By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-07-23 09:10:48
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。
当维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)休息时，马刺队需要扎克·科林斯(Zach Collins)和查尔斯·巴塞(Charles Bassey)站出来，但他们能否做到这一点仍是一个问号。
马刺队度过了一个成功的休赛期，他们解决了阵容中的两个主要问题：缺乏组织能力和投篮能力，同时也加强了外线防守。圣安东尼奥应该会是一支进步更大的球队，无论仅仅依靠一套功能齐全的NBA轮换阵容能多赢得多少场比赛。
然而，有一个位置仍然存在一些疑问。当文班亚马将成为球队的首发中锋时，说中锋位置可能是一个问题，这听起来很荒谬，但问题在于他身后的深度。
扎克·科林斯(Zach Collins)将无法在这个休赛期磨练球技
替补席上的第一位大个子几乎肯定是扎克·科林斯。这位前乐透秀在经历了严重的脚踝伤病后，努力回到了联盟，并且看起来足够出色，足以从马刺队那里赢得一份重要的多年合同，马刺队将他视为文班亚马在前场的搭档。但这对组合并没有很好地融合，科林斯成为了一名替补球员，这本应加强第二阵容。问题是他在这个角色中也没有发挥出作用。
根据PBPstats.com的数据，当文班和科林斯同时在场时，对手每百回合得分要比圣安东尼奥多出11分。在科林斯没有和文班亚马同时出场的1000多分钟里，情况也基本相同。无论作为首发还是替补，科林斯都是负资产。当文班休息时，最大的问题是防守，因为对手的进攻效率达到了120，而两人同时在场时的主要问题是三分球，因为马刺队的三分球命中率只有可怜的31%。这些数据准确地反映了任何观看比赛的人都显而易见的事实：科林斯和文班都无法提供足够的空间来同时上场，而科林斯也无法独自支撑起防守。
当然，所有这些负面因素都是有前提的。可以说，在本赛季初期，当马刺队还处于实验阶段时，科林斯不得不少投三分球，同时还要扮演传球手和低位球员的重要角色，而当他后来上场时间减少时，他的投篮命中率有所提高。空间问题不能完全归咎于内线球员，因为圣安东尼奥严重缺乏射手，而那些会投篮的球员在防守端表现糟糕。科林斯被迫去弥补外线队友的错误，但他却没有那种能够快速覆盖防守区域的护框者的能力。我们有理由相信，在那些由攻防兼备的球员担任合适位置的阵容中，科林斯可以成为一名可靠的轮换球员，尤其是在他的投篮是货真价实的情况下。
不幸的是，伤病再次困扰着这位大个子。科林斯在常规赛的最后一场比赛中遭遇了唇状肌撕裂，不得不接受手术，并将花费大部分（如果不是全部）休赛期的时间来进行康复。如果他有一个完整的夏天来训练投篮，那么看好他的外线投篮会容易得多，尤其是在他赛季末表现出色之后，但在再次穿上球衣之前，他将无法进行太多次的投篮训练。科林斯在进攻端还有其他一些有用的能力，在合适的战术体系和合适的队友身边，他至少可以成为一名中立的防守者，但如果他不能投中三分球，他的价值就会大大降低，因为圣安东尼奥的一些最好的防守者在空间能力方面仍然存在疑问。如果科林斯需要一段时间才能找到他的投篮手感，这可能会给马刺队带来麻烦。
查尔斯·巴塞(Charles Bassey)仍然很稚嫩，能力有限
上赛季巴塞也受到伤病的影响，他在12月份遭遇了前交叉韧带撕裂，并缺席了赛季剩余的比赛。幸运的是，他应该会在赛季开始时完全康复，只要他仍然是一名充满爆发力的运动员，他就能找到方法在有限的出场时间内做出贡献。他是一个典型的活力型内线，从替补席上站出来抢一些篮板，盖帽，并在篮下得分，这足以让他成为一名优秀的第三中锋，并在某些比赛中发挥作用。但是，如果科林斯挣扎或再次受伤，巴塞能够在更长的上场时间和更重要的角色中发挥作用吗？他还没有证明这一点。
巴塞年轻且缺乏经验，这在他的比赛中有所体现。当他送出漂亮的传球，甚至命中一些中距离跳投时，他的进攻端展现出了一些全面的能力，但也有一些由于传球不小心或移动掩护造成的糟糕失误。在防守端，他能够盖帽，但也吃了一些假动作，在面对更大的中锋时表现挣扎，有时看起来很迷茫。对于一位在NBA出场时间不到1000分钟的内线球员来说，这些都是正常现象，可以通过比赛时间和训练来解决。不幸的是，伤病让他无法得到他迫切需要的锻炼，他下个赛季很可能和上个赛季一样稚嫩。
巴塞显然是一个努力的球员，他通过在发展联盟的出色表现证明了这一点。他很可能利用休赛期的时间，尽一切努力提升自己。我们没有理由担心他的运动能力和灵活性会因为伤病而降低，因为如果发生这种情况，马刺队早就放弃他了。他可以在新赛季开始时就具备成为一名合格的第三中锋的工具、技术和动力，但他不可否认地缺乏经验。如果排在他前面的其他内线球员保持健康并表现出色，他将能够按照自己的节奏学习比赛的复杂性，但如果他被要求挺身而出，成为一名可靠的贡献者，他可能还没有准备好，这可能会迫使管理层去寻找能够做到这一点的人。
马刺队已经组建了一套可靠的阵容，但他们不是争冠球队，所以没有理由过度担心一名关键轮换球员在季后赛中被对手针对。今年的目标是通过拥有NBA水平的球员来提升和发展球队的风格，而科林斯和巴塞都具备这样的能力。
但我们仍然可以公平地说，非文班亚马在场上的时间可能是马刺队最大的弱点。希望这两位替补内线能够证明这些担忧是错误的，并有可能将自己确立为球队的长期拼图。
点击查看原文：The Spurs’ lack of quality big man depth could be their biggest weakness in 2024/25
The Spurs’ lack of quality big man depth could be their biggest weakness in 2024/25
The Spurs will need Zach Collins and Charles Bassey to step up when Victor Wembanyama rests, but whether they can do it is still a question mark.
The Spurs had a successful offseason in which they addressed the two major issues with their roster, a lack of playmaking and shooting, while also shoring up their perimeter defense. San Antonio should be a much-improved team, regardless of how many more wins it gets simply by having a functional NBA rotation.
There is one position, however, that still has some question marks. It feels absurd to say that the center spot could be an issue when Victor Wembanyama will be the team’s starting big man, but the concern is the depth behind him.
Zach Collins won’t be able to work on his game this offseason
The first big off the bench will almost surely be Zach Collins. The former lottery pick fought his way back into the league after serious ankle injuries and looked useful enough to earn a significant multiyear deal from the Spurs, who envisioned him as a partner for Wembanyama in the front court. The duo didn’t really work well together and Collins became a sub, which should have bolstered the second unit. The problem is he wasn’t effective in that role either.
When Wemby and Collins shared the floor opponents outscored San Antonio by over 11 points per 100 possessions, according to PBPstats.com. Essentially the same happened in the over 1,000 minutes in which Collins was on the floor without Wembanyama. Both as a starter and as a backup, Collins was a net negative. The biggest issue when Wemby rested was defense, as opponents posted an offensive rating of 120, and the major problem with the two sharing the court was three-point shooting, as the Spurs only connected on a meager 31 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. The numbers accurately reflect what was obvious to anyone watching: Neither Collins nor Wemby could space the floor well enough to play together and Collins can’t anchor a defense on his own.
There are caveats to all the negatives. Collins arguably had to shoot too many threes while still playing a big role as a passer and post player in the early days of the season when the Spurs were in their experimental stage and got better as a shooter later on when he had to play fewer minutes. The big men were not solely responsible for the spacing issues, as San Antonio had a severe lack of shooters, and the players who could shoot struggled greatly on defense. Collins was forced to attempt to erase the mistakes of his perimeter teammates while not having the tools to be the type of rim protector who covers ground quickly enough. There are reasons to believe that on lineups that feature two-way players slotted in the right positions, Collins could be a solid rotation piece, especially if the shot is real.
Unfortunately, injuries are once again complicating things for the big man. Collins suffered a torn labrum on the last game of the regular season, had to undergo surgery and will spend most if not all of the offseason rehabbing. It would be much easier to be bullish about his outside shot, especially after his late-season surge, if he had had an entire summer to work on it, but he won’t be able to get many reps before suiting up again. There are other things Collins does on offense that can be useful and in the right scheme and with the right players around him he could be at least a neutral defender, but if he can’t hit threes a lot of his value decreases, because once again some of San Antonio’s best defenders are questionable floor-spacers. If it takes Collins a while to find his shot, it could cause issues for the Spurs.
Charles Bassey is still raw and limited
An injury also affected Bassey last season, as he suffered a torn ACL in December and missed the rest of the year. Fortunately, he should be fully healthy when the season starts and as long as he remains an explosive athlete, he will find ways to contribute in a small role. He’s a prototypical energy big who comes off the bench to grab some boards, block some shots and score close to the rim, which is enough to make him a good third-string center and useful in certain matchups. But can Bassey be effective on extended minutes and a bigger role if Collins struggles or suffers another injury? He hasn’t proved that yet.
Bassey is young and inexperienced, which showed in his game. There were flashes of offensive versatility when he dished out good passes and even hit some short jumpers, but there were some bad turnovers as a result of careless passes or moving screens to go with them. On the defensive end, he blocked shots but also bit on some pump fakes, struggled with bigger centers and looked lost at times. It was normal stuff for a big man who has played fewer than 1,000 minutes in the NBA, issues that can be corrected with playing time and reps. Unfortunately, the injury prevented him from getting the seasoning he desperately needed and he will likely be as raw this upcoming season as he was on the last one.
Bassey is clearly a hard worker, as he proved by earning his spot by excelling in the G League. He probably spent his time off the court trying to get better in any way he could. There’s little reason to worry about his athleticism and mobility being reduced by his injury because the Spurs would have moved on from him if that had happened. He could come into the season with the tools, skill and motor to be more than just a third center, but he undeniably lacks the experience. If the other big men in front of him stay healthy and perform well, he’ll get to learn the intricacies of the game at his own pace, but if he’s asked to step up and be a reliable contributor, he might not be ready to do it and could force the front office to look for someone who can.
The Spurs have put together a solid roster, but they are not contenders, so there’s no reason to worry too much about a key rotation player being exposed in the playoffs. The goal this year is to improve and develop an identity by having guys with NBA skills, and both Collins and Bassey have them.
It’s still fair to say that the non-Wembanyama minutes could be the Spurs’ greatest weakness. Hopefully the two backup bigs will prove those concerns wrong and potentially establish themselves as long-term pieces.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock