By Son Q. Trinh | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-07-27 09:08:43
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。
满足大众心愿，让《Around the Horn》回归吧
可口可乐还是百事可乐？扎克·施奈德还是詹姆斯·冈恩？Whataburger番茄酱还是Whataburger辣味番茄酱？重大问题需要重大答案。
ESPN近期对NBA高管和球探进行的一项调查显示，他们回答了关于夏季联赛结束后，新一批进入联盟的球员的一些引人深思的问题。乐观的马刺球迷应该不会感到惊讶，联盟内部人士对马刺的前两名新秀青睐有加。
NBA年度最佳新秀
状元秀库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 毫无悬念地获得了年度最佳新秀的大部分选票，但许多投票者也对这一选择进行了补充说明，他们预测虽然弗拉格可能不会在新秀赛季得分上领跑，但他在场上作为一名 组织者 和 防守核心 的影响力，将使他成为该奖项的有力竞争者。
“我估计像贝利或约翰逊这样的球员可能会在新秀赛季得分超过库珀，但库珀将做出更有意义的贡献，从而把达拉斯推向季后赛附加赛的范围。”
~ 匿名东部联盟高管
迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 获得了年度最佳新秀的次高票数（在总共20票中，他获得2票，弗拉格获得17票）。哈珀的天赋、出身、选秀报告以及作为榜眼秀的选秀资本，无疑是许多人认为如果库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 不参选，他就会是本届选秀状元的原因。哈珀和弗拉格一样，也“苦恼”于被选入一支稳固且富有竞争力的阵容，这意味着他不会被要求承担主要的得分重任。
本届选秀的最佳选择（除库珀·弗拉格外）
迪伦·哈珀和维杰·埃奇科姆 (VJ Edgecombe) 在状元秀之后最具价值的选择中获得了最多的选票（哈珀6票，埃奇科姆10票）。字里行间透露出，高管和球探们都非常喜欢本届选秀的前三名球员。马刺球迷已经对哈珀与过去两届年度最佳新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在场上并肩飞驰的可能性垂涎三尺。
“他的进攻中有一些马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili) 的影子。如果他的三分球能真正成为一种武器，那么福克斯 (Fox) 就变得可有可无，圣安东尼奥马刺队也能获得一个不错的交易资产。”
~ 匿名西部联盟球探
尽管马刺队赛季末肯定没有预料到会抽中榜眼签，但他们后卫线上似乎确实有些人员“堵塞”，因为德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)、斯蒂芬·卡斯尔和德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 也在阵容中。自诩过于乐观的马刺球迷倾向于认为多多益善，阵容深度是一个甜蜜的烦恼。一旦乐透抽签的乒乓球朝着他们有利的方向滚动，马刺队就没有多想，直接选择了当时最好的球员。在一个无位置篮球盛行、伤病总是比赛不幸组成部分的时代，马刺队通过增加另一个基石球员，为新赛季做好了充分准备。
本届选秀的最大“打劫”
选秀最大“打劫”的最高票数归属卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant)，他获得了5票。布莱恩特原本预计在第14顺位之前被选中，但他顺位下滑，马刺队将其收入囊中，进一步补充了他们其他高顺位的选秀资产。
“布莱恩特将成长为一名有影响力的 侧翼防守者 ，他能投三分，并且会成为球队核心的一部分。几年后，当马刺队大获成功时，我们会回首过去，人们会提及他们在2024年第4顺位选中卡斯尔，以及在第14顺位选中布莱恩特，将他们与维克托（文班亚马）在防守端搭档，这都是选秀中的‘打劫’。”
~ 匿名东部联盟球探
布莱恩特在夏季联赛中对库珀·弗拉格的 成功防守集锦 是获得高票的主要原因，这可能被证明是这一代（球员）的文班亚马对阵霍姆格伦夏季联赛高光时刻。
通过囤积选秀权并在价值球员“落袋”时将其拿下，马刺队正在借鉴俄克拉荷马雷霆队总经理萨姆·普雷斯蒂 (Sam Presti) 的“剧本”，考虑到普雷斯蒂曾是马刺队的球探和助理总经理，这个“剧本”也同样源自马刺队自身的策略。这就像科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 用迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 的招式反击乔丹，而乔丹又用自己的招式回击科比，如此循环往复，直到这种纯粹的力量创造出一个时间循环，宇宙在乔治·R·R·马丁 (George R.R. Martin) 完成最后两本书之前就已坍塌。
说到这里，各位看官觉得如何？请在下方做出你的选择——最好是配上胡椒博士汽水、薯条和一大加仑Whataburger辣味番茄酱。
点击查看原文：NBA execs have high praise for Spurs draft picks
NBA execs have high praise for Spurs draft picks
Give the people what they want and bring back Around the Horn
Coke or Pepsi? Zach Snyder or James Gunn? Whataburger Ketchup or Whataburger Spicy Ketchup? Important questions require important answers.
In a recent ESPN poll of NBA executives and scouts, they answered some of the more intriguing questions about the newest crop of incoming players ahead of the season after summer league wrapped up. Optimistic Spurs fan should not find it surprising that league insiders were big fans of the Spurs’ top two picks.
NBA Rookie of the Year
Number one overall pick Cooper Flagg unsurprisingly garnered the most votes for Rookie of the Year, but many of the voters qualified that pick with the prediction that while Flagg may not lead his rookie class in scoring, his impact on the court as a play maker and defensive presence will push him to be the favorite for the award.
“I assume someone like Bailey or Johnson may outscore Cooper as a rookie, but Cooper will make more meaningful contributions that push Dallas into play-in range.”
~ Anonymous Eastern Conference executive
Dylan Harper received the next most votes for RoTY (receiving 2 votes to Flagg’s 17 out of 20 total polled). Harper’s talent, pedigree, draft profile, and draft capital as the number two overall pick no doubt were the reasons that many thought Harper would have been the number one overall pick in this year’s draft if Cooper Flagg was not in the draft as well. Harper, like Flagg, also “suffers” from being dropped into a solid, competent roster where he will not be asked to carry the scoring load.
The draft’s best pick (other than Cooper Flagg)
Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe garnered the most votes (6 for Harper to Edgecombe’s 10) in terms of best value behind the number one overall pick. Reading between the lines, it seems like execs and scouts really liked the top 3 players in this year’s draft. Spurs fans are already salivating at the possibilities of Harper flying down the court alongside the last two rookie of the years Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama.
“[Harper] has some [Manu] Ginobili to his offensive game. If the 3-point shot ever becomes a true weapon [for him], he makes Fox expendable and gives San Antonio a nice trade asset.”
~ Anonymous Western Conference scout
While the Spurs definitely did not expect to land the number two overall pick at the end of the season, they do seem to have a logjam in the back court with De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Devin Vassell also on the roster. Self-proclaimed overly optimistic Spurs fan would tend to think more is better, and depth is a good problem to have. Once the lottery ping pong balls bounced their way, the Spurs did not overthink their pick and simply chose the best player available. In an era of position-less basketball and injuries always being an unfortunate part of the game, the Spurs set themselves up well heading into the season by adding another foundational piece.
The draft’s biggest steal
The top votes for biggest steal of the draft went to Carter Bryant with 5 votes. Bryant projected to go higher than 14, but he dropped and the Spurs scooped him up, adding to their other highly rated draft picks.
“[Bryant] will turn into an impact wing defender that can make 3s and be a part of their core. We’ll look back in several years while the Spurs are winning big, and people will mention them drafting Castle at 4 [in 2024] and Bryant at 14 to pair defensively with Victor as [draft] steals.”
~ Anonymous Eastern Conference scout
Bryant’s summer league clip of him locking down Cooper Flagg was a huge reason for the top votes, and it may prove to be this generation’s Wembanyama v. Holmgren summer league highlight.
By stockpiling draft picks and grabbing value when it drops in your lap, the Spurs are taking a page out of Oklahoma Thunder General Manager Sam Presti’s playbook, which is also a page out of the Spurs’ playbook given Presti’s roots as a former scout and assistant general manager for the Silver and Black. It’s like Kobe Bryant using Michael Jordan’s own moves against him, and Jordan using his own moves against Bryant and so on and so on until the sheer force creates a time loop, and the universe collapses on itself before George R.R. Martin gets to finish the last two books.
On that note, what do you think Pounders? Make your choice below—preferably with Dr Pepper and fries with a gallon of Whataburger Spicy Ketchup.
By Son Q. Trinh, via Pounding The Rock