By Jared Weiss and William Guillory | The Athletic, 2025-12-09 06:09:18
新奥尔良电——周一晚间对阵圣安东尼奥马刺队的比赛前，当德里克·奎因 (Derik Queen) 浏览自己的X（推特）账号时，一张图片吸引了他的注意。
这位新奥尔良鹈鹕队的新秀喜欢通过社交媒体从质疑者那里寻找动力，但这张特别的图片并未提及奎因本人。那是一份2026年NBA选秀顶级潜力球员的名单，以及一句奎因无法认同的论断。
“有人说2026届会比我们更强，或者说那才是最强的一届，”他回忆道。“我们绝对是最强的一届。无论从哪个角度看，我们都将是更出色的那届。我们拥有更优秀的球员。”
奎因是2025届的13号秀，这一届新秀早已因众多球员早早打出影响力而抓住了NBA球迷的眼球。周一，奎因成为了最新一位打出惊艳表现的球员，在他职业生涯的第25场比赛中，他便创造了历史，在球队以132-135不敌马刺的比赛中，砍下了生涯新高的33分、10个篮板、10次助攻和4次盖帽。这位20岁的大个子成为历史上首位单场砍下30+得分、10+篮板、10+助攻和4+盖帽的新秀。
鹈鹕队失利的一个主要原因，是马刺队新秀、今年六月的榜眼迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的出色发挥。这位19岁的年轻人替补出场贡献了22分和6次助攻，其中包括在第四节还剩9.1秒时一记关键的右手突破上篮，帮助马刺锁定胜局。
“我认为他只是在做自己，”马刺队队友德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 告诉The Athletic。“这正是为什么每个人都将他视为前二顺位的选择。”
在哈珀完成那记上篮之前，奎因刚刚在比赛还剩30秒时强行杀入内线，用一记自己的右手 layup 短暂地为新奥尔良取得了一分的领先优势。哈珀在第四节独得9分，领衔马刺全队；而奎因则在下半场狂砍29分，帮助鹈鹕队从25分的巨大分差中奋起直追。
周一这场两位一年级球员之间引人入胜的对决，仅仅是今年众多新秀所展现出的无畏精神的一个缩影。
“我和迪伦在夏天一起待过一段时间……我为他感到高兴，”奎因说。“我在大学时就和他交过手。他是个非常出色的球员。我非常期待未来与他更多的较量。我们会不断进步，建立起伟大的对手关系，并保持竞争力。”
在福克斯看来，这届新秀正在表明，尽管近年来美国篮球的人才输送管道可能已落后于某些国家，但情况正开始好转。
“很棒的一点是，他们中很多都是美国人，这点毫无疑问，”福克斯说。“他们中的许多人显然也得到了上场时间。一旦你开始在这个联盟里感到自如，你的比赛水平就会提升，尤其是在你开始建立起那种自信之后。只要你拥有了自信，我认为天空才是你的极限。”
自信源于重复的练习，而这一过程在关键时刻为哈珀带来了回报。当哈珀刚到训练营时，他还在为何时该用抛投、何时该强硬攻击篮筐而犹豫不决。
“我当时有点摇摆不定，有点犹豫，就像，好吧，我是新来的，还在摸索，”哈珀说。“但随着赛季的进行，我的队友、教练，每个人都鼓励我做自己。我认为像（周一）这样的表现正说明了无论如何我都会坚决地攻击篮筐。我会努力站上罚球线，即使对手把我送上罚球线。就是要拥有这种杀入禁区的心态。”
在赛季的头几个月里，哈珀的主要目标就是建立自信，以便更好地展现出马刺队上赛季考察他时所看到的样子。
“我认为，当你在联盟中开始感到游刃有余时，你看起来可能像一个完全不同的球员。但那才是我们选中的那个他，”福克斯说。“那才是我们希望他成为的样子，在他初步适应联盟之后，他正开始变得越来越自如。”
自如伴随着沉着。这不仅仅是施展终结技巧或寻求身体对抗的自信，更是要理解比赛的需求并减少失误。比赛奖励的是稳定性，而非华丽的表演。
一个精彩的进球不会给你额外的分数；只有更高效、更具威胁性才能得到更多的分数。哈珀正开始对何时该保持耐心、何时该全力加速有了感觉。
“他现在有更多比赛能懂得把握时间、比分和节奏，知道何时该打得有侵略性，何时该传球，”马刺队老将哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 告诉The Athletic。“这只是一个成熟的过程，而他一直做得很好。”
在关键时刻展现出沉着冷静的不仅是哈珀。奎因在比赛还剩30秒时就提前发动进攻，因为他想保持“两攻换一攻”的优势，这也是为什么他能在比赛最后时刻投失一个空位三分绝杀球之前，还能获得倒数第二个出手机会。对时间和比分的把控通常是新秀的弱点，但临场意识和比赛感觉却是奎因和哈珀最强的优点之一。
“这是从上到下都非常强的一届新秀。它拥有惊人的深度，球员们都能抓住时机，充分利用他们的机会，”鹈鹕队教练詹姆斯·博雷戈 (James Borrego) 说。“这些（球员）在我看来不像新秀。他们在关键时刻能产生重大影响。我们刚刚就看到了两个。奎因和哈珀在比赛末段都打出了非常精彩的表现。”
“如今联盟的天赋水准极高。”
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。
点击查看原文：Derik Queen's historic night, Dylan Harper's game-winner highlight rookie class' potential
Derik Queen’s historic night, Dylan Harper’s game-winner highlight rookie class’ potential
NEW ORLEANS — As Derik Queen scrolled through his X account ahead of Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, one graphic caught his eye.
The New Orleans Pelicans rookie enjoys looking through social media to conjure up inspiration from his doubters, but this particular graphic didn’t say anything about Queen. It was a list of the top prospects for the 2026 NBA Draft and a declarative statement Queen took exception to.
“Somebody said (the 2026 class) is going to be better than us, or that’s the best class,” he recalled. “We’re definitely the best class. Up and down the charts, we’re going to be the better class. We have the better players.”
Queen was the 13th pick in the 2025 class, which has already grabbed the attention of NBA fans because so many of its players are already making an impact. Queen was the latest to do so on Monday, making history in just his 25th game as a pro with a career-high 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocks in a 135-132 loss to the Spurs. The 20-year-old big man is the first rookie in history to record 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, 10-plus assists and four-plus blocks in a single game.
A major reason behind the Pelicans’ loss was the performance of Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in June. The 19-year-old tallied 22 points and six assists off the bench, including a clutch right-handed layup with 9.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter that put the Spurs up for good.
“I think he’s being him,” Spurs teammate De’Aaron Fox told The Athletic. “That’s why everybody had him as a top-two pick.”
Harper’s layup came just after Queen bullied his way into the lane for a right-handed layup of his own with 30 seconds remaining that briefly gave New Orleans a one-point lead. Harper led the Spurs with nine points in the fourth quarter, while Queen’s monstrous 29-point second half helped the Pelicans claw their way back from a 25-point deficit.
Monday’s captivating back-and-forth between two first-year players was just one example of the fearless approach so many of this year’s rookies have put on full display.
“Me and Dylan spent some time (together) during the summer. … I’m happy for him,” Queen said. “I played against him in college. He’s a really good player. I’m just looking forward to more battles against him. We’re just going to keep getting better and keep on building great rivalries and keep being competitive.”
To Fox, this rookie class is showing that while the American basketball pipeline may have fallen behind in recent years to some, things are starting to turn around.
“It’s great that a lot of them are American, that’s for sure,” Fox said. “A lot of them are obviously getting playing time. Once you start getting comfortable in this league, that’s when you elevate your game, especially once you start to gain that confidence. Whenever you have that confidence, I think the sky’s the limit.”
Confidence comes from repetition, and that process paid off for Harper in crunch time. When Harper arrived for training camp, he was having trouble deciding when to go to a floater and when to attack the rim hard.
“I was a little iffy, a little hesitant, like, yeah, I’m the new guy trying to feel it out,” Harper said. “But as the season kept going, my teammates and coaches, everyone encouraged me just to be me. I think plays like (Monday’s) just show that I’m going to attack no matter what. I’m going to get to the line, even if I get there and foul me. But just have that mindset to get to the paint.”
In the opening months of the season, Harper’s main objective has been to build that confidence so he could better resemble the guy the Spurs scouted last season.
“I think whenever you start getting comfortable in this league, it might start looking like you’re a different player. But that’s the guy we drafted,” Fox said. “That’s the guy who we want him to be, and he’s starting to get comfortable after getting his feet wet.”
With comfort comes composure. It’s not just the confidence to get to your finishing moves or seek contact. It’s understanding what the game is calling for and cutting down on mistakes. The game rewards consistency more than flashiness.
You don’t get bonus points for a spectacular bucket; you just get more points for being more efficient and effective. Harper is starting to get a feel for when to be patient and when to put his foot on the gas.
“He’s had more games now where he’s knowing time, score, pace, when to be aggressive, when to pass,” Spurs veteran Harrison Barnes told The Athletic. “It’s just the maturation process, and he’s been really good.”
It wasn’t just Harper who showed poise in crunch time. Queen attacked early, making his move at the 30-second mark because he wanted to maintain the two-for-one advantage, which was why he was able to get the game’s penultimate shot when he missed a wide-open 3 for the win. That knowledge of time and score tends to be a weak point for rookies, but situational awareness and feel are two of Queen and Harper’s best strengths.
“It’s a really strong class from top to bottom. It has tremendous depth and guys who are stepping into the moment, making the most of their opportunities,” Pelicans coach James Borrego said. “These (players) don’t look like rookies to me. These are guys having major impact in clutch moments. We just saw two of them. Queen and Harper made really good plays down the stretch.
“The stock of talent is extremely high right now.”
By Jared Weiss and William Guillory, via The Athletic