By Chris Herring, Kevin Pelton, 2024-09-16 20:00:00
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。
随着 2024-25 NBA 训练营的临近，现在是时候回顾一下休赛期影响联盟格局的交易了。
在 6 月 26 日的选秀大会之前，交易市场就已拉开帷幕，布鲁克林篮网队同意将米卡尔·布里奇斯交易至纽约尼克斯队，以换取他们在詹姆斯·哈登交易中最初放弃的未来首轮选秀权。
这笔交易让布里奇斯与他的前维拉诺瓦队友杰伦·布伦森、唐特·迪温琴佐和约什·哈特重聚，但这仅仅是一个充满变动的休赛期的开始，这些变动可能会在接下来的赛季中重新定义联盟。保罗·乔治将加盟费城 76 人队，重返东部联盟；德玛尔·德罗赞将加盟萨克拉门托国王队，重返西部联盟；克里斯·保罗将与卫冕年度最佳新秀维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)在圣安东尼奥马刺队联手。
随着几位顶级球星更换门庭，ESPN 内部人士克里斯·赫林和凯文·佩尔顿在 2024-25 赛季开始前对新球队中的顶级球员进行了分析。
米卡尔·布里奇斯(Mikal Bridges)，纽约尼克斯队
布里奇斯可能不是这份名单上名气最大的球员——他还没有入选过全明星阵容——但他在 2025 年季后赛中影响比赛的潜力不亚于任何人。通过与同城对手篮网队达成一笔罕见的交易得到布里奇斯，尼克斯队在防守的多样性、投射和前维拉诺瓦球员方面加倍押注于他们的优势。
尼克斯队现在拥有 NBA 最好的两位 3D 球员，布里奇斯和奥杰·阿努诺比，两人在创造进攻机会的能力都比大多数同类型球员更强。这对布里奇斯来说尤其重要，他在上个赛季被当作布鲁克林队的进攻核心球员来使用（他 0.560 的真实投篮命中率是自新秀赛季以来的最低值），但他却是布伦森的理想补充。——佩尔顿
肯塔维奥斯·卡德维尔-波普(Kentavious Caldwell-Pope)，奥兰多魔术队
这位两届 NBA 总冠军是联盟中最好的角色球员之一，他的加入为这支年轻的魔术队注入了即战力，这支球队正寻求在上赛季打入季后赛的基础上再接再厉。31 岁的卡德维尔-波普为魔术队提供了一位强悍的侧翼防守球员，可以与杰伦·萨格斯和乔纳森·艾萨克搭档。更具体地说，他还为魔术队提供了他们在 2023-24 赛季严重缺乏的东西：外线投射。上赛季没有哪支球队的三分球命中率低于奥兰多，但卡德维尔-波普在过去四个赛季中的每个赛季都投进了 100 多个三分球，在这段时间里，他的三分球命中率超过了 40%。——赫林
亚历克斯·卡鲁索(Alex Caruso)，俄克拉荷马城雷霆队
在常规赛后半段，有一点很明显，那就是俄克拉荷马城——特别是后卫约什·吉迪——将在季后赛开始后经受考验。雷霆队的进攻拥有令人难以置信的空间，这使得防守队员们会在三分线外放空投篮低于平均水平的吉迪，以期在油漆区封锁谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大。这一策略在西部半决赛中对阵达拉斯独行侠队时奏效了，吉迪的三分球命中率仅为 18.8%（16 投 3 中），而雷霆队在该系列赛中因为他在场上的正负值为 -23 分而减少了他的出场时间。这就是 30 岁的卡鲁索发挥作用的地方，他是联盟中最顽强的防守者之一，并且在上个赛季创造了职业生涯最高的 40.8% 的三分球命中率。他的到来让本来就坚固的防守更加出色，而且很可能会解决吉迪在场上时出现的空间问题，尤其是在季后赛中。——赫林
德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)，萨克拉门托国王队
在芝加哥公牛队的三个赛季两次入选全明星阵容后，德罗赞通过一笔先签后换的交易将他的精湛球技带回了他的家乡加州。将德罗赞加入到德阿隆·福克斯和多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯身边，让萨克拉门托拥有了多位进攻尖兵，但代价是这些球员和他们的辅助阵容之间的适配性。
特别是，德罗赞和福克斯在关键时刻的得分方面存在重叠。福克斯是 2022-23 赛季首届杰里·韦斯特关键时刻球员奖的获得者，他在 NBA 高阶数据定义的“关键时刻”拿下了全联盟最高的 194 分。德罗赞是该奖项去年的亚军，在过去两个赛季中都排名第二。
两人不可能在比赛的最后时刻同时控球，这意味着德罗赞可能会有更多时间进行无球跑动。尽管他在公牛队的三年中将三分球命中率提高到了 34%，但这建立在有限的出手次数上的：上赛季场均 2.8 次三分球出手是德罗赞自 2017-18 赛季以来的最高值。——佩尔顿
扎克·埃迪(Zach Edey)，孟菲斯灰熊队
在 2024 年的选秀大会上，没有哪个球员比埃迪更具争议性，这位普渡大学的两届全美最佳球员的比赛风格很难适应 NBA。身高 7 英尺 4 英寸的埃迪一直到第 9 顺位才被选中，加盟了在交易截止日送走史蒂文·亚当斯后需要一名首发中锋的灰熊队。
埃迪理想情况下将与小贾伦·杰克逊一起组成前场搭档，填补亚当斯和约纳斯·瓦兰丘纳斯之前作为掩护球员和篮筐保护者的角色。如果埃迪能够与贾·莫兰特建立起挡拆配合的化学反应，那么他的体型将使他在换防或被放空冲击篮筐时势不可挡。
更大的问题在于防守端，埃迪在上赛季场均送出 2.2 次盖帽的同时，很少离开篮筐。NBA 球队会尽早并经常地考验他防守挡拆的能力，他需要在防守端站稳脚跟，才能不辜负人们对他作为季前赛年度最佳新秀热门人选的期望。——佩尔顿
保罗·乔治(Paul George)，费城 76 人队
作为自 2019 年以来第一位在自由球员市场上更换球队的全明星球员，所有人的目光都将集中在乔治如何与前 MVP 乔尔·恩比德和 fellow 全明星球员泰瑞斯·马克西在 76 人队这支被寄予厚望在东部争冠的球队中融合。
考虑到乔治在快船队的五个赛季中是一名 40% 的三分球命中率的球员，并且能够防守多个位置，因此尼克·纳斯将他融入球队应该相对容易。当恩比德和马克西不在场时，乔治可能会承担更重的持球进攻责任，为 76 人队的第二阵容提供支持，这支球队的角色球员比持球进攻点更多。
也许关于乔治最大的问题是，他的年龄会在什么时候影响他的表现？乔治在 5 月份年满 34 岁，快船队显然非常担心他的长期前景，不愿匹配 76 人队开出的四年顶薪合同。——佩尔顿
以赛亚·哈尔滕施泰因(Isaiah Hartenstein)，俄克拉荷马城雷霆队
雷霆队在 2024 年季后赛中的一个弱点是他们相对缺乏对抗性。年轻的中锋切特·霍姆格伦是一位盖帽高手，他的空间能力也是一个积极因素，但这往往会让俄克拉荷马城在进攻端没有任何传统的篮板手。像 26 岁的哈尔滕施泰因这样的球员，他在上赛季的进攻篮板率排名联盟第二，他的到来立即改变了这一点。他是一位令人印象深刻的篮筐保护者和篮板手，也是一位出色的传球手，他应该会在这支无私、快节奏的雷霆队中茁壮成长，这支球队已经拥有了充足的空间。——赫林
德章泰·穆雷(Dejounte Murray)，新奥尔良鹈鹕队
在亚特兰大老鹰队与特雷·杨分担了两个赛季的控球职责后，穆雷交易到新奥尔良应该会让他重新成为球队的进攻组织核心。考虑到鹈鹕队还有布兰登·英格拉姆和锡安·威廉姆森等其他得分威胁，因此期望穆雷复制上赛季杨缺阵时他场均 25.1 分和 9.1 次助攻的表现可能不太现实。尽管如此，穆雷仍然是新奥尔良自克里斯·保罗之后最具活力的后卫。
基于英格拉姆和威廉姆森的单打得分能力，穆雷作为一名三分球射手的进步对鹈鹕队来说可能至关重要。根据 Second Spectrum 的追踪数据，他上赛季场均投进 2.6 个三分球，创造了职业生涯新高，三分球命中率为 36%，其中接球就投的三分球命中率为 39%。如果新奥尔良选择让威廉姆森出任中锋的小球阵容，并最大限度地发挥他们的投篮能力，那么穆雷的加入应该会使鹈鹕队成为 NBA 进攻最好的球队之一。——佩尔顿
克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)，圣安东尼奥马刺队
保罗的加入绝不会让马刺队成为争冠球队。但是，他丰富的经验和技术，再加上人们对文班亚马在他第二个赛季的成长的期待，可能会很容易地让马刺队在这支竞争激烈的西部赛区争夺一个季后赛席位。如果他能带领他们做到这一点，那将是保罗在 2020 年带领雷霆队打进季后赛的一个不那么令人惊讶的版本，当时雷霆队也处于类似的位置。39 岁的保罗应该是文班亚马的完美挡拆搭档，因为他在上个赛季的效率数据——44% 的投篮命中率和 37% 的三分球命中率——与前一年相比没有变化。关键问题在于他是否能保持健康。如果他能做到，那么他对文班亚马和其他马刺队年轻球员的指导将意义重大。——赫林
里德·谢泼德(Reed Sheppard)，休斯顿火箭队
在 NBA 夏季联赛中，没有哪个新秀看起来比谢泼德更 آماده 为球队做出贡献了，他是火箭队在首轮第 3 顺位选中的球员，他在我的基于数据的选秀预测中名列今年新秀的第一位，并且在年度最佳新秀的赔率中仅次于埃迪。
谢泼德的投篮能力毋庸置疑，他在肯塔基大学的唯一一个赛季中，三分球命中率高达 52%（出手次数高达 144 次）。在大学里与 fellow 乐透秀罗比·迪林汉姆并肩作战后，谢泼德在拉斯维加斯被要求为休斯顿扮演更传统的控球后卫角色，场均得到 20.0 分和 5.3 次助攻（以及 4.8 次失误）。特别是，谢泼德用娴熟的运球突破防守球员的能力令人印象深刻。
从长远来看，谢泼德的成长可能会影响火箭队如何进入他们重建的第三阶段，以及首发控球后卫弗雷德·范弗利特的未来。这也将取决于谢泼德是否能在比赛中证明他能够在一对一防守中站稳脚跟，以及他超高的抢断率（夏季联赛中场均 2.8 次）。——佩尔顿
克莱·汤普森(Klay Thompson)，达拉斯独行侠队
在金州勇士队效力了 13 个赛季后，看到汤普森穿上其他球队的球衣会很奇怪。但是，他将在达拉斯与联盟中最好的两位控球手卢卡·东契奇和凯里·欧文并肩作战，他们应该能够为他创造无数次外线出手的机会。众所周知，在经历了毁灭性的伤病后，这位 34 岁的球员已经不是当年那个防守悍将了，而且他在过去几年里的投篮数据也有所下降。但是，尽管如此，他近 39% 的三分球命中率仍然远远高于平均水平，足以让他成为联盟中最具威胁的进攻球员之一。——赫林
拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克(Russell Westbrook)，丹佛掘金队
这位即将年满 36 岁的球员自 2019 年离开雷霆队后，即将加入他的第五支球队，他也来到了自俄克拉荷马城时代以来最有趣的环境中。这位曾经的 MVP 和历史三双王现在将与三届 MVP 尼古拉·约基奇并肩作战，后者可以随意地拿到三双。当威斯布鲁克替补出场时，有一件事值得关注：比赛的节奏会是什么样的？由于他的速度，在防守端跟上他已经是一项艰巨的任务了。如果他在丹佛也打得这么快，那么他的队友——他们在上个赛季的比赛节奏是联盟中最慢的球队之一——可能会感到力不从心。无论如何，看着威斯布鲁克与约基奇和贾马尔·穆雷并肩作战将是一件非常有趣的事情。——赫林
点击查看原文：NBA newcomers to watch - Top rookies and new faces on new teams
NBA newcomers to watch - Top rookies and new faces on new teams
With 2024-25 NBA training camp in the coming weeks, it’s time to look at the deals that have influenced the league’s landscape this offseason.
The action got a kick-start before the draft on June 26 when the Brooklyn Nets agreed to send Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for future first-round picks they originally gave up in the James Harden trade.
The deal, which teams Bridges up with his former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart, was just the beginning of an offseason full of moves that could define the league over the coming season. Paul George is headed back to the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia 76ers, DeMar DeRozen is back in the Western Conference with the Sacramento Kings, and Chris Paul is teaming up with reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
With several top names in new places, ESPN Insiders Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton broke down the top players on new teams ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks
Bridges might not be the biggest name on this list – he’s yet to make an All-Star team – but he has the potential to impact the 2025 playoffs as much as anyone. By making a rare trade with their crosstown rival Nets to get Bridges, the Knicks doubled down on their strengths in terms of defensive versatility, shooting and former Villanova players.
In Bridges and OG Anunoby, New York now boasts two of the NBA’s best 3-and-D players, both of whom have more ability to create their own offense than most players in that mold. That could prove especially important with Bridges, who was stretched as Brooklyn’s go-to guy last season – his .560 true shooting percentage was Bridges’ lowest since his rookie campaign – but is an ideal complement for Brunson. – Pelton
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Orlando Magic
The two-time NBA champion is one of the league’s best role players and adds immediate seasoning to a young Magic roster that’s looking to build on its playoff appearance this past season. Caldwell-Pope, 31, gives Orlando yet another strong wing defender to pair with stoppers Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac. More specifically, he also gives the Magic something they sorely lacked in 2023-24: perimeter shooting. No team made fewer 3s than Orlando last season, but Caldwell-Pope has hit more than 100 in each of his past four campaigns – shooting over 40% on his 3s during that stretch. – Herring
Alex Caruso, Oklahoma City Thunder
It was evident throughout the second half of the regular season that Oklahoma City – specifically guard Josh Giddey – was going to be tested once the playoffs began. The Thunder offense boasts incredible spacing, which prompted defenses to sag off of the below-average shooting Giddey at the 3-point line in hopes of sealing off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the paint. That strategy worked for the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals, where Giddey shot just 18.8% (3-for-16) from beyond the arc, and the Thunder – a minus-23 with him on the court during that series – played him sparingly as a result. That’s where a 30-year-old Caruso, one of the most tenacious defenders in the league and coming off a career-best 40.8% mark from 3 this past season, comes into play. He makes an already stout defense even better, and may very well rid the group of the spacing problem that arose with Giddey in the mix, particularly in the postseason. – Herring
DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings
After three seasons in Chicago resulted in a pair of All-Star appearances, DeRozan is taking his ultra-skilled game back to his native California via a sign-and-trade deal. Adding DeRozan to De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis gives Sacramento multiple go-to scorers at the cost of fit between those players and their supporting cast.
In particular, there’s overlap between DeRozan and Fox in terms of clutch scoring. Fox, the winner of the inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award in 2022-23, led the league with 194 points in what NBA Advanced Stats defines as “clutch time.” DeRozan, last year’s runner-up in the category, has been second each of the last two seasons.
Both can’t handle the ball at the same time down the stretch, which might mean more time spotting up for DeRozan. Although he improved his 3-point accuracy to 34% with the Bulls, that came on limited volume: last season’s 2.8 attempts per game were DeRozan’s most since 2017-18. – Pelton
Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
No player in the 2024 draft was more polarizing than Edey, the two-time consensus National Player of the Year at Purdue, whose playing style won’t translate easily to the NBA. The 7-foot-4 Edey lasted until the No. 9 pick, when he landed with a Grizzlies team in need of a starting center after trading Steven Adams at the deadline.
Edey would ideally start alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt, filling the role that predecessors Adams and Jonas Valanciunas did as screen setters and rim protectors. If Edey can develop pick-and-roll chemistry with Ja Morant, his size could make him unstoppable against switches or when left free to roll to the rim.
The bigger questions are on defense, where Edey rarely strayed far from the hoop while averaging 2.2 blocks per game last season. NBA teams will test his ability to defend pick-and-roll offense early and often and he will need to hold up defensively to fulfill expectations as preseason Rookie of the Year favorite. – Pelton
Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers
As the first All-Star to change teams in free agency since 2019, all eyes will be on how George fits with past MVP Joel Embiid and fellow All-Star Tyrese Maxey on a Sixers team expected to contend in the East.
Given George’s malleability as a 40% 3-point shooter who can defend multiple positions during his five seasons with the Clippers, incorporating him should be relatively easy for Nick Nurse. George figures to slide into a heavier on-ball role when Embiid and Maxey are off the court, backstopping Philadelphia second units that are longer on role players than shot creation.
Perhaps the biggest question with George, then, is at what point does his age effect his production? George turned 34 in May, and the Clippers were evidently concerned enough about his long-term outlook to be unwilling to match the Sixers’ four-year, max offer. – Pelton
Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder
A weakness the Thunder carried into the 2024 postseason was their relative lack of ruggedness. Young center Chet Holmgren is a block machine and his ability to space the floor is a positive as well, but it often leaves Oklahoma City without any traditional rebounders on offense. A player like the 26-year-old Hartenstein, who finished with the NBA’s second best offensive-rebounding percentage this past season, immediately changes that. He’s an impressive rim protector and rebounder as well as a fantastic passer that should thrive with an unselfish, high-octane team like the Thunder, who already enjoyed ample spacing. – Herring
Dejounte Murray, New Orleans Pelicans
After two years of splitting ballhandling duties with Trae Young in Atlanta, Murray’s trade to New Orleans should put the ball back in his hands on a regular basis. Given the Pelicans’ other scoring threats, including Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, it might not be realistic to expect the 25.1 points and 9.1 assists per game Murray averaged when Young was out of the lineup last season. Still, Murray is the most dynamic guard New Orleans has had since Chris Paul.
Based on the ability of Ingram and Williamson to score in isolation, Murray’s development as a 3-point shooter could be important for the Pelicans. He hit a career high 2.6 triples per game last season on 36% accuracy, including 39% on catch-and-shoot attempts, according to Second Spectrum tracking. If New Orleans opts to start small-ball lineups with Williamson at center and maximize its shooting, adding Murray should make the Pelicans one of the NBA’s best offenses. – Pelton
Chris Paul, San Antonio Spurs
By no means will Paul’s addition in San Antonio make the Spurs a contender. But his abundant wisdom and skill, plus the growth many expect to see from Wembanyama in his second year, could easily have the Spurs in the hunt for a playoff spot in the loaded West. If he helps lead them there, it’d be a slightly less surprising version of what Paul pulled off with the Thunder back in 2020 by getting them to the playoffs in a somewhat similar position. Paul, 39, should be a perfect pick-and-roll partner for Wembanyama as his efficiency numbers this past season – 44% from the floor overall, and 37% from 3 – remained unchanged from the year before. The key question will be whether he can stay healthy. If he can, his tutelage will be extraordinarily meaningful with Wembanyama and the other Spurs youngsters. – Herring
Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
No rookie looked more ready to contribute at the NBA summer league than Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick by the Rockets who topped my stats-based projections for this year’s draft and is second to Edey in Rookie of the Year odds.
There’s no doubting Sheppard’s shooting ability after he hit 52% of his 3s (on a robust 144 attempts) during his lone season at Kentucky. After playing alongside fellow lottery pick Rob Dillingham in college, Sheppard was asked to play a more traditional point guard for Houston in Las Vegas, averaging 20.0 PPG and 5.3 APG (along with 4.8 turnovers per game). In particular, Sheppard’s ability to beat his defender using a tight crossover impressed.
Long-term, Sheppard’s development could influence how the Rockets move into phase three of their rebuild and the future of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. That will also be determined by whether Sheppard shows he can hold his own defending one-on-one to go with his sky-high steal rate (2.8 per game in summer league). – Pelton
Klay Thompson, Dallas Mavericks
It will be odd to see Thompson in a new uniform after 13 seasons in Golden State. But he’ll settle in Dallas with a pair of the league’s best ball handlers in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who should be able to set him up with countless looks from deep. It’s no secret that, after devastating injuries, the 34-year-old isn’t the defender he once was and his shooting metrics have come down in the past few years. But, even with that being the case, his poorest shooting years of nearly 39% from 3 are still well above average, and enough to add to one of the league’s most dangerous offenses. – Herring
Russell Westbrook, Denver Nuggets
The soon-to-be 36-year-old, who’s moving onto his fifth different team since leaving the Thunder in 2019, lands in perhaps his most interesting scenario since his Oklahoma City days. The one-time MVP and all-time triple-double leader will now play alongside three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who collects triple-doubles at will. One thing to watch as Westbrook comes off the bench: What will be the pace of play? It’s a daunting enough task to stay with him defensively because of his speed. If he plays that fast in Denver, it could possibly leave his teammates – who played at one of the slower paces in the league last season – trying to catch their breath. Either way, watching Westbrook alongside Jokic and Jamal Murray will be highly entertaining. – Herring
By Chris Herring, Kevin Pelton, via ESPN
