By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-09-28 08:11:46
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。
随着瓦塞尔因伤缺席赛季初的比赛，谁将顶替他的首发位置？以下是对各种选择的全面分析。
马刺队官方宣布，德文·瓦塞尔（Devin Vassell）将缺席赛季初的比赛。这位侧翼球员预计不会缺席太久，球队将在 11 月初更新他的状态和潜在的复出时间，但他的缺席将迫使格雷格·波波维奇（Gregg Popovich）教练更换一名首发球员。
有几种方法可以解决这个问题，但每种排列组合都有其自身的优缺点。假设其他四名首发球员是克里斯·保罗（Chris Paul）、杰里米·索汉（Jeremy Sochan）、哈里森·巴恩斯（Harrison Barnes）和维克托·文班亚马（Victor Wembanyama），让我们来看看最有可能的选择。
如果目标是熟悉度，那么让马拉基·布拉纳姆首发是合理的
上赛季瓦塞尔缺席了一些比赛，在大多数情况下，布拉纳姆都为马刺队首发出场。这位 21 岁的球员熟悉体系，他的天生位置是得分后卫，他应该能够提供瓦塞尔所提供的一些外线投篮和中距离得分能力。至少最佳状态下的布拉纳姆应该可以做到。
不幸的是，布拉纳姆在其职业生涯早期表现并不稳定。如果他在外线手感冰凉，或者在球权处理上做出错误的决定，他可能会损害球队的进攻，而且他没有足够的防守能力来弥补这一点。与克里斯·保罗并肩作战应该会有所帮助，因为他不会像上赛季那样被要求成为主要的控球手，而且当他在三分线外空位时，保罗会把球传给他，在那里他的低出手点不会成为太大的障碍。在上赛季的空位三分球中，布拉纳姆的命中率为 37%，这是一个稳健的数字，虽然不惊艳，但也足以让他成为对手不能完全忽视的威胁。
在防守端，保罗-布拉纳姆的后场组合可能会遇到困难，但马刺队一直让杰里米·索汉防守对方最大的外线威胁，所以布拉纳姆可以在一定程度上被隐藏起来，而他的经验可以在团队层面上提供帮助。让布拉纳姆担任几场比赛的首发，即使在理想情况下他不是轮换阵容的重要组成部分，也可以让第二阵容在保持不变的情况下培养一些默契。在过去，当托尼·帕克（Tony Parker）缺席比赛时，格雷格·波波维奇毫不犹豫地让第三替补科里·约瑟夫（Cory Joseph）首发，而不是替补控球后卫帕蒂·米尔斯（Patty Mills），以避免过多地破坏他通常的轮换阵容。他可能会决定在这里也这样做。
让斯蒂芬·卡斯尔首发是显而易见的天赋选择
重要的是要考虑到马刺队传统上是如何处理球员缺阵的，但现在的情况与一年前相比已经不同了。也就是说，波波维奇上赛季并没有斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（Stephon Castle）可用。这位 2024 年 NBA 选秀大会的 4 号秀拥有在揭幕战首发的才华和身体素质，所以为什么不给他这个机会呢？
卡斯尔表达过他想在 NBA 打控球后卫的愿望，但在大学里他打的是侧翼，身高 6 英尺 6 英寸的他有身高在职业赛场上打这个位置。和其他大多数新秀一样，他可能会在比赛速度上遇到困难，尤其是在团队防守方面，但他的顽强和身体素质应该会让他从一开始就成为一名优秀的个人防守者。与保罗并肩作战将降低人们对他成为进攻组织者的期望，让他可以专注于投进一些空位投篮、有目的地空切、快攻和打配合。卡斯尔显然是球队未来的一部分，所以利用这个不幸的机会让他在没有压力的情况下以首发球员的身份获得上场时间，同时又不会给他施加超过角色球员的压力，这可能是明智的。
唯一可能不这么做的原因是潜在的进攻空间问题。假设杰里米·索汉的首发位置稳固，那么马刺队需要谨慎对待，不要在他身边再安排一名对手可以放心地留在外线的球员。如果防守方可以在油漆区安排两名额外的球员，那么即使是克里斯·保罗也无法找到处于空位的文班亚马。当然，卡斯尔可能比人们认为的更擅长外线投篮，而其他年轻后卫也并非都是神射手。问题是，在一个进攻空间堪忧的阵容中扮演一个无球的小角色，这对卡斯尔的成长来说是最好的第一步吗？这是值得考虑的。
使用大个阵容始终是一种选择
如前所述，布拉纳姆在瓦塞尔缺阵的大部分时间里都是首发出场的，但波波维奇也尝试过其他的选择。在本赛季初，马刺队的首发阵容包括杰里米·索汉、凯尔登·约翰逊（Keldon Johnson）、朱利安·尚帕尼（Julian Champagnie）、维克托·文班亚马和扎克·科林斯（Zach Collins）。任何理智的人都不会主张回到这种实验性的阵容，但尚帕尼和约翰逊可能会成为选择。
约翰逊提供了布拉纳姆所拥有的一切，但水平更高。他是一名更出色的射手，对波波维奇希望球队采取的比赛方式更有经验，并且能够提供瓦塞尔预计会提供的得分能力。问题在于防守端，但约翰逊已经瘦身了，他应该能够防守侧翼球员，而且如前所述，索汉的任务是防守对方的外线球星，所以凯尔登不必承担这项任务。尚帕尼的进攻爆发力较弱，但他的三分球命中率高达 37%，而且他是一名稳健的防守者，他可能会在面对速度更快的侧翼球员时遇到困难——这也可以说是瓦塞尔的弱点——但他善于利用自己的臂展来补防并提供一些协防。
马刺队还有两位更传统的球员可以替代瓦塞尔，分别是卡斯尔和布拉纳姆，所以选择像约翰逊这样的锋线摇摆人或像尚帕尼这样的天生小前锋可能难以 justificar。但这是一种选择。如果波波维奇想要得分和经验，约翰逊应该得到考虑。如果想法是专注于攻防兼备和定点投篮，那么尚帕尼可能是最佳人选。在去年对大个阵容进行了如此多的尝试之后，在新赛季开始时采用更传统的首发阵容是诱人的，但考虑到这只是一个短期的安排，或许值得一试。
点击查看原文：The best options to replace Devin Vassell in the Spurs’ starting lineup
The best options to replace Devin Vassell in the Spurs’ starting lineup
Vassell will miss the start of the season as he recovers from injury. Who will replace him in the starting lineup? Here’s a comprehensive look at the options.
Devin Vassell will miss the start of the season, the Spurs announced. The wing is not expected to be out for a long time, with an update on his status and his potential return coming in early November, but his absence will force Coach Gregg Popovich to replace one of his starters.
There are several ways he could go about it, but all permutations have their own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s look at the most likely options, assuming the other four starters are Chris Paul, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama.
If familiarity is the goal, starting Malaki Branham makes sense
Vassell missed games last season and in most of those instances, Branham started for the Spurs. The 21-year-old knows the system, his natural position is shooting guard and he should be able to provide some of the outside shooting and mid-range scoring that Vassell offers. At least the best version of Branham should.
Unfortunately, Branham has been inconsistent throughout his young career. If he goes ice cold from outside or makes the wrong decisions with the ball he could harm the offense, and he doesn’t have the defensive acumen to make up for it on the other end. Playing next to Chris Paul should help, as he won’t be asked to be the lead ball handler like he was for stretches last season and will be fed the ball when he’s open from beyond the arc, where his low release isn’t as big of a hindrance. In wide-open three-pointers, Branham shot 37 percent last season, a solid if unspectacular number that makes him a threat that opponents can’t fully ignore.
Defensively, a Paul-Branham backcourt could struggle, but the Spurs have had Jeremy Sochan guard the biggest perimeter threat, so Branham could be hidden to an extent, and his experience could help at a team level. Slotting Branham as a starter for a few games, even if he’s not a big part of the rotation under ideal circumstances, could also allow the second unit to develop some chemistry by remaining untouched. In the past, Gregg Popovich didn’t hesitate to start third-stringer Cory Joseph instead of backup point guard Patty Mills when Tony Parker would miss games to avoid disrupting his usual rotations too much. He might decide to do the same here.
Starting Stephon Castle is the obvious talent play
It’s important to consider how the Spurs have traditionally handled absences, but the circumstances now are different than they were even a year ago. Namely, Pop didn’t have Stephon Castle at his disposal last season. The 4th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft has the talent and the physical tools to start on opening night, so why not give him the opportunity?
Castle has expressed his desire to be a point guard at the NBA level but played at the wing in college and standing at 6’6” he has the height to do it at the pro level. He’d likely struggle with the speed of the game as most rookies do, especially when it comes to team defense, but his tenacity and physicality should make him a good individual defender from the get-go. Playing next to Paul would reduce the expectations for him to be a creator on offense, allowing him to just focus on hitting some open shots, cutting with purpose, running the floor and playing off others. Castle is clearly part of the future, so taking advantage of an unfortunate situation to give him reps as a starter without putting pressure on him to be more than a role player could be wise.
The only reason why it might not be the play is because of the potential issues with spacing. Assuming Jeremy Sochan is entrenched as a starter, the Spurs need to be careful about having another player alongside him who opponents would be comfortable leaving alone in the perimeter. If the defense can have two extra bodies in the paint, not even Chris Paul will be able to find Wembanyama open. Now, Castle might be a better outside shooter than he gets credit for and the other young guards are not exactly marksmen either. The question is, is playing a small role off the ball in a lineup that would face some serious questions about spacing the best first step for Castle’s development? It’s something to consider.
Going big is always an option
As mentioned, Branham started most of the time when Vassell missed games, but Pop did try other alternatives. Early in the season, the Spurs had starting lineups that consisted of Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Victor Wembanyama and Zach Collins. No one sane would advocate for returning to such experimental levels, but Champagnie and Johnson could be options.
Johnson offers everything Branham does but at a higher level. He’s a better shooter, has more experience with the way Pop wants the team to play and can provide the type of volume scoring Vassell is expected to deliver. The issues are on the defensive end, but Johnson has slimmed down and should be able to guard wings and, as mentioned, Sochan is tasked with guarding perimeter stars, so Keldon won’t have to. Champagnie is a less explosive offensive player, but he hit 37 percent of his threes and he’s a solid defender who might struggle with the quicker wings — something that arguably applies to Vassell as well — but does a good job of using his length to recover and provide some help defense.
The Spurs have two more traditional replacement options for Vassell in Castle and Branham, so going with a combo forward like Johnson or a natural small forward like Champagnie could be hard to justify. But it is an option. If Pop wants scoring and experience, Johnson should get consideration. If the idea is to focus on two-way play and spot-up shooting, Champagnie might be the best bet to provide it. After experimenting so much with big lineups last year going with a more orthodox starting unit to start the season is tempting, but considering it’s only for a short stint, it might be worth exploring.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock