By Mateo Mayorga | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-11-02 00:52:25
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。
圣安东尼奥马刺队是联盟仅存的三支不败球队之一，并且正处在队史最佳的开局五连胜之中。他们缺少了像全明星球员德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 这样的关键轮换球员，以及替补内线凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk) 和卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet)。尽管如此，我们还是忍不住会想，如果球队的火力再充足一些，他们的净胜分会达到何种地步。
我们来回顾一下。
马刺队场均净胜14.4分，为联盟最高，尽管其中两场胜利的对手是至今未尝胜绩的布鲁克林篮网队和新奥尔良鹈鹕队。到目前为止，他们遇到的实力最强的对手是迈阿密热火队 (3胜2负)。
需要注意的是，马刺的比赛节奏排在联盟倒数第四，但快攻得分却高居联盟第一。这意味着他们会有选择地在开放进攻中发起冲击，并且敏锐地抓住对手孱弱的转换防守，而不是过早地发动进攻。热火队在这两项数据上分别位列第一和第二，但在周四那场以6分优势获胜的比赛中，马刺在每个方面都更胜一筹。
如果福克斯在阵中，考虑到他在空间内的超强活力，球队的节奏可能会打得更快，但这支队伍的运转水平已经非常高，证明了没有他也能取得成功。他缺阵也带来了一些利弊权衡：斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 是一位更出色的防守者，而他在外线对对手的持续压迫，正是马刺防守效率高居联盟第二的一大原因。
假设福克斯能够出战在达拉斯的揭幕战，那也并不意味着马刺能以超过33分的优势痛击对手。为什么？斯蒂芬·卡斯尔或许场均有5.4次失误和5.4次助攻，但这个角色对他来说并不算难以胜任，因为他在篮下大杀四方，当他36.2%的出手来自篮下时，命中率高达81%。他为文班掩护，创造出反向错位进攻的机会，并且在赛季初期也是他最好的空接传球手。
德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 的快攻场均得分（5.6分）在NBA排名第五，并且在全队最高的出手次数（8.4次）下，投出了40.5%的三分命中率。迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 拥有出色的第一步，能轻松地将防守者卡在身后。他看起来总是掌控着局势，而且现在正好可以提一下，他以场均14.4分排在新秀得分榜第三位，有效命中率高达52.7%，助攻失误比为2.3。
此外，由于福克斯是一名高产得分手，他们可能仍然会保持联盟最高的场均净胜分，但这会蚕食掉年轻外线球员们正在得到的一些机会。他们仍会大胜对手，但净胜分不会比现在更高——这并非是对福克斯的苛责。这说明球队的优秀球员过剩，并非每个人都能在每场比赛中闪耀。
福克斯能带来巨大帮助的一个关键领域是控球稳定性，尤其是在战胜猛龙队的那场比赛中，马刺出现了21次失误。作为一名老将，他的生涯助攻失误比为2.26，并且在紧张的比赛末段拥有更丰富的经验。在过去的五场比赛中，马刺在控制失误方面的表现仅处于联盟中游水平，这还远远不够。
福克斯在进攻端的牵制力也会为其他队友创造更宽松的环境。需要记住的是，维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 今年场均只有2.8次接球就投。他的表现已经非常出色，强调他接球投篮次数少这一点听起来可能像是在吹毛求疵，但事实并非如此。未来，文班亚马有机会通过福克斯的传球，在比赛中获得一些更轻松的出手选择。
除了福克斯，我们别忘了缺席了三场比赛的科内特，以及至今一场未打的奥利尼克。他们最终都会回归，但他们的缺阵确保了俾斯麦·比永博 (Bismack Biyombo) 能获得所有文班亚马不在场的时间，同时还有哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 客串五号位。替补内线的角色是球队中最重要的位置之一，因为在文班下场后，对手会更多地冲击内线。而到目前为止，由于伤病，球队在那些时段里一直缺乏足够的保障。
随着科内特和/或奥利尼克的回归，马刺的净胜分优势可能会进一步扩大。他们能得分，也是队友可靠的掩护者，这意味着他们能帮助队友获得空位机会。在科内特脚踝受伤之前，马刺曾在对阵鹈鹕的比赛中，在他和文班亚马短暂同时在场的时间里尝试过他们的掩护顺下配合，并且效果不错。两人之间反复的配合可以把对手的防线搅得天翻地覆。
现在发生的一切并非侥幸。借用《大西洋帝国》中努基·汤普森 (Nucky Thompson) 的一句台词：“幼犬已经长出了獠牙”，马刺回来了。
点击查看原文：Why the Spurs are deeper than you think
Why the Spurs are deeper than you think
The San Antonio Spurs are one of three undefeated teams left and are on a franchise-best opening five-game win streak. They are missing key rotation players such as All-Star De’Aaron Fox, plus backup big men Kelly Olynyk and Luke Kornet. Still, it’s irresistible to think about what the margin of victory could be if the team had more of its horsepower.
Let’s review.
The Spurs are winning by an average of 14.4 points, the highest differential in the NBA, although, two victories have come against two still-winless — the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans. The highest quality opponent so far has been the Miami Heat (3-2).
Keep in mind that the Spurs are fourth-slowest in pace but number one in fastbreak points. This means they selectively strike in the open court and are sharp at exposing weak transition defense instead of initiating offense early. The Heat are first and second in both those categories, but the Spurs were superior in each area on Thursday in a six-point win.
With Fox, they’d likely be playing quicker because of his dynamic abilities in space, but the team has operated at such a high level, showing they can get by without him. There’s a bit of a trade-off with him out, too: Castle is a superior defender, and hounding rivals on the perimeter is a big reason they have the second-rated defensive rating.
Hypothetically, if Fox were ready for the opener in Dallas, it doesn’t mean they would have waxed the Wild Horses harder than 33 points. Why? Stephon Castle may be averaging 5.4 turnovers, with 5.4 assists but the role isn’t too big for him because he is feasting at the rim, logging 81 percent when 36.2 percent of attempts come from there. He screens for Wemby, creating inverted sets and has been his best lob passer early on as well.
Devin Vassell is fifth in the NBA in fastbreak point average (5.6) and making 40.5 percent of 3-point shots on the highest volume on the team (8.4). Dylan Harper has an exceptional first step and can put defenders on his back hip easily. It always seems like he’s in control, and now is a good time to mention that he’s third in rookie scoring at 14.4 points on 52.7 effective field goal percentage with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Furthermore, with Fox being a volume scorer, they could still be averaging the highest-point differential, but it would eat away at some of the opportunities the younger perimeter players are getting. They’d be blowing teams out, but not by a more significant margin than now and that’s not an indictment on Fox. It means the team has a surplus of good players, and not all of them will be able to shine every game.
One big area Fox would help in is ball security, especially in the win against the Raptors, in which the Spurs had 21. He has a career 2.26 assist-to-turnover ratio and has more experience in tight, late-game situations as a veteran. Through five outings, the Spurs have been a middle-of-the-pack team in avoiding turnovers, and that’s not good enough.
Fox’s gravity on the attack would also loosen things up for others. Keep in mind that Wembanyama is only taking 2.8 catch-and-shoot attempts this year. He’s been terrific, and highlighting those low attempts may sound like nitpicking but it isn’t. There is an opportunity down the line for Wemby to take some easier shots in a game supplied by Fox.
Aside from Fox, let’s not forget Kornet, who has missed three games, and Olynyk, who has been absent all. They’ll eventually be back, but their time off has ensured that Bismack Biyombo gets the non-Wembanyama minutes with a bit of Harrison Barnes at the five. The backup big man role is one of the most important on the team because opponents attack the body more with Wemby out, and so far, there hasn’t been much of a security blanket in those spurts because of the injuries.
With Kornet and/or Olynyk back, the Spurs could add a bit of extra cushioning to their margin of victory. They can get buckets and are solid screeners for their teammates, which means they will get open. Before Kornet hurt his ankle, the Spurs flashed screen rolls with him and Wembanyama against the Pelicans in their brief time sharing the floor, and it worked. Repeated actions between the two can put defenses in a scramble.
What is going on is not a fluke. Borrowing a line from Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire, “The pups have grown fangs,” and the Spurs are back.
By Mateo Mayorga, via Pounding The Rock