By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-12-02 14:13:13
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12月1日星期日，在加州萨克拉门托举行的一场NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) (1号)在对阵萨克拉门托国王队的比赛中庆祝。（美联社照片/杰德·雅各布森）
菲尼克斯——自从马刺中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)第一次踏上NBA球场以来，他就一直在挑战人体的极限、曾经不可改变的物理定律，甚至英语本身。
教练、对手，当然，甚至连一些体育记者都绞尽脑汁，试图想出新的方式来描述他们从这位7尺3寸的法国人身上看到的究竟是什么鬼东西。
这就是为什么萨克拉门托国王队教练迈克·布朗(Mike Brown)会把自己比作上世纪80年代一位早已被人遗忘的普通中锋。
“还记得布拉德·塞勒斯(Brad Sellers)在联盟的时候吗？”布朗周日说道。
等等，听他说完。
有一定资历的NBA球迷会记得塞勒斯是迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)领衔的芝加哥公牛队中笨拙的替补中锋，那支公牛队并没有赢得总冠军。
而布朗则回忆起塞勒斯是联盟第一个大个子独角兽。
“当时人们惊叹，‘我的天哪，他7尺2寸，还能做到这样那样，’”布朗说。“在当时，这真是太神奇了。”
显然，1988年的NBA还没有准备好迎接塞勒斯。在六个赛季中，他为四支球队效力，场均得到6.3分和2.7个篮板。
撇开布朗这个滑稽的比较不谈，它确实突出了关于这位马刺20岁的基石球员的一个事实。
谈到文班亚马，没有可比性。
“我总是告诉人们，维克是独一无二的，”马刺前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)说道。
在萨克拉门托经历了伟大球员布拉德·塞勒斯只能想象的那种夜晚之后，文班亚马将前往菲尼克斯参加周二的NBA杯比赛。
在马刺127-125逆转战胜国王的比赛中，他得到34分，抢下14个篮板，并送出职业生涯最高的11次助攻。
在他职业生涯第三次三双之际，文班亚马还送出3次盖帽，1次抢断，并投进了马刺队史纪录23记三分球中的5个。
正是最后一个数字可能会让老派篮球迷们摸不着头脑。像文班亚马这么高的球员，难道不应该在内线摧毁小个子球员，而不是在外线游走吗？
“很多人想谈论，‘他的投篮选择是什么样的？他应该这样，他应该那样，’”巴恩斯说。“我的观点是，听着，他会按照自己的风格打球，他会按照自己的方式去做。”
对文班亚马来说，这与他完全前所未有的地位相符。
当考虑到一个7尺3寸的外星生物应该如何打球时，第一步就是忘记所有关于这一切应该是什么样子的先入为主的观念。
这个实验不会总是那么顺利。
尽管文班亚马周日在萨克拉门托表现出色，但他也有5次失误和5次犯规。
在马刺代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)看来，文班亚马的无限技能库大多是一种祝福，但偶尔也会是一种诅咒。
“他无所不能，”约翰逊说。“所以，当菜单上有这么多选择时，认为你每次都能选对是很困难的。他是一个年轻的球员，正在学习如何使用他拥有的所有武器。”
很多学习是通过在球场上的反复试验进行的。有些则发生在录像分析室里。
从赛季开始，马刺的录像分析团队就在每场比赛前为文班亚马提供特别剪辑的录像片段。他们会展示文班亚马过去对阵某些对手时哪些方法有效，哪些方法无效。
“这些信息很容易理解，很容易处理，也很容易在球场上复制，”文班亚马说。
到目前为止，文班亚马不仅表现出了可塑性，而且还展现了可编程性。
在前五场比赛中文班亚马的三分球命中率只有23.5%时，他的回应并不是停止远距离投篮。
他回到了起点——以及录像分析室——并清理了他的投篮选择，很大程度上剔除了他糟糕的投篮尝试。
“这可能不是人们期望他的确切模式，但他会按照自己的方式去做，”巴恩斯说。“他最重要的事情一直是他想赢球。那是他的北极星。”
周日在萨克拉门托的胜利中，比赛后期的一个关键时刻说明了文班亚马试图同时尝试一切所带来的推动力和阻力。
在已经从17分的落后追回比分后，马刺在最后三分钟以两分的优势领先。
文班亚马发现自己与6尺3寸的马利克·蒙克(Malik Monk)陷入了一对一的低位对决。
在此前的两个回合中，文班亚马在类似的情况下轻松地在蒙克头上得分，打破了平局。这一次，他等待包夹到来，然后将球传给德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)，后者命中了底角三分球。
这是文班亚马的第10次助攻，也确保了他的三双。
“我特别想说的是，我在组织进攻方面还有很大的提升空间，”文班亚马说。“这仍然是我正在变得越来越得心应手的事情，因为我面对着大量的包夹。”
对马刺的教练组来说，他们这位外星居民进化中的下一步是掌握基本功。
约翰逊每天都与文班亚马谈论小事情的重要性——接球要稳，抢篮板要积极，利用脚步创造优势，做出简单的处理。
“我认为他在前三节在基本功和扎实篮球方面有一些非常糟糕的表现，”约翰逊周日说。“这证明了他有能力在第四节集中注意力。对他来说，主宰基本功仍然很壮观。但当他做到这一点时，他就是一个巨大的威胁。”
随着文班亚马继续学习和成长，各种比较将会不断出现，无论是否合理。
他会成为一个更高的凯文·杜兰特(Kevin Durant)吗？一个投篮更柔和的大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)？一个更瘦的沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)？
在文班亚马在萨克拉门托的三双之夜后，有一点是肯定的：他绝对不是布拉德·塞勒斯。
即使是想出这个出人意料比较的人最终也不得不承认这一点。
“这根本没法比，”布朗说。
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots over Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) is congratulated after scoring by Chris Paul (3) and Keldon Johnson, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama ,center, shoots against Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after the Spurs made a basket against the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Golden 1 Center on December 01, 2024 in Sacramento, California.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings goes up for a shot on Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at Golden 1 Center on December 01, 2024 in Sacramento, California.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs posts up on Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Golden 1 Center on December 01, 2024 in Sacramento, California.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates after defeating the Sacramento Kings in an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
点击查看原文：When it comes to the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, there is no comparison
When it comes to the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, there is no comparison
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
PHOENIX – From the time Spurs center Victor Wembanyama first stepped foot on an NBA court, he has tested the boundaries of the human body, the once-immutable laws of physics and even the English language itself.
Coaches, opponents and, yes, even the stray sportswriter have twisted themselves into pretzels trying to conjure new ways to describe what in the holy heck they were seeing from the 7-foot-3 Frenchman.
Which is how Sacramento coach Mike Brown found himself comparing Wembanyama to a long-forgotten journeyman center from the 1980s.
“Remember when Brad Sellers was in the league?” Brown said Sunday.
Wait, hear him out.
NBA fans of a certain vintage will remember Sellers as the lumbering backup center on the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls teams that did not win championships.
Brown, on the other hand, recalls Sellers as the league’s first big man unicorn.
“It was ‘Oh my gosh, he’s 7-2 and he can do this or that,’ ” Brown said. “It was amazing for the time.”
The NBA apparently was not ready for Sellers in 1988. He averaged 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds for four teams over six seasons.
Brown’s comically conceived comparison aside, it did serve to highlight something true about the Spurs’ 20-year-old franchise cornerstone.
When it comes to describing Wembanyama, there is no comparison.
“I always tell people, Vic is one of one,” Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said.
Wembanyama heads into Tuesday’s NBA Cup game in Phoenix coming off the kind of night in Sacramento the great Brad Sellers could only imagine.
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He scored 34 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and handed out a career-high 11 assists in the Spurs’ 127-125 come-from-behind win over the Kings.
On the occasion of his third career triple-double, Wembanyama also blocked three shots, grabbed a steal and made five of the Spurs’ club-record 23 3-pointers.
It is the last of those numbers that might cause old-school basketball geeks to scratch their heads. Shouldn’t a player Wembanyama’s height be obliterating smaller players in the post, not buzzing around the perimeter?
“So many people want to talk about, ‘What’s his shot diet like? He should be this, he should be that,’ ” Barnes said. “My thing is, look, he’s going to play his style and he’s going to do it his way.”
For Wembanyama, that goes with the territory of being completely unprecedented.
When it comes to considering how a 7-foot-3 extraterrestrial should play, the first step is to forget all preconceived notions about how any of this is supposed to look.
The experiment will not always be pretty.
As great as Wembanyama was Sunday in Sacramento, he also had five turnovers and five fouls.
The way Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson views it, Wembanyama’s bottomless bag of skills is mostly a blessing but can be an occasional curse.
“He can do everything,” Johnson said. “And so when you have that many options on the menu, to think you’re going to pick the right one every time is tough. He’s a young player that’s learning how to use all these weapons that he has.”
Much of that learning is taking place via trial and error on the court. Some of it is happening in the film room.
From the beginning of the season, the Spurs’ video staff has been supplying Wembanyama with specially curated clips before each game. They will show what has worked for Wembanyama against certain opponents in the past and what has not.
“It’s easy information, easy to process and easy to replicate on the court,” Wembanyama said.
So far, Wembanyama has not only shown himself to be coachable but also programmable.
When Wembanyama opened the season converting only 23.5% from 3-point range over the first five games, his response was not to stop shooting from distance.
He went back to the drawing board – and the film room – and cleaned up his shot selection, largely weeding the egregiously bad attempts out of his diet.
“It may not be the exact mold that people expect him to be in, but he’s going to do it his way,” Barnes said. “His biggest thing has always been that he wants to win. That’s his north star.”
A key moment late in Sunday’s victory in Sacramento illustrated the push and pull that comes with Wembanyama trying everything all at once.
Having already stormed back from 17 points down, the Spurs were clinging to a two-point lead in the final three minutes.
Wembanyama found himself locked in a one-on-one post matchup with the 6-3 Malik Monk.
Two possessions earlier, Wembanyama had scored an easy tie-breaking layup over Monk in a similar situation. This time, he waited for the double-team to come before whipping a cross-court pass to Devin Vassell for a corner 3-pointer.
It was Wembanyama’s 10th assist, securing his triple-double.
“One aspect specifically I would say where I can get much better is playmaking,” Wembanyama said. “It’s still something I’m getting more comfortable doing, because I’m facing a good amount of double teams.”
To the Spurs’ coaching staff, the next step in their resident alien’s evolution is to master the fundamentals.
Johnson talks to Wembanyama daily about the importance of little things – being strong on catches, being aggressive on the boards, using his footwork to create leverage, making the simple plays.
“I thought he had some very poor moments in the first three quarters in terms of fundamentals and solid basketball,” Johnson said Sunday. “It’s a testament to him his ability to lock in, I thought, in the fourth quarter. Dominating the fundamentals for him, it’s still spectacular. But when he does that, it’s he’s a load.”
As Wembanyama continues to learn and grow, the comparisons will keep coming, ill-conceived or not.
Does he project to become a taller Kevin Durant? A sweeter-shooting David Robinson? A skinnier Shaquille O’Neal?
This much is certain after Wembanyama’s triple-double night in Sacramento: He’s definitely no Brad Sellers.
Even the man who came up with that out-of-left-field comparison eventually had to admit it.
“It’s not even close,” Brown said.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots over Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) is congratulated after scoring by Chris Paul (3) and Keldon Johnson, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama ,center, shoots against Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after the Spurs made a basket against the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Golden 1 Center on December 01, 2024 in Sacramento, California.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings goes up for a shot on Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at Golden 1 Center on December 01, 2024 in Sacramento, California.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs posts up on Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Golden 1 Center on December 01, 2024 in Sacramento, California.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates after defeating the Sacramento Kings in an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News
