达拉斯的两个赛季后，随着卢卡·东契奇(Luka Dončić)的新秀赛季到来，他的角色再次发生了变化。巴恩斯在赛季中期被交易到萨克拉门托国王队，并回到了辅助角色，但这次是以一名老将的身份。达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)和巴迪·希尔德(Buddy Hield)是他新的库里和汤普森，而他的工作是帮助球队得分，拉开空间，以及抢一些篮板。
巴恩斯已经在联盟征战了12个赛季，他知道自己不会被要求成为球队的得分王，也不会被要求去防守对手的最佳球员。来到圣安东尼奥后，他将被要求做一些与过去几个赛季在国王队类似的事情，而且使用率可能会更低。他可以上场，消耗一些时间，投进一些三分球，并且成为一名完美的职业球员。无意冒犯马刺队自交易德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)以来阵容中的一些其他老球员，但没有人能像巴恩斯那样，在背负着进入联盟的崇高期望后，最终被赋予了角色球员的职责。这是最难学的一课，但随着文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)的到来，以及德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)成为他的副手，其他所有人都需要学习这一点（斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)的情况比较特殊，所以他的情况还有待观察）。
至于马刺队今年的选秀，我们可以从状元秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔说起。作为今年的四号秀，卡斯尔本可以在高中毕业后，在进入NBA选秀大会之前，去任何地方度过他的一年大学生涯。他没有选择一所会更多地把他当作个人来培养的学校，而是承诺加盟康涅狄格大学队， even before they’d go on to win the first of their back-to-back NCAA titles. 以下是卡斯尔在谈到为什么选择康涅狄格大学时说的话：“我可以感受到那里的文化，球迷们，球员们对教练的反应，以及教练们如何严格要求他们，我可以感觉到那是我想要效力的环境。”
说漂亮话很容易，但用行动来兑现承诺才是真正重要的。而卡斯尔，他言行一致。大多数情况下，他都在无球跑动，由卡姆·斯宾塞(Cam Spencer)和特里斯坦·牛顿(Tristen Newton)担任主要的控球手，他被要求一次又一次地防守对手的最佳球员，他的场均出手次数在康涅狄格大学队中排名第四。被称为角色球员有时会贬低球员的技术水平，但这正是康涅狄格大学队想要赢得总冠军所需要的：一个角色球员。
现在，当他加入由文班亚马领衔的马刺队后，他的新秀赛季也将被要求做同样的事情。这对他来说并不陌生，这是一件好事。他将能够适应NBA，改进自己比赛中的一些不足之处，并向前面提到的克里斯·保罗学习。
马刺队的下一位新秀胡安·努涅斯(Juan Nunez)也对牺牲并不陌生。努涅斯没有参加马刺队的夏季联赛来适应NBA，而是选择代表西班牙队参赛，希望能帮助他们获得奥运会参赛资格。“参赛”在这里做了很多工作，因为他只在四场比赛中的两场中出场了19分钟。他知道，对于他的祖国来说，来到这里比他得了多少分或送出了多少次助攻更重要。只要球队能打进奥运会，并在奥运会上取得成功，上场时间就无关紧要。这是凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)和其他许多球员在过去几年中做出的牺牲，也是一名球员身上令人钦佩的品质。
在最后一轮选秀中，马刺队选中了来自北卡罗来纳大学的哈里森·英格拉姆(Harrison Ingram)。英格拉姆在斯坦福大学度过了他的前两年大学生涯，担任组织前锋的角色。但当他转学到北卡罗来纳大学后，他加入了一支拥有正牌控球后卫RJ·戴维斯(RJ Davis)和大中锋阿曼多·巴科特(Armando Bacot)的球队。这意味着他的角色是在无球状态下，专注于篮板球（场均篮板球从在斯坦福大学的6.2个增加到在北卡罗来纳大学的8.8个）和提高投篮效率（三分球命中率从3.5次出手31.6%提高到4.6次出手38.5%）。他的防守数据也有所提高，这确实得益于与一支更好的球队并肩作战。
尽管如此，英格拉姆还是毫不犹豫地调整了自己的比赛方式，以满足球队的需要。这也是布莱恩·赖特(Brian Wright)说过他们喜欢他的地方。无论球队要求他做什么，他都会去做。
这些就是马刺队休赛期重点引进的球员类型。他们的工作是否已经完成还有待观察，但有一件事是肯定的。用那些愿意为了球队的利益而牺牲的球员来包围文班亚马一直是球队的目标。现在，我们只需要等待，看看他们在球场上能一起做些什么。
点击查看原文：For the Culture: Taking a look at the “who” in who the Spurs have brought in this offseason
For the Culture: Taking a look at the “who” in who the Spurs have brought in this offseason
The San Antonio Spurs’ acquisitions seem to all have character in common
For years, the culture the San Antonio Spurs has created under Coach Gregg Popovich has been widely talked about. While Miami’s “Heat Culture” may have made them the most discussed team on that topic lately, Spurs culture is still alive and strong. Its ever-present in everything the team does, whether that be hiring personnel, working with sponsors, or filling out a roster. The underlying message of that culture is to do things for others, even if that means making personal sacrifices.
The quote that probably highlights this the most is this one for Coach Pop: “It’s not about any one person. You’ve got to get over yourself and realize that it takes a group to get this thing done.”
It’s that quote that seems to epitomize the moves the Spurs have made this offseason. PATFO has made three draft picks, signed one free agent, and traded for a player, all of whom have shown a willingness to make personal sacrifices in hopes of team success.
Starting with the free agent signing, who is polarizing in his own way for Spurs fans, Chris Paul. It’s safe to say there are enough antics on film and reports off the court that make you feel a certain way about him. It’s also safe to say that Paul is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. One of the ways he achieved the latter is by understanding he needs his teammates to be the best they can be if the team was going to compete for championships. During his time with the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers, he was seen toward the top of the time of possession leaderboard (which only started being tracked in 2013-14), but this starts to change when he gets to the Houston Rockets.
It comes as no surprise that playing with James Harden means less time on the ball, but that’s a choice he made. He knew that the two of them could compete for a title (which maybe happens if not for an unfortunately-timed hamstring injury), and that would require letting Harden run the show. Paul did get more than his fair share of time on the ball and calling shots, but the Rockets were Harden’s team.
Two years later, Paul would get moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder and lead them to the playoffs as the Western Conference’s fifth seed. That year, we got a good glimpse of how great of a mentor he can be to young players. Since then, we’ve seen him take something of a back seat, doing his best to fill a role to help his team reach their goals. Sure, there have still been some antics, but he’s shown that he’s “over” himself. It’s also likely why it was reported that Pop talking to him about the team culture was a big selling point.
Next is Harrison Barnes. He may not be who most fans wanted to see the Spurs trade for, but getting a player of his ilk (not to mention the pick swap) just by having cap space is an incredible get. He’s somebody who will step right into the locker room knowing what his job is, as he’s had quite the journey to get here.
Going into college as the No. 1 recruit in the country according to ESPN, Barnes had high expectations to become an NBA superstar. When he was drafted to the Golden State Warriors, he joined a team with Steph Curry entering his fourth season and Klay Thompson entering his second. They also had veterans David Lee and Jarrett Jack, so the need for Barnes to be the go-to guy at any point was non-existent. In his four seasons with the Warriors, he never averaged 10 field goals attempts per game. He was asked to play a role, and he played it. He was then pushed out the door so the team could bring in Kevin Durant.
When the Dallas Mavericks brought him in, his role changed to being the main scorer, which he did his best to be. After his first two seasons in Dallas, his role would change again as they brought in rookie Luka Dončić. Barnes was traded to the Sacramento Kings midway through the season and went back to playing a supporting role, but this time as a veteran presence. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield were his new Steph and Klay, and his job was to help supplement scoring, space the floor, and rebound a little.
With 12 seasons behind him, Barnes understands he’s not going to be asked to lead the team in scoring or guard the opponent’s best player. In coming to San Antonio, he’ll be asked to do something similar to what he’s been doing the past couple of seasons with the Kings, likely with even less usage. He can come in, eat up some minutes, knock down some three pointers, and be a consummate professional. And with no offense to some of the other veterans the Spurs have rostered since trading DeMar DeRozan, nobody understands coming into the league with high expectations only to be tasked with being a role player quite like Barnes. That’s one of the toughest lessons to learn, but with Victor Wembanyama at the head and Devin Vassell being his running mate, everybody else will need to learn it (Castle is in his own territory, so he’s a bit of a time-will-tell situation).
As for the Spurs’ draft picks this year, we can start at the top with Stephon Castle. The No. 4 pick in the draft, Castle could have practically gone anywhere for his one year out of high school before entering the NBA Draft. Instead of signing with a school who would’ve highlighted him as an individual more, he committed to UCONN, even before they’d go on to win the first of their back-to-back NCAA titles. Here’s a quote from Castle talking about why he chose UCONN: “I could tell the culture there, the fans and how the players reacted with coach and how hard coaches pushes them, I could tell that’s an environment I want to play in.”
Saying the right thing is pretty easy to do — it’s the following it up with your actions that really matter. And with Castle, he walked it like he talked it. He played off the ball most of the time with Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton acting as the main ballhandlers, he was asked to guard the opponent’s best player time and time again, and he took the fourth most field goal attempts per game for UCONN. The connotation of being called a role player can sometimes diminish the skill level of a player, but that’s what Castle needed to be for UCONN to win the title: a role player.
Now, as he joins the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs, he’ll be asked to do the same in his rookie season. This won’t be new territory for him, which is a good thing. He’ll be able to get acclimated to the NBA, work on some rougher areas of his game, and learn from the aforementioned Chris Paul.
The Spurs’ next pick, Juan Nunez, is no stranger to sacrifices as well. Instead of joining the Spurs’ summer league team to get his feet wet with the NBA, Nunez chose to play for Spain in hopes of helping them qualify for the Olympics. “Play” is doing some heavy lifting there, as he only played 19 minutes and in two of their four games. He knows being there for his home country means more than how many points he scores or the number of assists he racks up. So long as the team made the Olympics and when there, they have success, playing time doesn’t matter. That’s a sacrifice Keldon Johnson and numerous others have made in previous years, and something that is admirable in a player.
With their final pick, the Spurs drafted North Carolina’s Harrison Ingram. Ingram spent his first two years in college at Stanford, filling the role of a point-forward. But when he transferred to North Carolina, he transferred to a team who had a legit point guard in RJ Davis and big man in Armando Bacot. That meant his role was off the ball, focused on rebounding (went from averaging 6.2 rebounds per game at Stanford to 8.8 at North Carolina) and becoming a more efficient shooter (went from 31.6% on 3.5 three-point attempts to 38.5% on 4.6 attempts). His defensive numbers also increased, which does lend its hand to playing with a better team.
Nevertheless, Ingram didn’t hesitate adjusting his game to fill his team’s need. And that’s something Brian Wright has said they liked about him. Whatever he’s asked to do, he’ll do it.
These are the kinds of players the Spurs emphasized bringing in this offseason. It remains to be seen if their work is done, but one thing is for sure. Surrounding Wembanyama with players more than willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team has been the goal. Now, we just have to wait and see what they’ll be able to do together on the court.
By Casey Coggins, via Pounding The Rock