By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-07-17 12:12:20
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。
这两名前锋尚未取得巨大飞跃，但他们都在为保住上赛季的双向合同位置而努力。
夏季联赛期间，马刺球迷的注意力理所当然地集中在新秀卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 能打出怎样的表现，并惊叹于异军突起的大卫·琼斯-加西亚 (David Jones-Garcia) 那令人惊喜的得分能力。他们一直是球队的焦点人物。
莱利·米尼克斯 (Riley Minix) 和哈里森·英格拉姆 (Harrison Ingram) 理所当然地在这三人面前退居次席，但鉴于他们上赛季都身背双向合同，这个夏天对他们而言至关重要。目前，两人都没有获得板上钉钉的位置，但如果他们能继续展现出最初吸引人关注的优点，并在一些关键领域取得足够的进步，他们的表现或许能为自己赢得一席之地。
英格拉姆和米尼克斯刚在拉斯维加斯打出了他们本届夏季联赛的最佳表现。这位2024年选秀大会的第48顺位新秀贡献了15分、14个篮板和6次助攻，而那名投射型侧翼则命中制胜球，击败了犹他爵士。截至目前，英格拉姆场均贡献8.7分、9.7个篮板和4.7次助攻。米尼克斯场均12分5个篮板，外线命中率超过50%。这些数据与他们在发展联盟的数据相差不大，很好地描绘了他们作为球员的特点。
米尼克斯是一位公认的“神射手”，他利用自己的体型在篮板方面做出贡献。这是一个很好的基础。问题在于，他还能在多高的水平上做到什么，以及期待他发展出一项关键突破性技能是否现实。目前，他的场上全面表现并不出色。他最终能成为一名次级组织者吗？考虑到他已经25岁，并且从未扮演过这个角色，这似乎不太可能。他在防守端很努力，近期也获得了马刺夏季联赛主教练迈克·诺伊斯 (Mike Noyes) 对他防守端努力的赞扬，但身体条件过于有限，无法在防守端达到平均水准以上。他最好的选择是效仿道格·麦克德莫特 (Doug McDermott) 的路径，不仅成为一名优秀的，而是成为一名出色的空切手和移动中投射者，并且从不失误。他在发展联盟篮下终结能力高于平均水平是一个令人鼓舞的迹象，而且他本身就不易失误，因此我们有理由保持谨慎乐观。
RIL3Y pic.twitter.com/u4yDXn6jeI
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) July 11, 2025
如果说米尼克斯是一位专精型球员，那么英格拉姆则恰恰相反。他没有特别突出的技能，但能在许多方面都做到不错的水准。他体型够大，移动能力也足够好，能胜任几个位置的防守任务，但算不上顶级防守者。他是一名不错的篮板手，但如果他在NBA打大前锋，他的身高和缺乏爆发力可能会在面对更强的对手时影响他的篮板表现。他擅长传导球，并且善于找到空位队友，但他不是那种能创造优势的球员。他身上有很多特质表明他可以成为一名可靠的替补角色球员，但有一个弱点会阻碍他甚至无法展现出这些：他糟糕的外线投篮。英格拉姆在发展联盟的三分命中率仅为29%，而在夏季联赛的16次尝试中只命中了5球（其中3球是对阵爵士时命中的），这表明即使在出手次数不多的情况下，他也不是一个威胁。他需要在这方面有所提高才能在联盟中获得机会。
off the glass pic.twitter.com/aqbltXvn31
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) July 11, 2025
好消息是，两人都有清晰的路径成为NBA级别的角色球员。米尼克斯可以成为一名移动型得分手，他可能不以传统方式为他人创造机会，但他通过吸引防守注意力来达到目的。英格拉姆距离成为格兰特·威廉姆斯 (Grant Williams) 那种“多面手”只差一手投篮，他能提供全面的贡献而不会拖累球队。问题在于，这在短期内发生的可能性有多大，以及马刺是否应该投入资源帮助他们实现目标。将他们留在双向合同名额中，意味着这个名额可能无法给予其他人，这存在机会成本。米尼克斯25岁，英格拉姆23岁。他们绝对不算太老，仍然有潜力，但身体已经成熟。因此，倾向于选择风险更高但上限也更高的球员并非难事。
这两名球员在马刺队效力期间的表现显然足以让管理层认为他们值得再次考察，否则他们就不会出现在夏季联赛大名单上。他们也很可能会得到一份训练营合同，因为到目前为止两人都有过精彩表现。即使他们都获得了双向合同，这种类型的合同名额仍有一个空缺，此外还有一个正式阵容名额可用。现在还不需要与他们分道扬镳，但在拉斯维加斯夏季联赛接近尾声之际，考虑他们在球队中的位置也为时不晚。
包括马刺队在内，大多数球队在双向合同球员方面的表现都不稳定，这表明将边缘球员培养成有贡献的球员并非易事。英格拉姆和米尼克斯最终可能会达到那个水平，正如他们在夏季联赛中的最新表现所证明的那样。希望他们能通过成为那些罕见的成功案例来回报圣安东尼奥对他们的投资，在新工资帽限制下，边缘球员的作用可能比以往任何时候都更有价值，他们能为球队提供廉价的阵容深度。
点击查看原文：Riley Minix and Harrison Ingram are showing they are worth another look from the Spurs
Riley Minix and Harrison Ingram are showing they are worth another look from the Spurs
The two forwards haven’t made big leaps, but both are making a case for keeping the two-way spots they had last season.
The attention from Spurs fans during Summer League has rightfully been directed at figuring out what rookies Carter Bryant and Dylan Harper can do, and marveling at the scoring prowess of surprise standout David Jones-Garcia. They have been the stars of the show.
Riley Minix and Harrison Ingram have understandably taken a back seat to those three, but after spending last season on two-way contracts, this is an important summer for them. Right now, neither has a spot guaranteed, but their play might get them one if they can continue to do what got them noticed in the first place while showing enough progress in some key areas.
Ingram and Minix are coming off their best game in Las Vegas. The 48th pick in the 2024 draft finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while the sharpshooting wing hit a game-winner to beat the Jazz. For the competition, Ingram is averaging 8.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Minix is averaging 12 points and five rebounds while making over 50 percent of his outside shots. Those numbers are not all that dissimilar from their G League stats and paint a good picture of who they are as players.
Minix is a certified sniper who uses his size to contribute on the boards. That’s a good base to have. The question is what else he can do at a high level and whether it’s realistic to expect him to develop a swing skill. Currently, he doesn’t have a great floor game. Can he eventually become a secondary playmaker? Considering he’s 25 years old and has never filled that role, it feels unlikely. He tries on defense, and recently received praise from Spurs’ Summer League coach Mike Noyes for his effort on that end, but is too limited physically to be above average on that end. His best bet is to become not just a good but a great cutter and movement shooter who never turns the ball over, following the Doug McDermott path. His above-average finishing at the rim in the G League is an encouraging sign, and he’s already turnover-averse, so there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic.
RIL3Y pic.twitter.com/u4yDXn6jeI
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) July 11, 2025
While Minix is a specialist, Ingram is the opposite. He has no standout skills but does a lot at a decent level. He’s big and mobile enough to be a decent defender across a couple of positions, but not a great one. He’s a good rebounder, but his height and lack of bounce could hurt him against better competition in that area if he plays power forward in the NBA. He keeps the ball moving and is good at finding the open man, but he’s not someone who can create advantages. There is a lot about him that suggests he could be a solid role player off the bench, but there’s one weakness that will prevent him from even getting to show that: his poor outside shooting. Ingram made only 29 percent of his threes in the G League and has made just five of his 16 attempts in Summer League (three of those came against the Jazz), showing that he’s not a threat even in low volume. He needs to improve there to have a shot in the league.
off the glass pic.twitter.com/aqbltXvn31
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) July 11, 2025
The good news is that there are clear paths for both to become NBA-caliber role players. Minix could be a movement scorer that might not create for others traditionally, but does so by commanding the attention of the defense. Ingram is a shot away from being a Grant Williams-type who offers a little bit of everything without taking anything off the table. The question is how likely it is that it will happen anytime soon, and whether the Spurs should invest in helping them get there. There is an opportunity cost in keeping them in a two-way spot that could go to someone else. Minix is 25. Ingram is 23. Definitely not too old to have upside, but already physically mature. It’s not hard to make a case for riskier but higher ceiling options.
The two have clearly done enough in their Spurs tenure for the front office to consider them worthy of another look, or they wouldn’t be on the Summer League roster. They will likely get a training camp offer as well, as both have had their good moments so far. Even if they are both retained on two-way deals, there will be a spot open on that type of contract, plus a regular roster spot available. There’s no need to part ways yet, but it’s also not too early to be thinking about their place in the franchise, as the Las Vegas tournament winds down.
The spotty track record most teams, including the Spurs, have with two-way players shows that it’s not easy to develop fringe projects into contributors. Ingram and Minix could eventually get there, as their latest performance in Summer League showed. Hopefully, they’ll reward San Antonio’s investment in them by becoming the rare success stories that provide teams with cheap depth in an era in which working on the fringes could prove more valuable than ever due to the new cap restrictions.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock