By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-04-17 05:25:12
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。
圣安东尼奥马刺队的德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)（左）、维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)和达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)在圣安东尼奥霜冻银行中心观看队友与多伦多猛龙队的比赛，这是马刺队本赛季的最后一场比赛，摄于2025年4月13日星期日。
德文·瓦塞尔宁愿在一个成功的团队中扮演辅助角色，也不愿在一支输球的球队中成为第一或第二选择来刷分。
在本赛季的最后四周主要占据马刺队进攻端首要位置后，瓦塞尔准备在2025-26赛季恢复到第三甚至第四选择，届时维克托·文班亚马和达龙·福克斯将回归，斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)预计也将以更大的信心进入他的二年级赛季。
“你看一支冠军球队，它不仅仅是一个人，”瓦塞尔说。“不仅仅是两个人。这是一个集体。”
在过去的15场比赛中，瓦塞尔场均出手14次，得到18分，在此期间，文班亚马（血栓）和福克斯（手指手术）都缺席了比赛。卡斯尔在那段时间里也表现出色，场均出手15次得到19分，比瓦塞尔多打了三场比赛。
但随着全明星中锋文班亚马和爆发力十足的后卫福克斯预计都将在9月底的训练营开始时做好准备，下赛季瓦塞尔的情况将会发生变化。
在马刺队2月20日宣布文班亚马本赛季报销时，他场均得到24.3分。福克斯在2月3日通过一笔三方交易从萨克拉门托加盟后，在3月13日被禁赛前，场均接近20分。
“这是一个甜蜜的烦恼，”瓦塞尔谈到他将在五个月后做出的调整时说。
“归根结底，”他补充说，“你不需要担心球队的球探报告只（关注）你。我会得到更好的机会，更容易的机会。”
瓦塞尔的评论是在上周日的赛季结束后发表的，这很可能得到了福克斯的赞同，福克斯在NBA效力了八个赛季后，场均得到21.5分。
“当我来到这里时，我告诉他，‘兄弟，当我在场上时，无论我打得如何，你永远不会（面对）最好的防守者，’”福克斯说。“所以对他来说，这更容易一些。显然，他不会像前四五年那样拥有那么多的球权。但对于他来说，面对一个较弱的防守者，然后能够利用补防进行比赛，我觉得这让比赛更容易。
在2025年4月9日星期三于旧金山举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔（24号）在金州勇士队后卫斯蒂芬·库里（30号）的防守下运球。（美联社照片/Godofredo A. Vásquez）
例如，福克斯提到了瓦塞尔在3月4日马刺队以127-113战胜布鲁克林篮网队的比赛中的表现。凭借三分球11投8中的出色表现，瓦塞尔在那场比赛中得到职业生涯最高的37分，卡斯尔得到17分，福克斯得到15分。
“一切都很简单，”福克斯说。“显然，有些时候他确实不得不投一些高难度的球，但那是因为他手感火热（而且篮网队不得不关注他）。其他一切都是他利用补防进行比赛，接球就投。他们补防很积极，他就能突破到篮下。这让比赛容易得多。”
“（本赛季的最后四周）他被球队中最好的两名防守者之一防守。但是当我们都在场上时，他们就无法那样做了。当每个人都健康时，我认为我们可能会非常出色。”
无论他的角色如何，瓦塞尔（将于8月23日满25岁）都应该在赛季开始时做好准备。这将与他一年前的身体状况形成鲜明对比。
这位2020年NBA选秀大会的第11顺位新秀由于在休赛期接受了右脚应力性骨折修复手术，错过了本赛季的前九场比赛。在打了四场比赛后，他又因膝盖受伤缺席了五场比赛。
“对我来说，这是漫长的一年，”瓦塞尔说。“但这也是很好的一年。我学到了很多东西，在精神上经历了许多起起落落。但我感觉这对我帮助很大，让我在精神上和身体上都变得更好了。”
在经历了赛季中期的投篮低迷后，瓦塞尔结束了本赛季，场均得到16.3分，低于他在2023-24赛季创下职业生涯最高的19.5分。但这个赛季不仅仅关乎他的进攻产出。在代理马刺队教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)的挑战下，瓦塞尔提高了他的全面表现，这位来自佐治亚州的球员场均得到4.0个篮板和职业生涯最高的1.3次抢断。
在三月份，瓦塞尔场均接近2.0次抢断和1.0次盖帽。
“他的积极性（令人印象深刻），”约翰逊说。“他利用自己的身高和运动能力进行无球跑动和制造机会的能力是其中的关键。”
瓦塞尔表示，他将在今年夏天的大部分时间里努力提高自己的稳定性，重点是提高他的运球和投篮手感，他在三分线外的命中率为36.8%（场均出手6.7次），略低于2023-24赛季的37.2%（场均出手6.6次）和2022-23赛季的职业生涯最佳38.7%（场均出手7.0次）。
“我为这个夏天感到兴奋，”他说。“我为我们所有人能够变得更好和成长感到兴奋。”
并成为一个成功的合作团队。
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody, left, defends against San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) as forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) sets a pick during the second half of their NBA game at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Friday, April 4, 2025. Cleveland beat the Spurs 114-113.
San Antonio Spurs’ Bismack Biyombo and Devin Vassell embrace as they react to their team’s growing lead against the Toronto Raptors in the second half of an NBA game at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, April 13, 2025. The Spurs defeated the Raptors 125-118 on Fan Appreciation Night.
San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, right, celebrates with guard Devin Vassell after the team’s victory over the Golden State Warriors in an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
点击查看原文：Why Spurs' Devin Vassell is ready for reduced role next season
Why Spurs’ Devin Vassell is ready for reduced role next season
San Antonio Spurs’ Devin Vassell, from left, Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox chat as they watch their teammates take on the Toronto Raptors in the Spurs’ last game of the season at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, April 13, 2025.
Devin Vassell would rather have a supporting role in a winning collaboration than rack up points as the first or second option on a losing team.
After spending the final four weeks of the season mainly atop the Spurs’ offensive pecking order, Vassell is ready to revert to being the third or even fourth option in 2025-26, with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox set to return and Stephon Castle expected to enter his sophomore season with even more confidence.
“You look at a championship team, it’s not just one person,” Vassell said. “It’s not just two people. It’s just a collective.”
Vassell averaged 18 points on 14 shots per game over his last 15 outings, a span in which Wembanyama (blood clot) and Fox (finger surgery) were both sidelined. Castle also thrived during that stretch, averaging 19 points on 15 attempts while playing in three more games than Vassell.
But with Wembanyama, the All-Star center, and Fox, the explosive guard, both expected to be ready to go when training camp rolls around in late September, things will change for Vassell next season
Wembanyama was averaging 24.3 points when the Spurs announced Feb. 20 he was done for the year. Fox was averaging nearly 20 points before he was shut down March 13 after joining the team from Sacramento on Feb. 3 in a three-team trade.
“It’s a good problem to have,” Vassell said of the readjustment he will have to make five months from now.
“At the end of the day,” he added, “you don’t have worry about a team’s scouting report just (focusing) on you. I’ll be getting better looks, easier looks.”
Vassell’s comments came after the season finale last Sunday and likely drew an approving nod from Fox, who is averaging 21.5 points per game after eight seasons in the NBA.
"When I got here, I told him, ‘Bro, you’re never going to (draw) the best defender when I’m on the court, regardless of how I’m playing,’ " Fox said. “So for him, it makes it a little bit easier. Obviously, he’s not going to have the ball in his hands as much as he did the previous four or five years. But for him getting a weaker defender and then being able to play off of closeouts, I feel like it makes the game easier.”’
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) moves the ball while defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
As an example, Fox pointed to Vassell’s performance in the Spurs’ 127-113 win over Brooklyn on March 4. On the strength of an 8-of-11 performance from 3-point range, Vassell scored a career-high 37 points on a night Castle had 17 and Fox 15.
“Nothing was complicated,” Fox said. "Obviously, there were times he did have to take tough shots, but that’s because he was hot (and the Nets had to focus on him). Everything else was him playing off closeouts, him catching and shooting. They close out hard, he’s getting to the basket. It makes the game a lot easier.
“He got guarded by one of the two best defenders on the team (the last four weeks of the season). But when we’re all out there, they won’t be able to do that. When everybody’s healthy, I think we could be extremely good.”
No matter his role, Vassell, who is set to turn 25 Aug. 23, should be ready to roll once the season starts. And it will be a welcome change from where he was physically at that point a year ago.
The 11th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft missed the first nine games of the season after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. After playing in four games, he sat out five more contests due to an injured knee.
“It was a long year for me,” Vassell said. “But it was also a good year. I learned a lot, went through a lot of ups and downs mentally. But I feel like it helped me a lot and has made me an even better player mentally and physically.”
After fighting his way through a mid-season shooting slump, Vassell ended the year averaging 16.3 points after averaging a career-best 19.5 in 2023-24. But the season wasn’t solely about his offensive production. Challenged by acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson to improve his all-around game, the Georgia native averaged 4.0 rebounds and a career-best 1.3 steals.
In March, Vassell averaged nearly 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
“His activity (was impressive),” Johnson said. “His ability to make plays off the ball and use his length and athleticism were at the forefront of that.”
Vassell said he will spend much of the summer working to become more consistent, with an emphasis on improving his handle and his shooting stroke after he connected on 36.8% of his shots from beyond the arc on 6.7 attempts per game, slightly down from hitting 37.2% on 6.6 attempts in 2023-24 and a career-best 38.7% on 7.0 attempts in 2022-23.
“I’m just excited for this summer,” he said. “I’m just excited for all of us to get better and to grow.”
And to become a winning collaborative.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News