By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-03-18 12:56:23
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。
洛杉矶湖人队后卫卢卡·东契奇（77号）运球突破，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（5号）在2025年3月17日周一在洛杉矶举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场进行防守。(美联社图片/Kyusung Gong)
和往常一样，马刺队新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)做了充分的准备。
被委以重任，在周一洛杉矶的比赛中试图防守卢卡·东契奇(Luka Doncic)，卡斯尔一头扎进了比赛录像中。
他观看了东契奇最近对阵湖人队的比赛片段。 他还观看了东契奇之前效力于达拉斯小牛队，成为马刺队克星的比赛片段。
一切都是为了获得优势。
“我觉得对付这类球员是必须的，”卡斯尔说。“我觉得如果你不做准备，那简直就是对自己的不负责任。”
但在对阵湖人队以125-109失利的比赛中，仅仅过了五分钟多一点，卡斯尔的所有准备工作都好像被一股脑儿地丢出了Crypto.Com球馆的窗外。
在第一节还剩6分48秒时，卡斯尔在防守东契奇时领到了第三次犯规。
其中两次犯规判罚都颇具争议。 但即便如此，早早到来的犯规还是立刻对卡斯尔的防守方式产生了影响。
“我真的不想谈论那些犯规，”卡斯尔说。“那确实是很艰难的处境。 这是他们的判断。 这让我的比赛开局非常糟糕。”
不过，这位20岁的卡斯尔值得称赞的是：他没有让早期的犯规困扰长时间影响到他的比赛。
就像他首次征战NBA的大部分夜晚一样，卡斯尔是马刺队失利中的亮点。
身高6英尺6英寸的卡斯尔以23分领跑马刺队，抢下8个篮板，更重要的是——尽管有犯规问题，但他仍然能够重拾侵略性。
“我认为他在比赛中表现得更好，”马刺队代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)说。“就只是比赛，不要担心。 如果你犯满离场，那就去它的。”
最终，卡斯尔在他的年度最佳新秀竞逐履历上又添了一笔，马刺队将在周三回到霜冻银行中心迎战纽约尼克斯队。
作为去年夏天选秀大会的第4顺位新秀，在顶替受伤的达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)进入马刺队的首发阵容之前，卡斯尔就已经被认为是威尔特·张伯伦奖的领跑者。
进入首发阵容只会增加卡斯尔的数据，进而提高他在年度最佳新秀选票中的形象。
如果卡斯尔说他没有听到越来越多的传闻，那他就是在撒谎。
“很难不去关注它，”卡斯尔说，他希望能够跟随维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)的脚步，让马刺队连续两年获得年度最佳新秀。“我不会说我一直在追求这个奖项。 只是上场自由自在地打球，让一切顺其自然。”
抛开年度最佳新秀的追逐，卡斯尔NBA生涯首个赛季的剩余时间将继续他在联盟中的学习。
周一的比赛提供了一次具有挑战性的突击测验。
在东契奇身穿湖人队球衣对阵马刺队的处子秀中，他打出了典型的个人表现。
东契奇得到21分、14次助攻和9个篮板，险些拿到他在上个月通过重磅交易来到洛杉矶后的第三次三双。
卡斯尔从这次经历中学到了什么？
“真正意识到的是，在防守像他这样的球员时，细节有多么重要，”卡斯尔说。“很难一对一防守他，但如果你对他进行包夹，他会做出正确的判断。 所以只是努力建立我们的沟通，并在这方面信任彼此。”
老将控球后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)表示，像周一这样的夜晚只会加速卡斯尔的发展。
“在这个联盟中，没有什么老师比得上实战，”保罗说。“事实上，他正在获得比赛中的经验，并有机会看到实战中的情况，这只会继续帮助他。”
在洛杉矶的周一，卡斯尔又上了一课：如何在逆境中战斗。
他承认，快速的犯规让他脱离了比赛状态，至少一开始是这样。
“我试图在不犯规的情况下进行防守，”卡斯尔说。“在某个时候，感觉我真的不能碰任何人了，但只是试图在不让他们站上罚球线的情况下，在那一端发挥作用。”
上半场受到犯规困扰，卡斯尔在中场休息时只得到6分。
下半场他得到17分，其中包括第四节的14分，帮助马刺队将28分的差距缩小到11分。
“他不知疲倦地冲击油漆区，”约翰逊说。
对卡斯尔来说，这种不知疲倦的精神始于防守端，一旦他摆脱了犯规的困扰。
“我觉得那是我的强项，所以只是努力在那一端站稳脚跟，”卡斯尔说。“我觉得这为我今晚的比赛定下了基调。”
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, center, goes up for a basket past San Antonio Spurs guard Blake Wesley, left, and guard Stephon Castle during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
点击查看原文：Castle's perseverance pays off vs. Doncic, Lakers
Castle’s perseverance pays off vs. Doncic, Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
As always, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle did his homework.
Assigned the unenviable task of trying to defend Luka Doncic on Monday in Los Angeles, Castle dove headlong into the film.
He watched clips of recent Doncic games with the Lakers. He watched old clips of Doncic in his previous life as a Spurs killer with the Dallas Mavericks.
Anything to gain an edge.
“I feel like it is needed against those kind of guys,” Castle said. “I feel like if you don’t do it, then you’re just doing yourself a disservice.”
It took a little more than five minutes of a 125-109 loss to the Lakers for all of Castle’s prep work to go flying out the Crypto.Com Arena window.
Castle picked up his third foul guarding Doncic with still 6:48 remaining in the first quarter.
Two of those foul calls were debatable. Still, the plethora of early whistles had an immediate chilling effect on Castle’s approach.
“I don’t really want to talk about the fouls really,” Castle said. “It really was a tough situation. That’s their judgment. It kind of got me off to a rough start to the game.”
Give the 20-year-old Castle credit for this much: he didn’t let early foul trouble throw him off his game for long.
As has been the case most nights during his maiden voyage across the NBA, Castle was a bright spot in the Spurs’ defeat.
The 6-foot-6 Castle led the Spurs with 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds and – more importantly – was able to regain his aggressiveness despite foul issues.
“I thought he did a better job just playing,” Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “Just play and don’t worry about it. If you foul out, screw it.”
In the end, Castle added another bullet point to his swelling Rookie of the Year campaign, which continues Wednesday when the Spurs return to the Frost Bank Center to face New York.
The No. 4 pick in last summer’s draft, Castle was already considered the front-runner for the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy before being elevated to the Spurs’ starting lineup in place of the injured De’Aaron Fox.
The move to the starting five has only served to enhance Castle’s counting numbers and in turn his profile among Rookie of the Year voters.
Castle would be lying if he said he didn’t hear the growing buzz.
“It’s hard not to look at it,” said Castle, who would follow Victor Wembanyama to give the Spurs back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been shooting for it. Just going out there and playing free and just let things work out for themselves."
Rookie of the Year chase aside, the remainder of Castle’s inaugural NBA season will be about continuing his education in the league.
Monday provided a challenging pop quiz.
In his first game against the Spurs in a Lakers uniform, Doncic turned in the type of performance typical of him in any uniform.
Doncic finished with 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, narrowly missing his third triple-double since coming to Los Angeles via last month’s blockbuster trade.
What did Castle learn from the experience?
“Really just how important the little things are when guarding a guy like that,” Castle said. “It’s hard to guard him one-on-one, but if you put two on the ball on him, he’s going to make the right reads. So just trying to build off of our communication and trusting in each other on that end of the floor.”
Veteran point guard Chris Paul said nights like Monday can only turbocharge Castle’s development.
“In this league, there’s no teacher like playing,” Paul said. “The fact that he’s getting in-game reps and getting a chance to see what it looks like in live action is only going to continue to help him.”
Monday in L.A., Castle earned another lesson in fighting through adversity.
He admits the quick whistles took him out of his game, at least at first.
“I was trying to play defense kind of without fouling,” Castle said. “At some point it felt like I couldn’t really touch people, but just trying to make an impact on that end of the floor without putting them on the free throw line.”
Handcuffed by foul woes in the first half, Castle went into intermission stuck at six points.
He scored 17 after halftime, including 14 in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs carve a 28-point deficit to 11.
“He was just relentless on getting to the paint,” Johnson said.
For Castle, the relentlessness began on the defensive end, once he shook off his foul plague.
“I feel like that’s my strong suit, so just trying to hold my own on that end,” Castle said. “I feel like that kind of sets the tone for whatever kind of night I’m going to have.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News