By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-08-31 07:03:47
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。
随着圣安东尼奥马刺队在重建的下一阶段寻求稳定的输出，仅仅依靠潜力可能不足以让这些年轻的后卫高枕无忧。
在经历了实验性的2023/24赛季后，马刺队在维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)的第二个赛季组建了一支更务实的阵容。只需快速浏览一下那些有保障合同的球员，就不难想出一套可行的十人轮换阵容，每个人都在他们熟悉的职位上扮演着熟悉的角色。
然而，那些没有明确位置的球员现在却处于岌岌可危的境地。就像每支年轻球队一样，有些球员有很多东西需要证明，但有些球员的机会可能有限。布雷克·韦斯利和马拉基·布拉纳姆，这两个从马刺队重建开始就一直存在的球员，可能就属于这一类。除非情况有所改变，否则他们在圣安东尼奥的时间可能会比预期更早结束。
两年过去了，韦斯利和布拉纳姆仍然是潜力股
上个赛季，这两位后卫有机会争夺核心球员的位置。作为实验的一部分，马刺队上赛季尝试让布拉纳姆担任首发控球后卫。数据（13场首发，场均11分、3个篮板和3次助攻，三分球命中率36%）还算不错，但布拉纳姆的防守不好，他会在关键时刻出现失误，浪费一些球权，而且他的努力程度也欠佳，导致他在最后一场对阵灰熊队的比赛中早早被换下场。他最终摆脱了困境，并有一些不错的表现，但他没能抓住机会成为圣安东尼奥需要的可靠双能卫。
随着布拉纳姆上场时间的减少，韦斯利得到了他的机会，凭借着他在进攻端的防守和冲击篮筐时新发现的侵略性，他一开始就充分利用了这个机会。不幸的是，比赛节奏并没有真正放慢，这位运动能力出色的双能卫因为过于投入而犯了一些不必要的犯规和失误，而且他完全缺乏外线投篮能力，导致对手无视他。虽然在某些特定情况下和某些对位中很有用，但韦斯利无法展现出成为轮换球员所需的全面技术，因为在对手有足够的时间观察他之后，他的局限性就暴露出来了。
这两位后卫都只有21岁，所以看到他们仍然有严重的缺陷并不奇怪，但令人担忧的是，他们的问题和他们在大学时一样。布拉纳姆被认为是一个得分第一的后卫，球场视野有问题，防守也不够积极，而且三分球出手点很低。他的主要价值是自主进攻，但人们质疑他的能力能否转化到NBA。韦斯利被认为是一名优秀的持球防守者，在抢断传球路线方面也展现出了潜力，但他是一个糟糕的决策者，由于糟糕的跳投，他在进攻端无法无球跑动。经过两年的发展，他们本质上还是一样。
第三个赛季通常是潜力股开始取得进步的时候，但随着克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)的加入，加上特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)和德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)，这两名目前还没有证明自己属于NBA的球员的上场时间可能会很有限。这是一个问题，因为…
如果目标是保持竞争力，马刺队就不能无限期地耐心等待
今年夏天，管理层引进了保罗，并选中了卡斯尔，通过训练营合同增加了年轻的马拉奇·弗林(Malachi Flynn)和布兰登·波士顿(Brandon Boston Jr.)，并与两名后卫签订了双向合同。他们在后卫位置上的阵容分配表明，他们可能并不完全信任布拉纳姆和韦斯利，这将令人担忧。
通常情况下，那些拿着新秀合同的前首轮秀球员不用担心被裁掉，但最近马刺队为了给能做出贡献的老将腾出位置而放弃潜力股的做法是有先例的。凯塔·贝茨-迪奥普(Keita Bates-Diop)在2021年签署了一份无保障合同，并在那个即将到来的赛季的阵容中比两年前以第19顺位被选中的卢卡·沙马尼奇(Luka Samanic)坚持了更长时间。这似乎表明，决策者们会毫不犹豫地留下那些他们认为能提供帮助的球员，但更重要的是，他们会放弃那些他们认为不能提供帮助的球员，无论他们的合同状况或以前的资历如何。
现在，如果看到任何一位前首轮秀球员被裁掉，而换来的是那些没有明显提升的球员，那将是令人震惊的，尤其是在一支仍处于重建过程中的球队。沙马尼奇在圣安东尼奥的短暂经历有一些特殊情况，这些情况并不适用于韦斯利和布拉纳姆，而且马刺队历来都会保留那些拿着新秀合同的球员，直到他们的合同到期，即使他们要在奥斯汀毒蛇队(Austin Spurs)待很长时间。但他们将带着空间中产特例进入新赛季，以便在需要的时候签下球员，而且他们在即将到来的选秀中至少有两个首轮签。如果一名后卫受伤，而银黑军团正在争夺附加赛资格，管理层是会信任布拉纳姆和韦斯利挺身而出，还是会寻找一位久经考验的球员？在重建过程中失去年轻球员通常是不明智的，但如果目标是加快重回正轨，那么在未来首轮签源源不断的情况下，这样做也是合理的。
马刺队已经表示，他们不会操之过急，这意味着布拉纳姆和韦斯利目前应该是安全的。他们比2024年选秀大会上选中的几名球员都要年轻，而且保罗因为显而易见的原因并不是一个长期的答案。但情况可能会发生变化，如果真的发生了变化，这两位后卫可能会成为受害者。
不是每个人都能进入下一支强队，这很正常
选择韦斯利和布拉纳姆是很好的选择。布拉纳姆身披银黑战袍已经打了超过3000分钟，而韦斯利也展现出了防守潜力，以及他在精英级别身体素质的实用性。如果他们能把所有的东西都融合在一起，他们可以在NBA拥有漫长的职业生涯。但如果马刺队像看起来那样已经从优先发展转向打造一支有竞争力的球队，那么这件事可能不会发生在圣安东尼奥。
重建是件棘手的事，因为每个选秀球员都有可能成为球队的救世主，而放弃他们则很困难，但现实是，近年来的一些球员将不会成为下一支伟大马刺队的一员。布拉纳姆和韦斯利很可能至少还有一次机会让自己成为球队核心的一部分，但如果他们不能做到，那么比预期更早地分道扬镳可能是不可避免的。
点击查看原文：Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley face an uphill battle to prove their worth to the Spurs
Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley face an uphill battle to prove their worth to the Spurs
As San Antonio looks for reliable production in the next stage of the rebuild, upside alone might not be enough to keep the young guards safe for much longer.
After an experimental 2023/24 season, the Spurs are bringing a more practical roster into Victor Wemabanyama’s sophomore year. It’s not hard to come up with a viable 10-man rotation after a quick look at the players under guaranteed contracts, with everyone in familiar roles and positions.
Those who don’t have an obvious place, however, are now left in a precarious situation. As with every young team, there are players with a lot to prove, but some could have limited chances. Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham, who have been there from the start of the Spurs’ rebuild, could be in that group and unless something changes, their time in San Antonio might come to an end sooner than expected.
After two years, Wesley and Branham remain projects
The two guards got a chance to claim a spot as core players last season. As part of their experimentation, the Spurs tried to slot Branham at the starting point guard spot last season. The numbers (11 points, three rebounds and three assists per game in 13 starts with 36 percent outside shooting) were solid, but Branham’s defense wasn’t good, he committed untimely turnovers, hijacked a few possessions and his effort was lacking, leading to an early benching in his last outing as a starter, against the Grizzlies. He eventually played his way out of the doghouse and had some good performances, but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to become the reliable combo guard San Antonio needs.
With Branham losing minutes, Wesley got his chance to crack the rotation and made the most of it initially thanks to his point-of-attack defense and newfound aggression when attacking the rim. Unfortunately, the game didn’t really slow down for the athletic combo guard, who committed some unnecessary fouls and turnovers due to his intensity, and his complete lack of an outside shot led to opponents ignoring him. While useful in very specific ways and certain matchups, Welsey couldn’t show the well-rounded skill set needed to be a rotation player, as his limitations were exposed after opponents had enough time to scout him.
Both guards are still 21 years old, so it’s not surprising to see them still have serious weaknesses, but the worrisome factor is that their problems are the same as they had in college. Branham was characterized as a score-first guard with questionable court vision who didn’t play disruptive defense and had a low release on his three-point form. His main value was self-creation, but there were questions about how it would translate to the NBA. Wesley was considered a good on-ball defender who also showed promising anticipation jumping the passing lanes but was an atrocious decision-maker who couldn’t play off the ball on offense because of his terrible jumper. After two developmental years, they are essentially the same.
Third seasons are often when projects start to show progress but with Paul and Castle joining Tre Jones and Devin Vassell, minutes could be scarce for two players that at this point haven’t proved that they belong in the league. This is an issue because…
The Spurs can’t have unlimited patience if the goal is to be competitive
This summer the front office brought in Paul and drafted Castle, added young veterans Malachi Flynn and Brandon Boston Jr. to the fold on training camp deals and kept two guards on two-way contracts. The allocation of roster spots to guards suggests they might not fully trust Branham and Wesley, which would be concerning.
Normally former first-rounders in their rookie contracts wouldn’t have to worry about being waived, but there’s recent precedence for the Spurs cutting ties with a project to make room for a veteran who could contribute. Keita Bates-Diop was on a non-guaranteed deal in 2021 and outlasted Luka Samanic, selected with the 19th overall pick two years prior, on the roster for that upcoming season. It seems the decision-makers don’t hesitate to keep players they think can help but, more importantly, to part with the ones they think can’t, no matter their contract status or previous pedigree.
Now, it would be shocking to see either former first-round pick waived for guys who don’t represent a significant upgrade, especially on a team that is still in the middle of a rebuild. There were special circumstances that justified Samanic’s short stint in San Antonio that don’t apply to Wesley and Branham, and the Spurs have traditionally kept players on rookie deals until they expire, even if they spend a lot of time in Austin. But they will go into the season with the room mid-level exception to add someone if needed and they will have at least two first-round picks in the upcoming draft. If a guard gets injured and the Silver and Black are in the play-in hunt, will the front office trust Branham and Wesley to step up or look for a proven option? Losing youth during a rebuild would normally be unwise, but with a steady supply of future first-rounders, it’s justifiable if the idea is to speed up the return to relevance.
The Spurs have stated that they won’t skip steps, which means both Branham and Wesley should be safe for now. They are younger than several players who were drafted in the 2024 draft and Paul is not a long-term answer for obvious reasons. But the circumstances can change and the guards could be the ones who suffer if they do.
Not everyone is going to make it to the next good team and that’s fine
Wesley and Branham were good picks. Branham has already logged over 3,000 minutes wearing Silver and Black and Wesley has shown flashes of defensive potential and practical uses for his elite physical tools. They could have long NBA careers if they put it all together. But it might not happen in San Antonio if the Spurs have, as it seems, moved away from prioritizing development and toward putting together a competitive team.
Rebuilds are tricky because every draft pick is a potential franchise savior and letting go can be hard, but the reality is some of the players who have been around in recent years won’t be a part of the next great Spurs team. Branham and Wesley will likely have at least one more chance to make a case to make themselves part of the core, but if they can’t deliver, parting ways sooner than expected could be inevitable.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock