By Jeje Gomez, Marilyn Dubinski, Mark Barrington, Bill Huan | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-11-13 07:58:51
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。
文班亚马正在外线打球，德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)替补出场，而斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)也开始找到自己的节奏。PtR团队讨论了马刺队的现状。
马刺队改变了他们使用文班亚马的方式，试图让他远离低位拿到球。这是正确的举动吗？
玛丽莲·杜宾斯基(Marilyn Dubinski): 如果你看看我们当初是如何被迫接受杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)控球后卫实验的——那是为了发展——那么至少现在看来，这是可以接受的。文班说过，他提高投篮能力的唯一方法就是投篮，这很有道理，而且他得到了教练组的许可。在他的比赛中添加不同的层次并没有什么错——如果他想有一天被讨论为GOAT级别的球员，这就是他需要做的——但我希望他最终能将低位技术重新纳入他的武器库，并且只在特定情况下或进攻流畅时才在外线出手，而不是仅仅因为他可以投就早早地在进攻时间内出手。
马克·巴灵顿(Mark Barrington): 他无法与那些比他更壮、更有力量的球员争夺低位，所以这说得通。他可以通过移动获得内线位置，尤其是在马刺队像过去几场比赛那样开始在外线命中投篮的时候。但像传统的低位球员那样背身单打只会导致失误和糟糕的场上空间，所以这是一个好的调整。
赫苏斯·戈麦斯(Jesus Gomez): 这显然是正确的选择。我可能很快会对此进行扩展，但试图强迫这个版本的文班亚马打低位将是一个错误，而且球队的空间不足以让他成为一个挡拆顺下的中锋。他的特别之处在于他身高7尺3寸却拥有良好的外线技术，所以让他发展这些技能是明智的。他投的一些三分球以及他运球突破到人堆里造成的每一次失误都令人恼火，但这更多地与他的决策有关，这也是一个正在改进的过程，而不是与他的使用方法有关。
比尔·桓(Bill Huan): 我可以免费告诉你，这对我的梦幻球队来说肯定不是正确的举动！不过，就他的实际发展而言，这确实有道理。文班只有20岁，需要尽可能地扩展他的比赛并进行尝试，以达到他的上限，并且考虑到球队还没有进入争冠窗口，他应该发展他作为外线球员的技能。然而，我确实相信他最终会在内线造成最大的破坏，所以我们也不能忽视他的低位技术。
根据米奇·约翰逊的说法，德文·瓦塞尔将在“可预见的未来”替补出场。你能想象他像马努·吉诺比利一样永久地成为第六人吗？
杜宾斯基: 约翰逊也说了“随着他逐渐恢复”，所以他目前的替补角色似乎更多的是一个状态问题。我知道我们对马努也说过这样的话，但我相信瓦塞尔太优秀了（而且薪水太高了），不能永久地接受一个替补角色，坦率地说，一旦马刺队恢复到完全健康的状态，他就不应该再替补了。在这一点上，凯尔登·约翰逊是第六人，我相信瓦塞尔很快就会回到一个永久的首发角色。
巴灵顿: 我预计一旦他完全康复，他会回到首发阵容。我认为像“在可预见的未来”这样的短语，当出自马刺队员工之口时，基本上毫无意义。这可能只是意味着他们还没有一个固定的时间表可以公开分享。我猜想，只要他们相信他可以打首发球员的出场时间，他就会成为首发，这可能还需要一两个月的时间。
戈麦斯: 看起来不太可能。球队必须在他替补出场的情况下取得一系列胜利，而且斯蒂芬·卡斯尔必须在攻防两端持续闪耀，瓦塞尔永久替补才能显得合理。即便如此，一旦索汉回归，德文作为首发会更有意义。马刺队有一些球员，包括瓦塞尔，在伤病后都曾替补出场，所以这可能只是暂时的。正如比尔所说，一支更有天赋的球队可能会考虑在第二阵容中拥有这样一个优秀的得分手，但圣安东尼奥需要他首发。
桓: 没门儿。马努接受替补角色在体育界是极其罕见的，瓦塞尔不可能接受同样的做法。更重要的是，这支马刺队不够优秀，不足以让他不首发，即使在几年后他们开始具有竞争力时，情况也可能依然如此。
斯蒂芬·卡斯尔看起来是真货。现在还早，但你认为他在未来三年内能有多好？
杜宾斯基: 我们都知道得分和数据对全明星投票者来说有多重要，所以说他在三年内达到这一点可能有点牵强。然而，我确实相信他到那时会成为一名首发球员，甚至可能是控球后卫，而且可能还会成为一名最佳防守阵容球员。尽管我的眼界有限，这听起来很奇怪，但他最终可能会成为德章泰·穆雷(Dejounte Murray)和德里克·怀特(Derrick White)的混合体，但比他们更好。两人都是边缘全明星球员和精英防守球员，投篮能力比刚来的时候有所提高，尤其是怀特，他有让周围每个人都变得更好的诀窍。如果卡斯尔在三年内成为上限更高的怀特，我会非常高兴。
巴灵顿: 我喜欢玛丽莲将卡斯尔比作德章泰·穆雷和德里克·怀特的比较，一个高个子后卫，速度很快，有防守能力，可以通过传球和足够娴熟的控球能力撕裂防守。他目前的弱点是投篮，在他新秀赛季的早期，他展现了正在解决这个问题的迹象。他不怕投关键球，而且他的投篮姿势非常出色，所以很有可能到第三年他会成为一个非常好的射手。球员比较只能到此为止，因为每个球员都是一个个体，所以虽然我认为与穆雷和怀特的比较很有用，但卡斯尔有潜力比他们两个都更好。他已经表明他很努力地训练，所以我认为他目前的上限是无限的。克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)的指导，以及马刺队教练组在他新秀赛季给予他大量的上场时间，让他在早期就能与精英级别的对手较量，这当然对卡斯尔很有益。
戈麦斯: 预测卡斯尔会有多好是一件很有趣的事情，因为首先，他的职业生涯还处于早期阶段，一切皆有可能；其次，从我们看到的闪光点来看，他可能会有多种结果。如果他在几年后成为明星，我不会感到惊讶，但他的技能组合仍在发展中，以至于很难判断他最终会成为什么样的球员。他擅长突破但不擅长投篮，而且他的传球、视野和时间管理都不像控球后卫。防守很好，但会是精英级别的吗？有可能。我认为其他人使用的比较是合理的，我会把马库斯·斯马特(Marcus Smart)和朱·霍勒迪(Jrue Holiday)也添加到名单中。卡斯尔能多快达到那个水平，以及之后他是否还能更上一层楼，这些都是无法知道的。
桓: 我也喜欢玛丽莲将卡斯尔比作德章泰和德里克，但我觉得有必要给卡斯尔真正达到他们高度的可能性踩一下刹车。德章泰已经入选过全明星阵容，德里克也提供了全明星级别的影响力，但任何年轻球员（即使是高顺位新秀）都不太可能达到这一点，除了最精英的潜力新星之外。
在我看来，对卡斯尔更现实的期望是他发展成卢·多特(Lu Dort)/肯塔维奥斯·考德威尔-波普(KCP)级别的球员。换句话说，一个适合任何球队的精英角色球员，在一个有竞争力的球队中是一个非常优秀的第四/第五首发。我怀疑卡斯尔能否以接近40%的命中率投三分球，但多特的发展给了我一些希望。即使他的投篮能力从未完全开发出来，卡斯尔也比他们两人拥有更多的持球和组织能力，如果他成为那种级别的球员，我会非常高兴。
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点击查看原文：Victor Wembanyama is defying expectations in his new perimeter-oriented role
Victor Wembanyama is defying expectations in his new perimeter-oriented role
Victor Wembanyama is playing in the perimeter, Devin Vassell is coming off the bench and Stephon Castle is starting to find his groove. The PtR crew discusses the state of the Spurs.
The Spurs have changed how they use Victor Wembanyama, trying to get him the ball away from the post. Is that the right move?
Marilyn Dubinski: If you look at the way we were forced to accept the Jeremy-Sochan-at-point-guard experiment — that it’s for development purposes — then it’s acceptable, at least for now. Wemby has said the only way he will improve as a shooter is by shooting, which makes plenty of sense, and he has the green light from the coaching staff. There’s nothing wrong with adding different layers to his game — it’s what he needs to do if he wants to be discussed in GOAT status someday — but my hope is he will eventually work the post game back into his arsenal and only take outside shots situationally or within the flow of the offense instead of jacking them up early in the shot clock just because he can.
Mark Barrington: He’s not going to be able to fight for post position against players that have more bulk and strength than him, so it makes sense. He can get interior position on movement plays, especially when the Spurs start hitting shots outside like they have the last few games. But playing with his back to the basket like a traditional post player just leads to turnovers and bad spacing, so it’s a good adjustment.
Jesus Gomez: It’s clearly the right choice. I might expand on this soon, but trying to force this version of Wembanyama to the post would be a mistake and the spacing is not good enough to have him be a rim-running pick-and-roll center. He’s also special because he’s good on the perimeter at 7’3”, so letting him develop those skills is smart. Some of the threes he takes and every turnover that comes from him trying to dribble into traffic are rage-inducing, but that has more to do with his decision-making, which is also a work in progress, than with how he’s being used.
Bill Huan: It sure isn’t the right move for my fantasy team, I’ll tell you that for free! In terms of his actual development, though, it does make sense. Wemby is still just 20 and needs to expand his game and experiment as much as possible in order to reach his ceiling, and given that the team’s not in its contention window yet, he should be developing his skills as a perimeter player. However, I do believe that he will end up doing the most damage in the interior, so we can’t just ignore his post play, either.
Devin Vassell will come off the bench “for the foreseeable future,” according to Mitch Johnson. Could you see him becoming a sixth man permanently, like Manu Ginobili?
Dubinski: Johnson also said “as he ramps back up”, so his current bench role seems to be more a matter of conditioning than anything. I know we said this about Manu, but I believe Vassell is too good (and too well-paid) to permanently accept a bench role, and frankly he shouldn’t have to once the Spurs are at full strength again. At this point, Keldon Johnson is the sixth man, and I believe Vassell will be back to a permanent starter role sooner than later.
Barrington: I would expect him to return to the starting lineup once he gets fully healthy. I think phrases like “for the foreseeable future” are essentially meaningless when said by someone on the Spurs payroll. It probably just means that they don’t have a fixed timeline that they’re ready to share publicly yet. It’s my guess that he’ll be a starter whenever they’re confident he can play starter minutes, which could be a month or two away.
Gomez: Seems highly unlikely. The team would have to go on a tear with him in the second unit and Stephon Castle would have to consistently be shining on both ends for a permanent move to the bench from Vassell to be somewhat reasonable. And even then, as soon as Sochan returns, Devin would make more sense as the starter. The Spurs have had players, including Vassell come off the bench after injury, so this is likely just temporary. As Bill says, a more talented team could consider having such a good scorer in the second unit, but San Antonio needs him starting.
Huan: No way, Jose. Manu accepting a bench role is an outlier among outliers in the sport, and there’s no way Vassell will be fine with doing the same. More importantly, this Spurs team is simply not good enough not to start him, and that will likely remain the case even when they begin to compete in a few years time.
Stephon Castle looks like the real deal. It’s early, but how good do you think he could be in the next three years?
Dubinski: We all know how much points and stats mean to All-Star voters, so it might be stretch to say he will reach that point in three years. However, I do believe he will be a starter, maybe even at point guard, by then and possibly an All-NBA defender. Weird as a it sounds with my limited worldview, he could end up being a Dejounte Murray-Derrick White hybrid but better. Both are fringe All-Stars and elite defenders with improved shooting games from when they got here, and White in particular has a knack for making everyone around him better. If Castle ends up being White with a higher ceiling in three years, I’d be a very happy fan.
Barrington: I like Marilyn’s Dejounte Murray/Derrick White comparison, a tall guard with quickness who has defensive skills and can break down defenses with passing and an adequate handle. His current weakness is shooting, and early in his rookie season he’s showing glimpses of working that out. He’s unafraid of taking big shots and his form is excellent, so it’s quite possible that he will become a really good shooter by year three. Player comparisons only get you so far, because every player is an individual, so while I think the comparisons to Murray and White are useful, Castle has the potential to be better than either of them. He’s shown that he works hard on his game, so I think his ceiling is unlimited at the moment. He’s certainly benefiting with Chris Paul mentoring him, and with the Spurs coaching staff giving him plenty of playing time in his rookie season to get his lumps early against elite competition.
Gomez: Projecting how good Castle will be is fascinating because, first, it’s so early in his career that nothing seems off the table, and second, from the flashes we’ve seen, he could have a range of outcomes. I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s on his way to stardom in a couple of years, but his skillset is such a work in progress that it’s hard to tell even what kind of player he’ll be. He’s good at driving but not shooting and his passing, vision and clock management are not point guard-like. The defense is good, but will it be elite? It could be. I think the comparisons others have used are reasonable and I’d add Marcus Smart and Jrue Holiday to that list. How quickly Castle can get there and whether he has another leap in him after is impossible to know.
Huan: I also like Marilyn’s Dejounte/Derrick comp for Castle, but I feel obligated to pump the brakes on his chances of actually reaching those heights. Dejounte has already made an All-Star team and Derrick provides All-Star level impact, but it is extremely unlikely that any young player (even high lottery picks) ever reach that point outside of the most elite of prospects.
In my opinion, a more realistic expectation of Castle is one where he develops into a Lu Dort/KCP level of player. In other words, an elite role player who fits on any team and is a very good 4th/5th starter on a competitive roster. I’m skeptical that Castle will ever shoot threes at a ~40% clip, but Dort’s development gives me some hope. Even if his shooting never fully develops, Castle has more on-ball and playmaking juice than those two, and I’d be more than happy if he turned into that caliber of player.
Is there any topic you want to see the PtR staff discuss? We’d love to hear from you. Post your questions in the comments and they could be featured in an upcoming edition of our roundtable.
By Jeje Gomez, Marilyn Dubinski, Mark Barrington, Bill Huan, via Pounding The Rock