By MateoMayorga | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-08-08 23:01:40
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。
马刺队想要超出预期，角色球员需要挺身而出
一个团队的强大程度取决于其最薄弱的环节。圣安东尼奥马刺队的角色球员并非家喻户晓，但如果他们能够持续打出高效的表现，就能成为球队的未来中坚力量。但这需要他们取得显著的进步。在 2023-24 赛季，马刺队的替补阵容在真实命中率（55.8%）方面排名联盟第 20，在有效命中率（52.4%）方面排名第 22，在篮板率（48.2%）方面排名第 26。
新赛季，马刺队迎来了新面孔，也有一些球员正在不断成长。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)在选秀大会上被选中，并荣膺大东联盟最佳新人。特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)是一位速度型球员，他将在本赛季结束后成为自由球员，而凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)则是一位正在成长的得分手，即将迎来他的第六个赛季。这些球员都已崭露头角。
克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)是一位久经沙场、经验丰富的领袖和组织核心，哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)则是一位能够提供得分能力的总冠军球员，他们的加盟将为上述替补球员的进步提供巨大帮助。
让我们来看看替补阵容的清单。
扎克·科林斯(Zach Collins)
科林斯每场比赛应该能获得大约 20 分钟的上场时间。上赛季，他的出场时间排名全队第六，大部分时间都是替补出场。他的主要贡献必须是加强篮板球和挡拆防守，因为马刺队在 2023-24 赛季在这两方面的表现都不尽如人意。
挡拆防守是目前更令人担忧的问题，因为科林斯在防守时主要选择退守，这让他成为了对手可以随意攻击的对象。问题在于，当维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)下场休息时，他无法为对手制造不同的麻烦，而且他的干扰能力也远不如这位年度最佳新秀。
此外，他必须积极地进行掩护，以启动顺下进攻，这样他就不会过多地选择跳投。上赛季，科林斯的大部分投篮（47%）都是跳投，而他的命中率只有 36.6%。下赛季，他必须在这方面有所提高。
斯蒂芬·卡斯尔
除了文班亚马之外，卡斯尔很可能成为马刺队最具影响力的年轻球员。在因手腕受伤而出于预防目的休战之前，他在夏季联赛中给人留下了深刻的印象。
所有新秀都会在某个阶段遇到困难，但马刺队需要他在防守端有所作为。根据他在大学时期的表现，这是一个现实的期望。凭借着快速的脚步移动、6 英尺 9 英寸的臂展以及在对位防守和区域防守中出色的防守本能，他应该很快就会成为球队最好的外线防守者。这些优势将使卡斯尔成为那些喜欢利用掩护的球员的噩梦，并为球队创造额外的转换进攻机会。他的防守破坏力可能会让他在很多比赛的关键时刻登场。
在进攻端，卡斯尔更喜欢控球，并且凭借着他的爆发力，他应该能够轻松地杀入禁区。马刺队将依靠这一点来迫使对手协防，从而为其他球员创造机会。
他也是一名多才多艺的球员，即使没有球权也能打球。作为一名学生，他必须找到自己的定位——命中空位三分球、通过空切得分、完成队友传球后的进攻、在挡拆战术中做出正确的选择，以及在文班持球时经常进行掩护，为其创造错位进攻的机会。
特雷·琼斯
琼斯身高 6 英尺 1 英寸，是最后一年履行一份两年合同的后卫，在过去两个赛季的大部分时间里，他都是球队的首发球员，他应该是马刺队最可靠的替补后卫。速度是他的主要优势，也是马刺队的重要财富。如果他能稍微增加三分球出手次数、提高中远距离投篮命中率并打满 82 场比赛，那就更好了。但他的首要任务应该是，一旦他上场，就要像一针强心剂一样，因为他可以在篮下创造空间，并且在开阔的球场上速度极快。
他最大的优势之一是突破和终结能力。然而，琼斯需要在自己的武器库中增加抛投，因为他在上赛季只出手了 26 次，命中了 12 球。加入抛投将是他在进攻中创造空间、让自己更具威胁的绝佳方式，因为他在这个区域（0-3 英尺）的命中率比联盟平均水平高出 6.4 个百分点。
在 2023-24 赛季，从数据上看，他是球队最好的传球手，并且保持着很高的助攻失误比（4.13）。保持这种效率至关重要。
此外，琼斯的身高和臂展（6 英尺 4 英寸）让他在防守端很难生存。上赛季，他在防守端81%的时间都在防守对方的后卫，将他们的投篮命中率限制在 47.4%。如果他的上肢和下肢能够再强壮一些，那么体型更大的后卫就更难在对抗中战胜他了。
凯尔登·约翰逊
约翰逊在 2023-24 赛季的角色转变为替补球员，这导致他的上场时间减少了 3.2 分钟，每场比赛的得分也减少了 6.3 分。他的真实命中率也略低于平均水平。马刺队需要约翰逊在替补阵容中成为一名更高效的得分手，无论是有球还是无球。
这位六年级的马刺球员并不经常空切到篮下。他的无球进攻都是在外線完成的，但他需要在无球状态下移动得更聪明一些。他可以通过从罚球线和底线空切来做到这一点。在 2024-25 赛季，他应该更容易抓住这些机会，因为当保罗和文班亚马吸引包夹或协防时，他的一些上场时间将会与他们错开。
他还必须提高接球投篮后的三分球命中率。他在接球就投时的命中率（36%）只能算是一般，而他在急停跳投时的命中率（28.6%）则低得可怕。他每场比赛都会尝试一次急停跳投，但他必须增加出手次数，并打出更好的表现。他可以在挡拆战术中找到机会，因为很多防守体系都依赖于一名内线球员来防守两名球员。
此外，与其他替补球员相比，约翰逊在篮下的投篮创造能力更强，上赛季他的上篮命中率为 56.2%。这些投篮占了他总出手次数的三分之一，而且他的终结能力还有提升的空间。
在防守端，约翰逊在干扰后卫方面做得很好，将他们的投篮命中率限制在 43.4%，但他需要更多地去干扰前锋。他在防守端超过一半的时间都在防守前锋，而对手在他面前的投篮命中率高达 51.7%。随着他不断增强力量并利用好自己 6 英尺 9 英寸的臂展，他拥有做到这一点的工具。
点击查看原文：Expectations for the San Antonio Spurs’ bench for the 2024-25 season
Expectations for the San Antonio Spurs’ bench for the 2024-25 season
The background players will need to step up for the Spurs to exceed expectations
A team is only as strong as its weakest subjects. The San Antonio Spurs’ background players aren’t household names, but they can become mainstays for the future with consistent, valuable production. But there will need to be noteworthy progress. The Spurs’ bench was 20th in true shooting percentage (55.8), 22nd in effective field goal percentage (52.4) and 26th in rebounding percentage (48.2) in the 2023-24 season.
The upcoming campaign has new faces and evolving talent. Stephon Castle was picked fourth in the draft and was the Big East Freshman of the Year. Tre Jones is a speedster heading into free agency after this season, and Keldon Johnson is a developing scorer going into his sixth campaign. The pieces are blooming.
The additions of Chris Paul, a proven leader and effective floor general, and Harrison Barnes, a champion who provides scoring, are gateway players that will help the aforementioned reserves make notable progress.
Let’s review the bench checklist.
Zach Collins
Collins should get around 20 minutes per game. He was sixth in minutes the previous year, playing most of his time as a reserve. His main contributions have to be enhancing his rebounding and pick-and-roll defense, as the unit underwhelmed in those categories in 2023-24.
The pick-and-roll defense is the larger concern for now because Collins was an option for opponents to target with impunity as he mainly stayed back. The issue here is that he isn’t providing a different look for rivals when Victor Wembanyama sits, and his interference is not nearly as effective as the reigning Rookie of the Year’s.
Additionally, he must be an active screener to initiate rolls so he doesn’t take as many jumpers. Last year, most of Collins’ shots (47 percent) were jumpers and he produced at a 36.6 percent clip. That will have to improve next season.
Stephon Castle
Castle will likely be the Silver and Black’s most impactful young player, aside from Wembanyama. He made a great impression at Summer League before injuring his wrist and sitting out for preventive purposes.
All rookies struggle at some point, but the Silver and Black need him to be a difference-maker on defense. It’s a realistic expectation based on his college résumé. He should turn into the squad’s best perimeter protector quickly because of his fast foot speed, 6’9 wingspan and solid instincts to excel in man coverage and a zone. That combo will make Castle the bane of screen merchants and create extra transition plays. His disruption will likely put him in lots of late-game situations.
On offense, Castle prefers to take point and should be able to get two feet in the paint easily because of his explosiveness. The Spurs will depend on this to force overhelp so others can take advantage.
He is also versatile and can play without the rock. As an understudy, he must get in where he fits in — swishing the kick-out 3-pointer, scoring on wing cuts, finishing drives set up by the handoff, making the correct reads in pick-and-roll plays, and screening often when Wemby has the ball to set up inverted sets.
Tre Jones
Jones is a smaller guard (6’1) on the last year of a two-year deal and, after starting most of the last two seasons, should be the Spurs’ most dependable backup guard. His speed is his chief asset and an important one for the group. It would help if he slightly raises his 3-point shot attempts, boosts his long-range shooting percentages and plays all 82 outings. But his top priority should be working as an adrenaline shot as soon as he’s checked in because he can create separation inside the arc and is a blur in the open court.
One of his best attributes is getting and finishing at the cup. Yet, Jones needs to add the floater to arsenal, as he only attempted 26 last year, making 12. Incorporating it is a great way to further create space going downhill and make him even more lethal, as he records 6.4 percentage points higher than league average in that zone (0-3 feet).
In 2023-24, statistically, he was the team’s best distributor while posting a high assist/turnover (4.13). Maintaining this efficiency is critical.
Furthermore, Jones’ size and wingspan (6’4) make it harder to survive on defense. Eighty-one percent of his minutes on that side were spent covering opposing guards last season, holding them to 47.4 percent accuracy. Adding some bulk on his upper and lower body, would make it harder for bigger guards to overpower him.
Keldon Johnson
Johnson’s role shifted to the reserves in 2023-24, resulting in 3.2 fewer minutes and scoring 6.3 less points per game. His true shooting percentage was slightly below average, too. The Spurs will need Johnson to be a more productive and efficient scorer with the second uni both on and off the ball.
The sixth-year Spur doesn’t cut to the basket often. His off-ball work is done from the outside, but he needs to move better without the rock. He can do so by cutting from the slot and baseline. It should be easier in 2024-25 to capitalize on those looks, as some of his minutes will get staggered with Paul and Wembanyama as they force overhelp or double teams.
He must also elevate his 3-point percentage off the catch and dribble. His accuracy on catch-and-shoot (36 percent) opportunities is ordinary, and his splits on pull-ups (28.6 percent) are in the gutter. He tries one of the latter per contest but must hoist and log more. He could find prosperity on pick-and-pop sets as many defenses rely on the low man guarding two.
To boot, Johnson creates his shot inside the arc better than the other reserves, and converted 56.2 percent of attempted layups last season. Those shots were a third of his total attempts and there’s still room for upgrading his finishing.
On defense, Johnson does well at disrupting guards, holding them to 43.4 percent shooting, but it’s essential that he bothers forwards more. More than half of his time checking opponents is on forwards, conceding 51.7 percent of shots. He has the tools for it as he continues developing grown-man strength and takes advantage of his 6-foot-9 wingspan.
By MateoMayorga, via Pounding The Rock