By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-17 14:20:55
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。
德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)知道像他一月初那样糟糕的投篮低迷期会让任何人沮丧。
“这只是人之常情，”这位马刺后卫说。“尽管我想表现得像‘是的，我只是想克服第一场（糟糕的）比赛或第二场’，但随着它们越积越多，你可能会开始怀疑自己。”
对于像瓦塞尔这样的射手来说，没有什么比看到球进筐更能消除所有疑虑的了。新年伊始，这位24岁的瓦塞尔经历了24投67中的低迷，但在对阵洛杉矶湖人和孟菲斯灰熊的两场比赛中，他状态回勇。
在这两场比赛中，瓦塞尔31投16中，马刺队一胜一负。这其中包括他在三分线外14投8中的火热表现。
瓦塞尔对阵湖人队得到23分，对阵灰熊队得到21分，这是他本赛季首次连续两场得分超过20分。这位五年级职业球员希望在周五于冰霜银行中心再次对阵灰熊队时能够延续这种状态。
“这显然是一段艰难的投篮低迷期，但这就是比赛的一部分，”瓦塞尔说。“你必须学会如何从中反弹。我已经准备好摆脱困境，朝着正确的方向前进。”
马刺队代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)毫不怀疑瓦塞尔迟早会摆脱低迷状态。
“德文是一位非常出色的射手和得分手，”约翰逊说。“这就是那种风水轮流转的事情。你只需要等待它发生。”
瓦塞尔的得分对马刺队来说至关重要，尤其是在球队得分王维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)不在场上的时候。
上赛季，瓦塞尔场均19.5分，是马刺队的第二得分手。尽管本赛季在阵容更深的马刺队中，他的场均得分略有下降至15.8分，但他仍然排在队内第二。
对于一位本赛季实际上以2700万美元成为马刺队薪水最高的球员来说，这样的要求并不过分。
“我们这些一直在这里的人都知道他会很快恢复状态，”控球后卫特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)说道，他与瓦塞尔都是2020年选秀大会的成员。“他非常有天赋，能够以多种不同的方式完成投篮。现在只是需要重新找到那种节奏。”
在瓦塞尔的队友看来，他只有一条路可以走出困境。
“你必须继续投篮，”摇摆人朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)说。“没有正确或错误的答案。没有诀窍。你只需要投篮。”
瓦塞尔的教练表示同意。
“我唯一对他真正生气的时候就是他犹豫或者不投篮的时候，”约翰逊说。“这是我们不能做的事情。”
在一月初的缓慢开局中，瓦塞尔在等待自己的节奏回归的同时，也专注于以其他方式帮助球队。
在输给丹佛的比赛中，他抢下了8个篮板，在输给密尔沃基的比赛中抢下了9个篮板。在本月初战胜掘金的比赛中，他与文班亚马联手完成了一次关键抢断，锁定了胜局。
“那是我从那段低迷期走出来的最重要的事情，”瓦塞尔说。“显然，你的投篮不会一直都那么准，所以你还能如何以其他方式影响比赛呢？你不能只是一维的。”
尽管如此，当他在周一战胜洛杉矶的比赛中投进第一个跳投时，没有人比瓦塞尔更感到宽慰了。
那一晚，他18投9中，包括5个三分球和一个隔扣湖人球星安东尼·戴维斯(Anthony Davis)并在网络上疯传的扣篮。
作为一名职业射手，瓦塞尔重新找回了自己的感觉。重担卸下了。他可以再次呼吸了。
“我需要这个，”瓦塞尔说道。
在瓦塞尔的职业生涯中，曾经有一段时间，他可能会很难摆脱像一月初那样的投篮低迷。
随着时间的推移，他发现做到这一点的最佳方法就是简单地把球投进。
“我身边有很多很棒的人，从教练到队友，再到办公室里的每个人，”瓦塞尔说。“每个人都在我耳边跟我说话，鼓励我。我也必须对自己有信心。”
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) drives to the net around Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard (10) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Grizzles, 129-115.
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) drives down the court around Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (7) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Grizzles, 129-115.
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) lays the ball into the net around Memphis Grizzlies center Jay Huff (30) in the second half at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Grizzles, 129-115.
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) and center Victor Wembanyama (1) talk during a timeout in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies Frost Bank Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Grizzles, 129-115.
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) warms up with his teammates before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Grizzles, 129-115.
点击查看原文：Spurs' Devin Vassell hopes dry January is behind him
Spurs’ Devin Vassell hopes dry January is behind him
Devin Vassell knows a shooting slump like he suffered to open January could drag anyone down.
“It’s just human nature,” the Spurs guard said. “As much as I want to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m just trying to get over the first (bad) game or the second one,’ as they build up, maybe you second-guess yourself.”
For a shooter such as Vassell, there is nothing like seeing the ball go in the basket to remove all guesswork. After beginning the new year in a 24-for-67 funk, the 24-year-old Vassell righted the ship for consecutive games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Vassell went 16 of 31 in those two games, which the Spurs split. That mark included a scorching 8-of-14 showing from 3-point range.
With 23 points against the Lakers and 21 against Memphis, Vassell posted consecutive 20-point outings for the first time this season. It is a turnaround the fifth-year pro hoped to continue when the Spurs faced the Grizzlies again Friday at the Frost Bank Center.
“It was obviously a rough shooting slump, but that’s the way the game is,” Vassell said. “You’ve just got to learn how to bounce back from it. I’m ready to get out of that and start moving in the right direction.”
Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson harbored little doubt Vassell would snap out of his cold streak sooner or later.
“Devin is a heck of a shooter and a scorer,” Johnson said. “It’s one of those deals where the worm will turn. You’re just waiting on it.”
Vassell’s scoring has become necessary for the Spurs, especially during minutes when leading scorer Victor Wembanyama is off the floor.
Vassell was the Spurs’ second-leading scorer last season at 19.5 points per game. Though his average has slipped a bit this season to 15.8 per game on a deeper Spurs team, Vassell still ranks second on the team.
It is not an unfair ask for a player who technically is the Spurs’ highest-paid player this season at $27 million.
“Those of us who have been here know he snaps out of it pretty quickly,” said point guard Tre Jones, who arrived with Vassell as a member of the 2020 draft class. “He’s super talented and is able to get his shot off in so many different ways. It’s just about finding that rhythm again.”
The way Vassell’s teammates saw it, there was only one way for him to find his way out of the woods.
“You’ve got to keep shooting,” swingman Julian Champagnie said. “There’s no right or wrong answer. There’s no trick. You’ve got to just shoot the basketball.”
Vassell’s coach agreed.
“The only time I really get mad at him is when he hesitates or doesn’t shoot,” Johnson said. “That’s one thing we can’t do.”
As Vassell awaited the return of his rhythm throughout a slow start to January, he focused on helping the team in other ways.
He chipped in eight rebounds in a loss to Denver and nine in a loss to Milwaukee. He teamed with Wembanyama on a key steal to seal a victory at the Nuggets to open the month.
“That was my biggest thing coming out of that stretch,” Vassell said. “Obviously your shot is not always going to be falling all the time, so how can you impact the game in other ways? You can’t just be one-dimensional.”
Still, nobody was more relieved than Vassell when his first jumper fell early in Monday’s victory in Los Angeles.
It was the start of a 9 of 18 night that included five 3-point goals and one gone-viral dunk over Lakers’ star Anthony Davis.
A professional shooter, Vassell was back to feeling like himself again. A weight had been lifted. He could breathe again.
“I needed that,” Vassell said.
There was a time in Vassell’s career when he might have struggled to shake off a shooting slump like the one that began his January.
Over time, he has found the best way to do that is to simply make shots.
“I’ve got great people in my ear, from coaches to my teammates to everybody around the office,” Vassell said. “Everybody has been in my ear talking to me, encouraging me. I’ve got to have that confidence in myself as well.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News