By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-09-27 13:53:54
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。
在2025年7月14日于内华达州拉斯维加斯托马斯&马克中心举行的一场犹他爵士对阵圣安东尼奥马刺的2025年NBA夏季联赛比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队的2号球员迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 正在运球。
你可以称之为年少轻狂，可以称之为天真烂漫，也可以说这纯粹是自信使然。
就在马刺队于六月用榜眼签选中19岁的后卫迪伦·哈珀后不久，这位年轻人便为全世界的银黑军团拥趸重新设定了期望值。
“我们将会打进季后赛，”哈珀在圣安东尼奥的媒体见面会上告诉记者。
考虑到马刺队自2019年以来——当时哈珀还只是个刚进入青春期的少年——就再也未能获得季后赛资格，这番保证堪称一句大胆的宣言。
然而，这或许并非遥不可及。
世界级巨星维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在因血栓问题导致其第二个NBA赛季提前结束后即将回归，全明星后卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 同样恢复健康，准备好以这位法国巨星搭档的身份打满整个赛季，再加上包括卫冕年度最佳新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 在内、进步神速的年轻核心阵容，马刺将比过去六年来任何时候都更接近季后赛的竞争行列。
由于在九月份接受了手术，以修复其左手（投篮手）拇指的撕裂韧带，哈珀将不得不推迟加入战局。俱乐部已宣布哈珀将缺席整个训练营，但球队仍然乐观地认为，他即便会缺席常规赛，时间也不会太长。
哈珀的状况是本周马刺开启训练营时众多值得关注的故事情节之一。球队媒体日定于周一，而首次合练则在周二进行。
以下是另外五个看点：
- 文班何时能重返巅峰状态？
自2月16日在旧金山全明星周末亮相后，文班亚马就再也未踏上过NBA赛场，这是这位21岁年轻人职业生涯中最长的一次篮球休赛期。
这次因深静脉血栓诊断而导致的休战，对文班亚马而言究竟是福是祸，还有待观察。
2025年9月10日，星期三，在英格拉姆的汤姆·摩尔高中，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马为在场的学生们表演扣篮。马刺队为当地初高中学生举办了一场社区活动，以表达对克尔县7月4日致命洪水过后社区的支持。
自2023年6月以状元秀身份被选中以来，文班亚马就一直处在篮球的“跑步机”上，从法国联赛的季后赛到他的NBA新秀赛季，再到2024年巴黎奥运会，然后又到他第二个NBA赛季的中点，几乎马不停蹄。
尽管在本周训练营开始时，他可能会有些许生疏感，但他的身体无疑从这段长时间的休息中受益。
在去年二月被迫停赛时，文班亚马正势不可挡地朝着板上钉钉的NBA年度最佳防守球员和最佳阵容荣誉高歌猛进。
假如文班亚马能在今年秋天尽早找回节奏，那么在2025-26赛季，这些目标——以及更多——仍在他7英尺4英寸的视野之内。
他与福克斯之间的化学反应将是季前赛初期的看点。自福克斯去年二月从萨克拉门托加盟以来，两人仅共同出战了五场比赛。
- 教练组的新鲜血液会给训练营带来新气象吗？
上一次马刺队开启训练营时主教练不是格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich)，比尔·克林顿还是美国总统，达拉斯牛仔队还是超级碗冠军。
那是在1996年10月。
在上赛季开始五场比赛后，由于这位名人堂教练中风，长期担任助教的米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 接过了教鞭。作为代理主教练，约翰逊在带领球队最终取得34胜48负战绩的过程中，出色地稳住了球队大局。
本赛季，这艘战舰无疑将由39岁的约翰逊全权掌舵。
为了帮助约翰逊取得成功，球队管理层也尽其所能，为教练团队注入了强心剂，增设了一名首席助教——备受推崇的防守大师肖恩·斯威尼 (Sean Sweeney)，以及新任助教肖恩·金 (Sean King) 和科利斯·威廉姆森 (Corliss Williamson)。
这个团队将与留任的助理教练马特·尼尔森 (Matt Neilsen) 一同，构成约翰逊的教练班底。
蒂姆·马丁 (Tim Martin)，一位著名的球员发展领域的奇才，曾在文班亚马和自己都还未受雇于马刺前就与他合作过，也加入了教练组。
布雷特·布朗 (Brett Brown) 在2022年重返圣安东尼奥，在波波维奇身边担任助教，现已转任为管理层顾问。
教练团队同样需要培养化学反应，而训练营对于马刺这个重组的团队来说，将是至关重要的时期。
尽管如此，别指望约翰逊会偏离波波维奇在近三十年作为球队教练和精神领袖所灌输的原则与价值观太远。
在2025年7月14日于内华达州拉斯维加斯托马斯&马克中心举行的一场犹他爵士对阵圣安东尼奥马刺的2025年NBA夏季联赛比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队的2号球员迪伦·哈珀正向犹他爵士队的16号球员伊莱贾·哈克利斯 (Elijah Harkless) 的篮筐发起攻击。
- 在哈珀缺阵初期，马刺的控球手们将如何应对？
即便哈珀能够赶上常规赛开局，他也很可能会被逐步地融入球队的每晚轮换阵容中。在这位新秀完全进入状态之前，马刺将面临控球手短缺的局面。
福克斯预定出任首发控球后卫，而卡斯尔则最有可能在他身边担任无球首发。除此之外，马刺的阵容在控卫类型球员上略显不足。
约翰逊可以选择在赛季初将卡斯尔调至替补席，将他的两名顶级控球手分配到不同阵容单元中；或者让他们一同首发，并在比赛中错开他们的上场时间。无论哪种方式，预计老将控卫乔丹·麦克劳克林 (Jordan McLaughlin) 将会比通常情况下在第二阵容中获得更多出场机会。
一年前的这个时候，马刺拥有的控球手多到用不完。上赛季揭幕战阵容中的四名后卫如今已不在队中——克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul)、特雷·琼斯 (Tre Jones)、马拉基·布兰纳姆 (Malaki Branham) 和布雷克·韦斯利 (Blake Wesley)。
鉴于哈珀不合时宜的伤病，约翰逊至少在一段时间内，需要用“胶带”临时拼凑出一套后卫轮换阵容。
- 揭幕战的首发五虎已经确定了吗？
很可能已经确定了，这取决于约翰逊打算如何回答上述关于他后卫线的问题。
假如卡斯尔留在首发阵容，预计在10月22日马刺客场挑战达拉斯的赛季揭幕战中，他将与担任控卫的福克斯、另一侧翼的德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell)、大前锋哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 以及中锋文班亚马联袂首发。
随着赛季的进行，阵容或许还有调整的空间。朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 可能会为马刺的首发阵容提供更多的三分火力。杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 则可能为这套阵容注入更强的防守韧性。一旦伤愈，哈珀也可能挑战首发位置。
然而，就目前而言，上述五人组仍然是赛季初首发的最佳人选。
- 其他新加盟的老将能多快融入球队？
管理层在休赛期采取了措施，着手解决上赛季阵容最大的短板之一——即文班亚马身后明显缺乏内线深度。
马刺队两位最重要的新援——7英尺2英寸的卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 和6英尺11英寸的凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk)——应该能毫不费力地找到自己的位置。
30岁的科内特曾在波士顿的季后赛球队中扮演强悍的贡献者角色，并且至今仍是NBA最被低估的护筐手和挡拆执行者之一。34岁的奥利尼克是一名辗转多队的老将，上赛季先后效力于多伦多和新奥尔良，他是一位拥有三分射程、能拉开空间的内线球员。
无论何时文班亚马下场休息，这两位球员都应该能获得稳定的出场时间，并且偶尔也可能与这位全明星球员同时在场。
对于约翰逊来说，季前赛和训练营将为他试验板凳席上的这些“新武器”提供一片沃土。
Former San Antonio Spurs player David Robinson presents the 2024-2025 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year trophy to Stephon Castle during a small ceremony at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama answers a question from a reporter during a news conference held before the last game of the season against the Toronto Raptors at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, April 13, 2025. It was the first time Wembanyama has addressed the media since his season-ending injury, deep vein thrombosis, was announced in late February.
Dylan Harper drives into the lane during 2025 NBA Summer League game between the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
San Antonio Spurs Stephon Castle holds his 2024-2025 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year trophy during a ceremony at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
点击查看原文：5 Burning Questions as Wembanyama, Spurs open camp
5 Burning Questions as Wembanyama, Spurs open camp
Dylan Harper #2 of San Antonio Spurs dribbles the ball during 2025 NBA Summer League game between the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Call it the bravado of youth. Call it naivete. Call it nothing but confidence.
Not long after the Spurs made Dylan Harper the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft in June, the 19-year-old guard reset expectations for silver-and-black aficionados everywhere.
“We’re going to make the playoffs,” Harper told reporters at his introductory news conference in San Antonio.
Considering the Spurs have not qualified for the postseason since 2019 – when Harper was barely a teenager – that guarantee constitutes quite the called shot.
Yet it might not be all that far-fetched.
With star-of-the-world Victor Wembanyama set to return from a blood clot issue that brought premature end to his second NBA season, All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox likewise healthy and primed for a full season as the Frenchman’s sidekick and a rapidly improving youthful core that includes reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, the Spurs will enter the season closer to contending for the playoffs than they have been in a half dozen years.
Having undergone surgery in September to repair a torn ligament on the thumb of his left (shooting) hand, Harper will have to wait to join the fray. The club has ruled Harper out for the duration of training camp, but the team remains optimistic he will not miss much, if any, of the regular season.
Harper’s status is one of the many storylines worth monitoring as the Spurs open camp this week, with media day slated for Monday and the first practice on tap Tuesday.
Here are five others:
1. How soon is Wemby back to being Wemby?
Wembanyama hasn’t set foot on an NBA floor since his Feb. 16 appearance at the All-Star tournament in San Francisco, marking the longest basketball layoff of the 21-year-old’s life.
Whether the hiatus caused by his deep vein thrombosis diagnosis will be a curse or a blessing for Wembanyama remains to be seen.
The San Antonio SpursÕ Victor Wembanyama performs a dunk for an audience of students at Ingram Tom Moore High School in Ingram on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. The Spurs put on a community event for the students of the middle and high schools to show support in the months after the deadly July 4 flood in Kerr County.
Since being drafted No. 1 overall in June of 2023, Wembanyama has been on a hoops treadmill that took him from the French League playoffs to his rookie NBA season to the 2024 Paris Olympics to the midway point of his second NBA campaign without passing “Go.”
His body certainly benefited from the extended time off, even if a bit of rust might be expected at the outset of this week’s training camp.
At the time of his forced shutdown last February, Wembanyama was steamrolling toward a sure-fire NBA Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA nod.
Assuming Wembanyama finds his rhythm sooner rather than later this fall, those goals – and more – remain in his 7-foot-4 sights in 2025-26.
His connection with Fox will be something to monitor early in the preseason. The pair only appeared in five games together after Fox arrived from Sacramento last February.
2. Will new blood on the coaching staff infuse camp with a different feel?
The last time the Spurs opened training camp without Gregg Popovich as head coach, Bill Clinton was president and the Dallas Cowboys were Super Bowl champions.
That was in October 1996.
Longtime assistant Mitch Johnson took over from Popovich five games into last season, following the Hall of Famer’s stroke. As acting coach, Johnson did an admirable job holding the ship together en route to a 34-48 finish.
This season, the Spurs are unequivocally the 39-year-old Johnson’s boat to captain.
The organization has done its part to set Johnson up for success, juicing up the coaching staff with the addition of an associate head coach, highly regarded defensive guru Sean Sweeney, as well as new assistants Sean King and Corliss Williamson.
That group will team with holdover assistant coach Matt Neilsen to round out Johnson’s bench.
Tim Martin, a noted development savant who worked with Wembanyama before either were employed by the Spurs, joined the staff as well.
Brett Brown, who came back to San Antonio in 2022 to serve alongside Popovich on the bench, has transitioned to a front office consultant role.
Coaching staffs need to gain chemistry too, and training camp will be a crucial time for that for the Spurs’ reconfigured group.
Nevertheless, don’t expect Johnson to stray too far from the principles and values Popovich instilled in nearly three decades as the team’s coach and moral compass.
Dylan Harper #2 of San Antonio Spurs attacks the basket against Elijah Harkless #16 of Utah Jazz during 2025 NBA Summer League game between the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
3. How will Spurs’ ball-handlers handle Harper’s early absence?
Even if Harper is cleared for the start of the regular season, he is likely to be eased into the team’s every-night rotation. Until the rookie is completely up to speed, the Spurs will face a dearth of ball-handlers.
Fox is slated as the starting point guard, with Castle the favorite to start next to him off the ball. After that, the Spurs’ roster is somewhat short on point guard types.
Johnson could choose to shift Castle to the bench to start the season, sifting his top two ball-handlers onto distinct units, or start them together and stagger their minutes throughout the game. Either way, expect veteran point guard Jordan McLaughlin to see more second-team reps than he otherwise might.
A year ago at this time, the Spurs had more ball-handlers than they could use. Four guards off last season’s opening day roster are no longer with the team – Chris Paul, Tre Jones, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley.
Given Harper’s untimely injury, Johnson will need to patch together a guard rotation with duct tape for at least a little while.
4. Is the opening-night starting five etched in stone?
Probably, depending on how Johnson intends to answer the above question about his guards.
Assuming Castle sticks with the starters, expect him to team with Fox at point guard, Devin Vassell at the other wing, power forward Harrison Barnes at power forward and Wembanyama at center when the Spurs tip off the season Oct. 22 at Dallas.
There might be room for tweaks as the season goes along. Julian Champagnie might give the Spurs’ starters a bit more 3-point shooting. Jeremy Sochan might imbue the unit with an extra dose of defensive toughness. Once healthy, Harper might challenge for a starting job.
For now, however, the aforementioned five remains the best bet to start the season.
5. How quickly can other veteran newcomers crash the party?
The front office made offseason strides toward addressing one of the roster’s biggest weaknesses last season – namely, a decided lack of big-man depth behind Wembanyama.
The Spurs’ two most prominent additions – the 7-2 Luke Kornet and 6-11 Kelly Olynyk – should have little trouble finding their fit.
Kornet, 30, was a rugged contributor on playoff teams in Boston, and remains one of the NBA’s most underrated rim defenders and pick-and-roll players. Olynyk, a 34-year-old journeyman who split last season between Toronto and New Orleans, is a floor-spreading big man with a 3-point shot.
Both players should find steady work whenever Wembanyama is off the floor, and could occasionally find themselves in lineups next to the All-Star.
For Johnson, the preseason and training camp will provide fertile ground for tinkering with the new toys on his bench.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News