By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-10-06 23:50:00
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。
马刺在进入2025/26赛季前的最重要引援之一，便是替补中锋卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet)。这笔签约并不算亮眼，但如果他近几年的表现可作参考，那么他将确保圣安东尼奥在维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 休息时能够稳住阵脚——而这恰恰是球队过去的一大难题。
然而，科内特的吸引力远不止于为文班打替补。在波士顿的最后两年，这位马刺新援曾成功地与其他大个子球员同时在场，因此我们有理由相信，教练组会尝试在这种配置下使用他。接下来，让我们看看他在凯尔特人是如何做到的，以及他与文班亚马的组合是否适配。
防守端，科内特预计将成为双塔阵容中的主要护筐手
在波士顿，科内特曾与艾尔·霍福德 (Al Horford) 和克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porzingis) 共同出场。无论与谁搭档，科内特都扮演着护筐手的角色。考虑到他在这方面的出色表现，这样的安排合情合理。在他干扰下的篮下投篮，对手命中率仅为52.2%，这是一个顶级水准的数据，使他与贾勒特·阿伦 (Jarrett Allen) 处于同一梯队，并且在出手次数相对较少的情况下，已经极度接近鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 的水准。他4.4%的盖帽率虽无法与文班亚马高达10.4%的恐怖数据相提并论，但也让他跻身联盟第二梯队，仍然是一个非常出色的成绩。因此，将科内特置于最适合干扰近筐投篮的位置，是理所当然的选择。
凯尔特人通过两种方式实现了这一点。首先，如果对手场上有一位传统的蹲坑内线，那科内特就负责防守他。这让他能够靠近篮筐，并在挡拆中主要采用沉退防守，而他更灵活的队友则可以更多地向外线扩展。当对手场上有一位空间型大个子和一位外线投射不佳的球员时，乔·马祖拉 (Joe Mazzulla) 会调整对位，让科内特去防守那位投篮能力较差的球员，无论其位置如何。举个例子，当凯尔特人对阵马刺时，科内特曾一度对位斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)，而霍福德则去防守文班亚马。作为一名游走协防者，他的覆盖范围相当不错，因此偶尔出现的轮转换位不及时也并非大问题。
这套体系在文班身边能奏效吗？
在短时间内，应该是可行的。现实情况是，文班亚马是联盟中一骑绝尘的最佳护筐手，所以让他去防守外线并可能要应对换防，似乎并非对其天赋的最佳利用。但偶尔改变一下他的比赛任务是有意义的，尤其是当他需要对付那些体型魁梧、对抗激烈的内线时。由于重心较高，科内特在篮板球方面对抗这类顶级球员时会有些吃力，但他从不畏惧与他们进行身体对抗，必要时甚至会用强硬的犯规来阻止对方，这能保护文班免于磨损和陷入犯规麻烦。
进攻端，科内特精于细节，打法聪明
如前所述，科内特能胜任传统中锋所需的一切工作。凯尔特人经常让他去设立掩护、顺下冲击篮筐以及冲抢篮板，而他们的空间型大个子——通常是霍福德而非波尔津吉斯——则像侧翼球员一样为球队拉开空间。波士顿并不优先考虑他的顺下进攻，因为他们拥有许多具备急停跳投威胁的球员，这些球员常常利用掩护为自己创造出手空间。但科内特总能出现在合适的位置，并通过拼抢进攻篮板和补篮来延续球队的进攻回合。同样，当他与内米亚斯·克塔 (Neemias Queta) 同时在场时，两人基本都扮演着肌肉型内线的角色，这也是其他一些球队在使用双中锋阵容时会采用的策略。但科内特的能耐不止于此。
有时候，尽管没有投射威胁，科内特也会和他的四名队友一样，在进攻回合开始时站在外线。防守他的人会放空他，这与对手在文班亚马和索汉同时在场时对待索汉的方式别无二致。但就像索汉一样，科内特非常聪明，懂得何时切入、何时重新移动，以利用防守方对他的忽视。无论是在侧翼还是底角，一旦他的防守人协防持球人或有人出手投篮，他便会立刻切入或冲抢篮板。让他待在外线的目的，一方面是为了提供更多的空间，另一方面也是为了利用他的无球掩护和手递手配合，在防守者放空他时为射手创造机会。
这套体系在文班身边能奏效吗？
应该可行。上赛季，文班亚马有时会作为无球威胁点为球队拉开空间，他很可能也愿意在短时间内继续这样做。而且，对手将不得不尊重他的投篮。圣安东尼奥不像波士顿那样拥有众多急停三分射手，但他们应该有足够多的突破威胁，能够在挡拆后迫使防守收缩。这种情况下，科内特可能需要提升他作为掩护顺下终结者的效率，这应该是可以做到的。至于让科内特在外线发起进攻，马刺虽然不像凯尔特人那样执着于五外战术，但他们也常常让大个子球员在弧顶扮演进攻发起点的角色，所以他们或许能找到让他不仅仅扮演掩护者角色的方法。
科内特并非那种球风华丽的球员，但他能做好马刺需要他做的两件事：为文班打好替补，以及在教练组想尝试不同阵容时与他并肩作战。他甚至有可能带来更多惊喜——他职业生涯早期曾展现过的三分球能力还在吗？——但对于米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 来说，只要他的第二阵容大个子能提供稳健的中锋表现，他就心满意足了，而科内特应该能持续稳定地做到这一点。随着新赛季的临近，希望这位新援能够证明，即便出场时间有限、扮演着一个朴实无华的角色，他也能为这支球队带来至关重要的作用。
点击查看原文：How the Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet two-center lineup can thrive
How the Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet two-center lineup can thrive
One of the Spurs’ biggest additions heading into the 2025/26 season was backup center Luke Kornet. He wasn’t a sexy signing, but if his performance in recent years is any indication, he’ll allow San Antonio to hold their own when Victor Wembanyama rests, something that was a problem.
The appeal of Kornet, however, goes beyond just backing up Wemby. In his last two years in Boston, the newest Spur successfully shared the floor with other big men, and it’s reasonable to expect the coaching staff to try to use him in that setting. Let’s take a look at how he did it with the Celtics and whether the fit with Wembanyama is good.
On defense, expect Kornet to be the main rim protector on two-big lineups
In Boston, Kornet played next to both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. With either on the court, Kornet slotted as the rim protector. It makes sense, considering how good he was at it. In shots he contested at the rim, opponents converted just 52.2 percent, an elite mark that had him in the same tier as Jarrett Allen and extremely close to Rudy Gobert on an admittedly lower number of attempts. His block percentage of 4.4 percent can’t compare to Wembanyama’s gargantuan 10.4, but it puts him in the second tier in the league, still a fantastic mark. It just made sense to have Kornet in the best position to contest shots close to the basket.
The Celtics accomplished that in two ways. First, if there was a traditional paint-bound big on the floor for the opponent, that was who Kornet guarded. It allowed him to be close to the rim and play mostly drop defense on the pick-and-roll while his more nimble teammates ventured further out to the perimeter. When there was a stretch big on the floor and a perimeter player who struggled from outside, Joe Mazzula adjusted the matchups, having Kornet defend the poor shooter, no matter their position. To give you an idea, when the Celtics played the Spurs, Kornet spent time on Stephon Castle while Horford guarded Wembanyama. He covered ground fairly well as a roamer, so the occasional late rotation was not a major issue.
Does it work with Wemby?
In short stretches, it should. The reality is that Wembanyama is the best rim protector in the league by a country mile, so having him play in the perimeter and potentially dealing with switches doesn’t seem like the best use of his talents. It does make sense to occasionally change his workload, especially if he has to deal with a burly, physical big inside. Kornet has some issues with the elite versions of those players on the boards because of his high center of gravity, but he has no problem trying to match their physicality and fouling them hard if he has to, which should protect Wemby from wear and tear and foul trouble.
On offense, Kornet does the little things and plays smartly
As mentioned, Kornet does everything a traditional center is expected to do. The Celtics often had him set screens, run to the rim, and crash the boards while their stretch big — more often Horford than Porzingis — spaced the floor as a wing. Boston didn’t prioritize his rolls to the rim, as they had pull-up threats that often used screens to create room to fire, but he made himself available and got offensive boards and taps that kept possessions alive. Similarly, when he shared the floor with Neemias Queta, both largely played like bruising bigs, a strategy a few other teams have also used when playing two centers. But that’s not all Kornet did.
Sometimes, Kornet started the possession in the perimeter, along with his four teammates, despite not being a shooting threat. His man played off him, not unlike what opponents did to Sochan when Wembanyama and Sochan shared the floor, but just like Sochan, Kornet was smart about when to cut and when to relocate to take advantage of the defense’s lack of attention to him. Whether from the slot or the corner, as soon as his man collapsed onto the ball or a shot was launched, he’d cut or crash the boards. The idea of having him in the perimeter was to provide a sliver more of spacing, but also to use his off-ball screening and hand-off game to spring a shooter open while his defender played off him.
Does it work with Wemby?
It should. Wembanyama spaced the floor as an off-ball threat at times last season and would likely be willing to do it for short stretches. Opponents would have to respect his shot, too. San Antonio doesn’t have as many pull-up three-point shooters as Boston, but should have driving threats that make the defense commit after ball screens. Kornet would likely have to up his roll-man finishing, which should be possible. As for having Kornet in the perimeter to start plays, the Spurs are not as committed to five-out ball as the Celtics are, but are not strangers to using bigs as initiators from the top of the arc, so they could find uses for him as more than just a screener.
Kornet is not the flashiest of players, but he can do the two things the Spurs need from him: back up Wemby and play next to him if the coaching staff goes to try a different look. There’s a chance he could do even more — is the three-point shot he flashed earlier in his career still a thing? — but Mitch Johnson will take solid center play from his second-string big man, and Kornet should offer that consistently. As the season approaches, hopefully, the new addition will show how important he can be for this team, even in limited minutes and a non-glamorous role.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock