By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-10-18 13:37:17
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。
2024年10月15日，佛罗里达州迈阿密：在凯撒中心举行的季前赛第二节比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)1号对阵迈阿密热火队做出反应。
你可能还得再等几个星期。
没错，马刺队的超级二年级生很健康，并有望在周四按计划在达拉斯开启2024-25赛季。
但是……
“我不认为他会在赛季开始时就找到很好的节奏，”波波维奇说。
说这是有意为之并不完全准确。然而，在马刺队看来，这是不得已而为之。
从2023年夏天（就在几周前，马刺队在当年的选秀大会上用状元签选中了他）到今年8月，文班亚马几乎一直在马不停蹄地打球。
从之前效力的法国联赛季后赛，到随马刺队征战的新秀赛季，再到随法国国家队征战巴黎奥运会，文班亚马一直是一位忙碌的篮球运动员。
“他已经度过了漫长的一年，”波波维奇说。“他有点疲惫了。”
在文班亚马的第二个NBA季前赛期间，马刺队减轻了他的负担，将他限制在两场比赛中，总共上场39分钟。在这两场比赛中，他的表现并不出彩——至少以他7英尺3英寸的身高标准来看是如此——场均9分、8个篮板和2次盖帽，投篮命中率为33%。
可以理解的是，马刺队希望文班亚马在赛季开始时保持充沛的体力。他们并不指望他即使在常规赛开始时就能恢复到常规赛的状态。
波波维奇表示，他预计文班亚马不会在赛季初受到任何正式的出场时间限制，但如果他在赛季初的很多上场时间里表现不佳，他也不会感到意外。
当被问及文班亚马是否会受到限制时，波波维奇说：“我不这么认为。但我认为他会很累。”
在周四以严重人手不足的阵容129-107输给休斯顿的比赛后，马刺队结束了他们的季前赛之旅，克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)、德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)、凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)和杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)都和文班亚马一样身着便服。随后，马刺队返回主场，开始为与独行侠队的常规赛揭幕战做准备。
球队已经安排在周六下午在弗罗斯特银行中心进行一年一度的队内对抗赛。在那之后，波波维奇计划在周三球队出发前往达拉斯之前，在周一和周二进行两次高强度的训练。
这些训练对每个球员都很重要，尤其是对文班亚马来说。
“周一和周二的训练对帮助他尽可能地找到节奏非常重要，”波波维奇说。
文班亚马并不是唯一一个需要找到状态的马刺球员。
在经历了2胜3负的季前赛后，马刺队可能的首发阵容只出现过两次，球迷们不禁要问，一周后在达拉斯，这支球队到底会是什么样子。
马刺队自己也想知道。
“这有点难说，”替补中锋扎克·柯林斯(Zach Collins)说。“现在我们有一周的时间让那些家伙恢复状态，并一起进行训练。我认为我们会没事的。”
接下来的一周，马刺队将通过比赛来确定他们在与独行侠队交手时能有多接近“没事”的状态。
马刺队唯一一场被视为彩排的季前赛——周二在迈阿密以120-117输掉了比赛，当时除了受伤的瓦塞尔外，所有常规球员都可以上场——上半场打得十分糟糕，失误频频。
即便如此，波波维奇表示，他对球队在季前赛中的进步总体上感到满意。现在是时候回到实验室了。
“我们将专注于我们在攻防两端看到做得好的地方，”波波维奇说。“其他的东西，我们会继续改进。但我对很多球员印象深刻，看到他们的团队意识有所提高，并且按照我们想要的方式打球。”
毫无疑问，斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)的表现是本赛季的一大亮点。
这位身高6英尺5英寸的前康涅狄格大学杰出球员在攻防两端都打出了水平，在他第一次参加NBA比赛中，他场均替补出场贡献11分、3.6次助攻和1.2次抢断。
“这真的是（关于）在我们的团队中相互了解，建立化学反应，”卡斯尔说。“那些比赛很有用，可以让我们在场上尝试各种不同的阵容。”
在整个季前赛期间，波波维奇更倾向于让球员们参加他安排的频繁而艰苦的训练，而不是让他们参加表演赛。
如果一名球员感到酸痛或瘀伤，波波维奇宁愿他们在比赛日休息，也不愿他们在训练日休息。
波波维奇说，这种做法也有不利的一面。尽管他总体上 disdain for them，但季前赛还是有其意义的。
“当灯光亮起时，无论是首发五人还是替补五人，他们都会更加努力地去拼，”波波维奇说。“即使是季前赛，比赛的强度也会有所提高。”
对于马刺队，尤其是文班亚马来说，无论准备与否，常规赛都将很快到来。
马刺队只能希望他们的球星能够尽快找到比赛节奏。
2024年10月15日，星期二，在迈阿密举行的NBA篮球季前赛上半场，迈阿密热火队前锋尼古拉·约维奇（左二）在圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫克里斯·保罗（左一）、前锋维克托·文班亚马（1号）和朱利安·尚帕尼（30号）的防守下寻找进攻机会。（美联社照片/威尔弗雷多·李）
2024年10月15日，佛罗里达州迈阿密：在凯撒中心举行的季前赛第二节比赛中，迈阿密热火队的德鲁·史密斯12号带球突破圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马1号的防守。
2024年10月15日，佛罗里达州迈阿密：在凯撒中心举行的季前赛第一节比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马1号带球突破迈阿密热火队的巴姆·阿德巴约13号的防守。
2024年10月15日，佛罗里达州迈阿密：圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马1号在凯撒中心与迈阿密热火队的季前赛开始前热身。
点击查看原文：Spurs' Wembanyama must find rhythm on the fly
Spurs’ Wembanyama must find rhythm on the fly
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 15: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts against the Miami Heat during the second quarter of a preseason game at Kaseya Center on October 15, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
You might be waiting a few more weeks.
Oh, the Spurs’ super sophomore is healthy and on track to open the 2024-25 season as scheduled Thursday in Dallas.
But …
“I don’t think he’ll be in great rhythm to start the season,” Popovich said.
It is not quite accurate to say this was done by design. The way the Spurs see it, however, it was done by necessity.
Wembanyama has been playing nearly non-stop from the summer of 2023 – mere weeks before the Spurs tabbed him with the No. 1 pick in that year’s draft – through August of this year.
From the French league playoffs with his previous professional team, through his rookie season with the Spurs and on to the Paris Olympics with his French national team, Wembanyama has been a busy basketball player.
“He’s had a long year,” Popovich said. “He’s dinged up a little bit.”
The Spurs lightened Wembanyama’s load during his second NBA preseason, limiting him to two appearances totaling 39 minutes. He was not otherworldly in them – at least not by his 7-foot-3 high standards – averaging nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks while shooting 33 percent.
The Spurs understandably wanted Wembanyama fresh to start the season. They don’t expect him to be in in regular-season form even as the regular season begins.
Popovich said he does not expect Wembanyama to begin the season on any sort of formal minutes restriction, but also would not be surprised if many of his minutes in the early going aren’t pretty.
“I don’t think so,” Popovich said when asked if Wembanyama might be limited. “But I think he’s going to be tired.”
Having completed their preseason slate with a severely shorthanded 129-107 loss at Houston on Thursday – in which Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan joined Wembanyama in street clothes – the Spurs returned home to being preparations for the regular-season opener against the Mavericks.
The team has scheduled its annual intrasquad Silver and Black scrimmage for Saturday afternoon at the Frost Bank Center. After that, Popovich has planned for two rigorous practices Monday and Tuesday before the team departs Wednesday for Dallas.
These workouts will be important for every player, but especially for Wembanyama.
“The practices on Monday and Tuesday are going to be really important to get him in as much of a rhythm as we can,” Popovich said.
Wembanyama won’t be the only Spurs player looking to find himself.
After a 2-3 preseason, one in which the Spurs had their probable opening-night starting lineup available only twice, it is fair for fans to wonder exactly what the team at large will look like a week from now in Dallas.
The Spurs wonder it too.
“It’s kind of hard to see,” backup center Zach Collins said. “Now we’ve got a week to get those guys right and get those reps all together. I think we’ll be good.”
The week to come will go a long way toward determining how close to good the Spurs are by the time they square off with the Mavericks.
The lone preseason game the Spurs treated akin to a dress rehearsal – a 120-117 loss on Tuesday in Miami, with the entire regular roster available save for the injured Vassell – was a sloppy, turnover-filled mess in the first half.
Even so, Popovich said he was overall pleased with the steps his team took during its preseason run. Now it’s back to the lab.
“We’ll concentrate on the things we saw on both ends that were good,” Popovich said. “The other stuff, we’ll continue to get better at that. But I was impressed with a good number of the players and seeing their corporate knowledge pick up a little bit, play the way we want to play.”
One of the undoubted bright spots was the play of Stephon Castle, this year’s prized rookie.
Playing both on and off the ball, former 6-5 former Connecticut standout averaged 11 points, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals off the bench in his first taste of competitive NBA action.
“It’s really (about) learning each other on our team, building chemistry,” Castle said. “Those games were useful, being on the court together with a whole bunch of different lineups.”
Throughout the preseason, Popovich has preferred to have players available for the frequent long and tough practices he has scheduled over the exhibition games.
If a player is sore or bruised, Popovich would rather them rest on game nights than on a practice day.
This approach comes with a downside, Popovich said. Despite his general disdain for them, preseason games do serve a purpose.
“When the lights go on, whether it’s the first five or the bottom five, they’re going to go at it a little more,” Popovich said. “Things pick up a little bit, even though it’s preseason.”
For the Spurs, and especially Wembanyama, the regular season is coming quickly around the corner, ready or not.
The Spurs can only hope their star player’s rhythm will not be far behind.
Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, second from left, looks for an opening past San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, left, forwards Victor Wembanyama (1) and Julian Champagnie (30) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 15: Dru Smith #12 of the Miami Heat drives against Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of a preseason game at Kaseya Center on October 15, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 15: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives against Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the first quarter of a preseason game at Kaseya Center on October 15, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 15: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs warms up prior to playing a preseason game against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on October 15, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News