By Jacob Douglas | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-10-02 06:19:45
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。
随着季前赛的临近，进步、伤病和轮换阵容的疑问笼罩着圣安东尼奥马刺队。
在镜头和麦克风前度过了数小时后，圣安东尼奥马刺队终于可以真正开始工作了。马刺队的训练营于 10 月 1 日星期二开始，他们的第一场季前赛将在 10 月 7 日星期六进行。在经历了一个活跃的休赛期后，马刺队带着许多疑问进入了训练营。在 10 月 24 日常规赛开始前的这一个月里，以下是一些值得关注的故事情节。
年轻核心的发展
对于年轻球员来说，训练营是一年中激动人心的时刻。这是他们第一次有机会展示他们辛苦训练的成果，而教练组也可以借此机会观察他们的进步。马刺队中不乏准备更上一层楼的球员。
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 度过了一个非凡的新秀赛季，但即使是他也有提升的空间。文班的三分球命中率仅为 32.5%，场均失误 4.4 次。提高射程和控球能力是他比赛中的主要发展方向。杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 的跳投和进攻发展将是季前赛中值得关注的方面。凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 以极佳的状态进入了训练营，而特雷·琼斯 (Tre Jones) 可能会在替补席上扮演新的角色。
正在崛起的重建球队的标志是其年轻球员的持续发展。核心球员的进步对球队更进一步至关重要。
老将如何融入？
克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul) 和哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 都是征战 NBA 十多年的老将，现在是马刺轮换阵容的中流砥柱。两人可能都已经过了职业生涯的巅峰期，但他们带来了圣安东尼奥过去两个赛季所缺少的经验。保罗曾入选全明星阵容并参加过 NBA 总决赛，而巴恩斯则是 金州勇士 王朝的早期成员。这两人都知道如何赢球，并将与年轻球员分享他们的经验。
这种经验究竟如何在球场上体现出来还有待观察。上赛季，圣安东尼奥的失误数几乎位居联盟榜首（场均 15.1 次），也许他们能帮助减少这些失误。他们两人都可以通过减少场上的精神错误来帮助改善防守。总的来说，老将如何与这支年轻的球队融合将是整个赛季值得关注的关键故事之一。
首发阵容
马刺的首发阵容似乎在媒体日之前就已经确定了。文班将带领一支由德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell)、保罗、索汉和巴恩斯组成的队伍。但随着 瓦塞尔缺席 赛季初的比赛，现在的问题是首发阵容会是什么样子。格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 甚至还不知道谁将首发。
“我不知道谁会首发，”他在媒体日告诉记者。“我认为维克托会首发……在那之后，谁知道呢？这取决于他们。他们会向我证明的。”
听起来马刺的首发五个位置将有一番竞争——有很多球员参与其中。保罗、索汉和巴恩斯似乎是强有力的竞争者。约翰逊可以作为得分后卫再次担任首发。新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 可以顶替瓦塞尔的位置，但可能会在首发阵容中造成一些空间问题。不要忘了朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 和马拉基·布拉汉姆 (Malaki Branham)，他们上赛季都曾担任过首发。
竞争对训练营来说是件好事，正如人们常说的“铁杵磨成针”。在瓦塞尔缺阵的情况下，我们应该能够在季前赛中清楚地看到谁将进入首发阵容。
轮换阵容的边缘
一些马刺球员即将迎来他们 NBA 职业生涯的关键赛季。西迪·西索科 (Sidy Cissoko)、布雷克·韦斯利 (Blake Wesley) 和布拉汉姆正处于“证明自己”的年份。他们在 NBA 的第一个赛季上场时间不稳定，现在又面临着更加激烈的上场时间竞争。波波维奇在夏天和媒体日都对西索科赞赏有加。巴恩斯告诉记者，韦斯利在他们的野球比赛中给他留下了深刻的印象。
我们有理由对所有这些球员感到乐观。至少，在像瓦塞尔这样的伤病情况下，他们是不错的深度补充。对于他们来说，训练营将是他们在拥挤的轮换阵容中赢得一席之地的关键。
最后两个双向合同名额
马刺队带着两名签署了双向合同的球员进入了训练营。大卫·杜克 (David Duke Jr.) 和哈里森·英格拉姆 (Harrison Ingram) 将在本赛季分别为奥斯汀和圣安东尼奥效力。马刺队可以再签下一名球员，并为训练营名单上的几名候选人提供一份双向合同。莱利·米尼克斯 (Riley Minix)、马拉基·弗林 (Malachi Flynn)、小布兰登·波士顿 (Brandon Boston Jr.) 和内森·门萨 (Nathan Mensah) 都签署了 Exhibit-10 合同。
米尼克斯和门萨都是大个子球员，米尼克斯更多地扮演空间型四号位的角色。小波士顿是一名身材高大的侧翼球员，进入 NBA 时以得分能力著称。弗林司职控球后卫，在上赛季的一场 NBA 比赛中砍下了 50 分。在这次训练营中，他们将为一个 NBA 阵容名额而战。
点击查看原文：Five storylines to follow in Spurs training camp
Five storylines to follow in Spurs training camp
Improvements, injuries and rotational questions loom over San Antonio’s preseason.
After hours in front of cameras and microphones, the San Antonio Spurs can really get to work. The Spurs training camp begins on Tuesday, October 1st, with their first preseason game happening a week later on October 7th. San Antonio enters training camp with a load of questions after an active offseason. Here are a few storylines to watch over the next month until the regular season starts on October 24th.
The development of the young core
Training camp is an exciting time of year for young players. It’s their first chance to show off the hard work they’ve put in. The coaching staff gets to see the improvements they’ve made. The Spurs have no shortage of players ready to take another leap.
Victor Wembanyama had an extraordinary rookie season, but even he has room to improve. Wembanyanma shot just 32.5% from deep and turned the ball over 4.4 times per game. Making more shots from range and taking care of the ball are major developments in his game. Jeremy Sochan’s jump shot and offensive development will be something to watch for in the preseason. Keldon Johnson comes into camp in tremendous shape, and Tre Jones will likely be playing a new role off the bench.
The mark of rebuilding teams on the rise is the consistent development of its young players. Seeing improvements from their core will be vital to the team taking another step forward.
How do the vets fit in?
Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes are 10+ year veterans in the NBA and are now staples of the Spurs rotation. Both are perhaps past the primes of their careers but bring a level of experience that has been missing from San Antonio’s teams for the last two seasons. Paul is a former All-Star and played in the NBA Finals, and Barnes was an early member of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. These two know how to win, and will share that with the younger players.
How exactly that manifests on the court is yet to be seen. San Antonio was near the top of the league in turnovers last year (15.1 a game), maybe they help lower the number of those mistakes. They both can help improve the defense by reducing mental errors on the floor. Overall, how the veterans gel with this young group will be one of the key stories to track over the course of the year.
The starting five
The Spurs starting five was seemingly set before media day. Wembanyama would lead a group with Devin Vassell, Paul, Sochan and Barnes. But with Vassell missing the start of the season, there are now questions about what the first unit will look like. Gregg Popovich doesn’t even know who is starting yet.
“I don’t know who is going to start,” he told reporters on media day. “I think Victor’s gonna start… after that, who the hell knows? It’s up to them. They’ll show me.”
It sounds like there will be a competition for the Spurs’ first five spots – there are plenty of players in the race. Paul, Sochan and Barnes feel like strong contenders. Johnson could reprise his role in the first five as a scoring wing. Rookie Stephon Castle could step up and Vassell’s shoes but would likely create some spacing issues in the first five. Don’t count out Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham, who both spent time starting last season.
Competition is great for training camp. “Iron sharpens iron,” as they say. We should have a good idea of who will be in the first five while Vassell is out in the preseason.
The fringes of the rotation
A few Spurs come into crucial seasons in their NBA careers. Sidy Cissoko, Blake Wesley and Branham are in “prove it” years. They’ve played inconsistent minutes in their first NBA seasons and now face even more competition for playing time. Popovich spoke highly of Cissoko over the summer and at media day. Barnes told reporters that Wesley had impressed him in their pick-up games.
There is reason for optimism with all of these guys. If nothing else, they are good depth in case of injuries like Vassell’s. Training camp is going to be huge for them to earn their keep in a crowded rotation.
The final two-way spot
The Spurs come into training camp with two players signed to two-way contracts. David Duke Jr. and Harrison Ingram will split time between Austin and San Antonio this season. The Spurs can sign one more player to a two-way contract and have a few candidates on the training camp roster. Riley Minix, Malachi Flynn, Brandon Boston Jr. and Nathan Mensah are all on exhibit-10 deals.
Minix and Mensah are bigs, with Minix playing more as a stretch 4. Boston Jr. is a big wing who was known as a scorer coming into the NBA. Flynn plays the point and scored 50 points in an NBA game last season. They’ll be fighting for a chance to make the NBA roster this training camp.
By Jacob Douglas, via Pounding The Rock