By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-10-06 15:24:08
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。
2025年3月14日，星期五，在圣安东尼奥的霜岸中心，圣安东尼奥马刺队在第一节对阵夏洛特黄蜂队。图中，马刺队中锋俾斯麦·比永博 (Bismack Biyombo) (18号) 正在为队友后卫德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) (24号) 的一记进球而庆祝。
马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 不想给自己招来霉运。
最近，他一直在敲木头祈求好运，那劲头像个喝多了咖啡的鼓手在敲桑巴鼓点。他还把能找到的每一只幸运兔脚都摸了个遍。
三年来，瓦塞尔首次安然无恙地度过整个夏天，上周以一份完全健康的体检报告来到了训练营。
“我对此倍感珍惜，”瓦塞尔说。
两个夏天前，瓦塞尔因膝伤受限，这让他常规的夏季训练计划几乎完全泡汤。去年，休赛期的脚部手术让瓦塞尔直到11月中旬才迎来赛季首秀。
仿佛那个专属于德文·瓦塞尔的巫毒娃娃暂时被束之高阁，这位25岁的前乐透秀希望，一个完整的训练营能助他在个人第六个NBA赛季迎来大爆发。
他首要的个人目标看起来相当朴实。
“进入新赛季，我的目标是打满82场比赛，”瓦塞尔说道。
对于一位进入联盟五个赛季以来仅出战303场比赛的球员来说，这将是一项了不起的成就。
瓦塞尔的2024-25赛季从未真正起飞，从一开始就因伤病而搁浅。由于缺少夏季的训练量、没能参加训练营和季前赛，瓦塞尔整个赛季都在奋力追赶进度。
但他始终未能完全赶上。
瓦塞尔的场均得分下滑至16.3分。他的投篮命中率为44.3%，三分命中率为36.8%，这是他自二年级赛季以来的最低值。
他总共只出战了64场比赛。
如果瓦塞尔志在迎来一个强势反弹的赛季，那么健健康康地出现在训练营是必要的第一步。
“这太重要了，”瓦塞尔说。“能每天来球馆训练，甚至进行一日两练，做一些我已经很久没能做到的事情，这种感觉真的很棒。无论是力量、体能还是场上技术方面——我已经好几年没能这样系统训练了。”
马刺队的球员和教练们都表示，在今年训练营的初期阶段，一个不一样的瓦塞尔出现了。
2025年4月13日，星期日，在圣安东尼奥的霜岸中心，马刺队迎来了赛季收官战，对手是多伦多猛龙队。图中从左至右分别为圣安东尼奥马刺队的德文·瓦塞尔、维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 和德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)，他们一边聊天，一边观看队友们在场上比赛。
“任何球员只要能健康地度过一个完整的休赛期，并付出正确的努力、采取正确的方法，通常你都能看到回报，”教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说道，他已将瓦塞尔安排在侧翼首发的位置上。“这些家伙拥有大量资源，也显然天赋异禀。当这两者结合在一起时，通常就会产生好的结果。很高兴看到他做到了这一点。”
马刺队也在尽其所能，确保瓦塞尔能够完好无损地迎来常规赛揭幕战。
球队计划让他在周一于霜岸中心对阵中国联赛球队广州龙狮的季前赛揭幕战中休战，目标是让瓦塞尔在周三客场对阵迈阿密的比赛中完成他的季前赛首秀。
瓦塞尔的队友们都迫不及待地想看到他在时机成熟时重返赛场。
“我真的觉得，我们将会看到他加盟球队以来状态最好的德文·瓦塞尔之一，”前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 说。“德文现在很健康，他已经准备好了，我真心觉得看他接下来的表现将会非常激动人心。”
一旦马刺队阵容恢复全员健康，届时情况会如何，还有待观察。
就在不久前，瓦塞尔还被培养为马刺队的头号得分手之一，被鼓励可以随心所欲地出手投篮。在2022年至2024年的连续两个赛季里，瓦塞尔场均得分至少达到18.5分，同时每场出手超过15次。
如今，随着全明星球员德阿龙·福克斯和维克托·文班亚马，以及年度最佳新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 瓜分了球队大部分的出手权，瓦塞尔将必须学会在有限的机会中寻找得分点。
瓦塞尔那些出手——并时常命中——高难度、有对抗的投篮的日子应该要结束了。如果马刺队的计划进展顺利，他们将不再需要他做任何事，只需要他稳稳命中那些轻松的出手机会。
“我的宗旨是，只要能帮助球队赢球，我什么都愿意做，”瓦塞尔说。“如果需要我得分，我就会去得分。如果需要我在这里防守48分钟，我也会照做。我只想赢球，就这么简单。”
瓦塞尔效力于马刺队的这段时间，正是队史最惨淡的时期。在球队历史上，唯一一位在圣安东尼奥效力至少六个赛季却从未嗅到季后赛气息的球员，就是凯尔登·约翰逊。
在训练营早些时候，瓦塞尔发现自己不禁感慨时光飞逝，回想起自己当初作为一个来自佛罗里达州立大学的青涩新秀来到这里的场景。
“我已经在NBA打了六年球，并且为圣安东尼奥马刺队效力了六年，”瓦塞尔说，“这至今仍像一场梦。”
如果今年的这支马刺队能够终结季后赛荒，一个健康的瓦塞尔将是其中至关重要的一环。
但愿好运常在吧。
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell cheers on his teammates from the bench during the second half against the Toronto Raptors 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 guard Devin Vassell (24) brings the ball up court against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
点击查看原文：Healthy again, Spurs' Devin Vassell aims for a bounce-back season
Healthy again, Spurs’ Devin Vassell aims for a bounce-back season
San Antonio Spurs center Bismack Biyombo (18) celebrates a basket made by San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Spurs guard Devin Vassell doesn’t want to jinx anything.
Lately, he has been knocking on wood like an over-caffeinated drummer rapping out a samba beat. He has been massaging every lucky rabbit’s foot he can find.
For the first time in three years, Vassell made it through an entire summer unscathed, arriving at training camp last week with a crystal clear bill of health.
“I haven’t taken it for granted,” Vassell said.
Two summers ago, Vassell was limited by a knee injury that put a kibosh on anything approaching a regular summertime workout regimen. Last year, offseason foot surgery kept Vassell from making his debut until mid-November.
With somebody’s Devin Vassell voodoo doll apparently mothballed for the time being, the 25-year-old former lottery pick is hopeful a full training camp will give rise to a breakout sixth NBA season.
His overriding personal goal seems modest enough.
“Going into this year, my goal is to play all 82 games,” Vassell said.
That would be quite an achievement for a player who has been limited to 303 appearances in five seasons since entering the league.
Vassell’s 2024-25 campaign never quite achieved liftoff, scuttled by injury from the start. Devoid of a summertime workload, a training camp or preseason action, Vassell spent the entire campaign playing catch-up.
He never quite did.
Vassell’s scoring average dipped to 16.3 points per game. He shot 44.3% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range, Vassell’s lowest mark since his sophomore season.
He appeared in only 64 games.
If Vassell is aiming for a bounce-back campaign to come, showing up at training camp in one piece was a necessary first step.
“It’s been huge,” Vassell said. “Just being able to come into work every day and even have two-a-days to do certain things that I haven’t been able to do for a while, it’s been good. Strength-wise, conditioning-wise, on-court wise – it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been able to do that.”
Spurs players and coaches say a different Vassell has emerged through the early portion of this year’s training camp.
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.
“Any time someone has a full off season healthy and they put in the right work and right approach, you typically see the return on that,” said coach Mitch Johnson, who has Vassell penciled in as a starter on the wing. “These guys have a lot of resources and they obviously have a lot of natural ability. When you mix that together, you usually get results. It has been nice to see him do that.”
The Spurs are doing their part to help ensure Vassell makes it to opening night intact.
The team planned to hold him out Monday’s preseason opener against the Chinese League team Guangzhou Loong-Lions at the Frost Bank Center, targeting Wednesday’s game in Miami for Vassell to make his exhibition debut.
Vassell’s teammates are eager to see him on the floor when the time comes.
“I really feel as though we will see one of the best Devin Vassells we’ve seen since he’s been here,” forward Keldon Johnson said. “Devin is healthy, he’s ready and I really feel like it’s going to be exciting to see what he is going to do.”
What that looks like once the Spurs’ roster is at full health remains to be seen.
It wasn’t long ago Vassell was being groomed as one of the Spurs’ go-to shooters, encouraged to fire field goals at will. For two consecutive seasons between 2022 and 2024, Vassell averaged at least 18.5 points while attempting more than 15 shots per game.
With All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle now devouring much of the Spurs’ shot diet, Vassell will have to learn to feast on leftovers.
The days of Vassell taking – and often making – tough, contested shots should be over. If things go to plan for the Spurs, they won’t need him to do anything but knock down the easy ones.
“My thing is whatever I can do to help this team win is what I’m going to do,” Vassell said. “If I have to score, I’m going to score. If I have to sit here and play defense for 48 minutes, that’s what I’m going to do. I just want to win. That’s it.”
Vassell has been with the Spurs for the leanest period in team history. The only player in franchise annals to remain in San Antonio for at least six seasons without sniffing the playoffs is Keldon Johnson.
Earlier in camp, Vassell found himself reflecting on how fast the time has flown since he arrived as a fresh-faced rookie from Florida State.
“I’ve been in the NBA for six years, and playing for the San Antonio Spurs for six years,” Vassell said “It’s still a dream.”
If this year’s Spurs team becomes the one to break the postseason drought, a healthy Vassell will be a big part of it.
Knock on wood.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News