By Fred Katz | The Athletic, 2025-12-12 15:08:34
一位老将弹无虚发。一支球队需要投丢几个球才能让篮球回归公平。还有一台“压路机”正碾压着那些忘记球探报告的防守者。
让我们打开笔记本，梳理过去一周吸引我眼球的三个NBA趋势：
哈里森·巴恩斯的“开火权”
上赛季，哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 肩负着一项使命来到圣安东尼奥。他和他新东家的未来之星有一个共同的爱好，而巴恩斯正准备投身其中。
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 热爱阅读，尤其是科幻小说。巴恩斯虽然偏爱其他类型的书籍，但也认为可以为这位他本应指导的后起之秀破个例。于是巴恩斯发起了一个读书会，起初有几名球员加入，但随着NBA赛季的推进，这种文学热情逐渐消磨，最终读书会只剩下两个人：巴恩斯和文班亚马。
巴恩斯选择的第一本书，并非巧合，正是来自文班亚马最喜爱的作家布兰登·桑德森 (Brandon Sanderson)。科幻小说的阅读之旅就此延续。
巴恩斯在场外的作用，本应是圣安东尼奥在2024年夏天得到他之后的最大价值所在。他曾是天之骄子、大学明星、乐透秀、角色球员、冠军球队首发、弱队头号得分手等等。在他效力过的每一站，他都是一位备受尊敬的队友。他的目标是向文班亚马展示如何成为一名职业球员。巴恩斯本应是这位21岁明星球员的老将导师。
然而，这些关于巴恩斯领导能力的讨论，仿佛他的巅峰已过，却掩盖了如今已成为马刺本赛季主题的事实：当他不沉浸于小说之中时，这家伙依旧宝刀未老。
尽管文班亚马受伤，马刺（17胜7负）已经强势崛起。而巴恩斯在外线的火力全开是其中一个重要原因。
他出手的三分球比以往任何时候都多，命中率高达43%，追平了他上赛季创下的生涯最高纪录。根据Second Spectrum的数据，本赛季他投出的远投中，遭遇高强度防守的比例超过了他14年职业生涯中的任何一年——即便如此，他的命中率也达到了40%。
无论是在他常规的定点投篮时，还是在本赛季偶尔能为他创造出三分机会的左右横移步法中，巴恩斯都展现出了前所未有的射手水准。当比赛进入关键时刻，圣安东尼奥总会在底角找到他。他通常不会让球队失望。当分差在五分以内时，巴恩斯的三分命中率高达45%。
马刺现场解说员肖恩·埃利奥特 (Sean Elliott) 开始称他为“百分百先生”，灵感源于他的命中率，而非他的年龄。
总有些篮球界的固有思维会暗示一名33岁的球员已经该准备养老了。然而，他却正处在一个至关重要的故事中心。
本赛季对马刺来说本应为时尚早。他们的天赋球员太年轻，还需要几年时间成长。伤病也一直很普遍。全明星控卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 错过了赛季初的比赛。文班亚马也已缺阵近一个月。
然而，圣安东尼奥却稳居西部前五。自文班亚马受伤以来，他们取得了9胜3负的战绩。在这12场比赛中，马刺的每回合得分排在联盟第六。
是的，一些年轻人加速了他们的成长进程。卫冕NBA年度最佳新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 在二年级取得了飞跃，尤其是在传球的耐心方面。一年级后卫迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 不仅未来可期，他的当下也同样闪耀。哈珀始终处于攻击模式。根据Cleaning the Glass的数据，他59%的出手来自篮下，是联盟中所有持球后卫中比例最高的。
那些处于当打之年的球员也全面开花。福克斯伤愈复出后表现堪称大师级。卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 是篮下的铁闸。凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 的中距离命中率高达59%。朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 和德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 则是致命的外线射手。整个赛季，福克斯和文班亚马联袂出场的比赛只有四场。一旦圣安东尼奥同时拥有他们两人，或许能将赛季初围绕文班亚马护筐能力建立的防守，与近来火力全开的进攻融为一体。
但即便如此，有一个人，既不属于年轻人，也不在当打之年的范畴内。而现在，他不得不读比他想象中更多的科幻小说。
约什·哈特的“招牌暂停”
近三年来，有一种暂停总是主导着纽约尼克斯的比赛。而叫暂停的，从来都不是尼克斯自己。
这个前兆很容易识别。约什·哈特 (Josh Hart) 在快攻中冲向前场。他不可避免地会冲向篮筐，用左手运球，然后一个穿步过掉挡在他身前的任何防守者，最后用右手上篮终结。这一招已经融入了哈特的DNA。有备而来的防守者会预判到它，尽管这并不总能奏效。而那些上当的防守者则束手无策。
哈特的穿步上篮已经烙印在任何尼克斯对手的球探报告上，这就是为什么在任何一个夜晚，当这一幕第二次发生时，对手的暂停几乎是板上钉钉的事。
周二，多伦多猛龙就领教了这一点。
在尼克斯NBA杯四分之一决赛的胜利中，第一节哈特就绕过贾科比·沃尔特 (Ja’Kobe Walter) 完成了一次上篮。到了第二节初，斯科蒂·巴恩斯 (Scottie Barnes) 试图制造进攻犯规，但为时已晚，他才意识到哈特已经蛇形滑过。巴恩斯起跳试图封盖，但已无法改变投篮结果。主教练达尔科·拉贾科维奇 (Darko Rajaković) 在零点几秒内就叫了暂停。
这就是哈特的招牌——不仅仅是那个穿步上篮，还有它所引发的挫败感。最近，这一招更是让对手血压飙升。
哈特在十一月底重返尼克斯的首发阵容，那是他上赛季一直占据的位置。他如今的表现仿佛再也不想离开首发。他能命中三分，在需要时组织进攻，防守强硬，而且也许最重要的是，他为主教练迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 渴望流畅的进攻体系注入了速度。
尼克斯的进攻并不总是能达到布朗所期望的速度。根据Second Spectrum的数据，他们平均花费超过六秒才进入首次进攻战术，这在NBA中排名第17位。
但想让这台机器加速运转？只要让哈特做自己就好。
没有什么比哈特抢下篮板然后一条龙快攻更能体现纽约进攻的健康状态了。
根据Second Spectrum的数据，当哈特在抢到防守篮板后自己持球推进时，尼克斯每百回合能得到惊人的127.2分。而且这样的场面并不少见。哈特是个不折不扣的篮板痴汉，是联盟中最不懈的篮板手之一。
这些回合中有47%以转换进攻告终。将这个数字与联盟平均14%的转换进攻率进行对比，再算上那些他没有使用招牌上篮，而是创造出三分机会或在突破途中找到空切队友的快攻，你就能明白哈特的价值所在。
几乎有一半的时间，当他抢下篮板并发起快攻时，他都在创造篮球比赛中最高效的投篮：转换进攻机会。这就是为什么，当他第二次用那个穿步戏耍防守时，任何教练都已经忍无可忍了。
把三分球也加入清单
一场49分的惨败从未显得如此“体面”。
周三，当菲尼克斯太阳在NBA杯四分之一决赛中对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆时，他们毫无胜算。不过话说回来，联盟其他球队的境遇也好不到哪里去——如果他们不得不面对如此甜蜜的投篮，表现大概也会和太阳一样无力。
俄克拉荷马城对阵菲尼克斯的比赛中，三分球40投22中。如果雷霆的三分投开了，那任何面对他们的球队都可以提前打道回府了。这支球队的防守令人窒息，在谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 的带领下又太过稳定，当他们外线手感火热时，无人能挡。
对于联盟其他球队来说，问题在于，最近的雷霆就是这样打球的。
这支球队正在势不可挡地前进。在进入对阵马刺的NBA杯半决赛前，他们的战绩是24胜1负。他们唯一的失利是在背靠背第二场的客场比赛中，以两分之差输掉了一场他们一度领先20分的比赛。
在目前的16连胜期间，雷霆每百回合净胜对手20.3分。就整个赛季而言，他们正朝着将净效率值纪录轰得粉碎的目标前进。
眼下，雷霆势不可挡，包括赛季初还表现冰冷的三分线外。他们那追求完美篮球的使命，正进行得顺风顺水。
在过去12场比赛中，俄克拉荷马城的三分命中率高达43.7%。上周五的全联盟观察笔记重点关注了吉尔杰斯-亚历山大那节奏诡异的后撤步，但这并非唯一摧毁对手的跳投方式。吉尔杰斯-亚历山大本赛季的跳投命中率高达52%，在本赛季至少出手100次的140名球员中高居榜首。
单赛季的纪录（至少出手350次跳投）由凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 保持，他在2022-23赛季的跳投命中率为49.9%。
所以，除了部署着众所周知的、能打破纪录的防守之外，雷霆，或者至少是吉尔杰斯-亚历山大，可能也正在打破进攻纪录的道路上。刚刚发生在太阳身上的一切，也可能发生在其他任何球队身上。
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：Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaking records, book-smart Harrison Barnes and more NBA trends
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaking records, book-smart Harrison Barnes and more NBA trends
A veteran won’t miss. A team needs to miss to make basketball fair again. And a steamroller is preying on defenders who forget the scouting report.
Let’s open up the notebook to run through three NBA trends that have caught my eye over the past week:
Harrison Barnes’ green light
Harrison Barnes arrived in San Antonio last season on a mission. He and the future of his new franchise held one passion in common, and Barnes was about to lean into it.
Victor Wembanyama loved to read, especially science fiction. Barnes preferred other genres but also figured he could make an exception for the up-and-comer he was supposed to help mentor. So Barnes started a book club, which a few players joined at first, only for the NBA season’s literary attrition to whittle the group down to two: Barnes and Wembanyama.
The first book that Barnes chose, no coincidence, was from Wembanyama’s favorite writer, Brandon Sanderson. The sci-fi novels continued.
Barnes’ off-court presence was supposed to be his greatest value after San Antonio acquired him in the summer of 2024. He had been the star prospect, the college standout, the lottery pick, the role player, the starter on a championship team, the scorer on a bad team and more. He was a respected teammate in all his stops. The goal would be to show Wembanyama how to be a professional. Barnes was supposed to be the 21-year-old star’s veteran.
However, the discussion about Barnes’ leadership skills, as if his best days were behind him, papered over what has now become a theme of the Spurs’ season: When he’s not turning pages through a novel, that dude can still ball.
The Spurs (17-7) have arrived, even with Wembanyama hurt. And Barnes’ blitz from long range is a significant reason why.
He’s taking more 3s than ever and hitting 43 percent of them, tying his career high, which he set last season. A higher ratio of his deep balls are heavily contested than in any other year of his 14-year career — and he’s nailed 40 percent of those looks, according to Second Spectrum.
Barnes is a better marksman than ever, whether he’s spot-up shooting, which is his norm, or trying the left-to-right shuffle that’s freed him for 3s every so often this season. When games get close, San Antonio finds him in the corners. He doesn’t usually let his team down. Barnes is shooting 45 percent from deep when the scoring margin is less than five points.
Spurs in-game analyst Sean Elliott has started calling him “Mr. 100,” inspired by his shooting percentage, not his age.
Leave it to those with NBA-brain to imply that a 33-year-old is ready to be sent to the home. Instead, he’s at the center of a vital storyline.
This season was supposed to be too early for the Spurs. Their talent was too young, still a few years away. The injuries have been prevalent. All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox missed the beginning of the season. Wembanyama hasn’t played in almost a month.
Yet, San Antonio sits in the top five in the Western Conference. It is 9-3 since Wembanyama got hurt. The Spurs are sixth in points per possession during that 12-game stretch.
Yes, some of the youth have accelerated their timeline. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle has taken a leap in Year 2, especially with his patience as a passer. First-year guard Dylan Harper doesn’t just have a bright future; his present is shining, too. Harper is in constant attack mode. Fifty-nine percent of his shots have come at the rim, the highest ratio of any on-ball guard in the league, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The prime-aged contributors are performing across the board. Fox has been masterful since returning from injury. Luke Kornet is a wall at the rim. Keldon Johnson is shooting 59 percent from midrange. Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell are dangerous from deep. Fox and Wembanyama have played only four games together all season. Once San Antonio has them both, maybe it meshes the early-season defense, which formed around Wembanyama’s paint protection, with its high-voltage offense of late.
But even then, one guy won’t fit into any of these young or prime-aged boxes. And now, he has to read more sci-fi than he ever thought possible.
The Josh Hart timeout
One type of timeout has dominated New York Knicks games for almost three years. And the Knicks are never the ones who call it.
The preamble is easy to spot. Josh Hart races up the court on a fast break. Inevitably, he dashes to the basket, dribbling with his left hand, only to step through whichever defender plants in front of him to rise into a righty layup. This move is in Hart’s DNA. Prepared defenders anticipate it, though that’s not always enough. Those who bite are helpless.
Hart’s step-through is stamped onto the scouting report for any Knicks opponent, which is why the second time it happens on any given night, a timeout is guaranteed to follow.
The Toronto Raptors learned that Tuesday.
In the first quarter of the Knicks’ NBA Cup quarterfinal victory, Hart slid around Ja’Kobe Walter for a layup. At the beginning of the second, Scottie Barnes tried to take a charge and realized too late that Hart was slithering. Barnes leapt to contest the shot but couldn’t alter it. A timeout from head coach Darko Rajaković came in a fraction of a second.
This is Hart’s signature — not just the step-through but also the frustration it inspires. And lately, it has burst blood vessels.
Hart re-entered the Knicks’ starting lineup, where he resided for all of last season, at the end of November. And he’s playing as if he doesn’t want to leave it again. He’s nailing 3s, running the offense when needed, guarding physically and, maybe most importantly, adding pace to an attack that head coach Mike Brown wants to glide.
The Knicks don’t always move at the velocity Brown prefers. They average a shade over six seconds to get into the first actions of possessions, which ranks 17th in the NBA, according to Second Spectrum.
But want to rev up the machine? Just let Hart be Hart.
New York’s offense looks no healthier than when Hart is snagging rebounds and flying the other way.
The Knicks score a dominant 127.2 points per 100 possessions when Hart brings the ball up after corralling a defensive board, per Second Spectrum. And it’s not like those plays are uncommon. Hart is a loose-ball fiend, one of the league’s most relentless rebounders.
Forty-seven percent of those possessions end in transition. Juxtapose that with the league-average transition rate of 14 percent, sprinkle in some fast breaks where he doesn’t go for his patented layup and instead creates a 3 or finds a cutter on his way to the basket, and you have Hart’s value.
Nearly half the time he gets a board and bolts, he’s generating the most efficient shot in basketball: A transition look. And that’s why, by the second time he tricks a defense with that step-through, any coach has seen enough.
Add the 3 to the list
A 49-point defeat has never been so respectable.
The Phoenix Suns didn’t stand a chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder when the two met in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. However, then again, the rest of the league hasn’t fared much better — and it would probably look as capable as the Suns did if they had to face shooting so sweet.
Oklahoma City nailed 22 of 40 3-pointers against Phoenix. If the Thunder are hitting their long-range shots, it’s goodnight for anyone facing them. This group is too suffocating defensively and too consistent with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way for anyone to disturb it when it’s hot from deep.
The problem for the rest of the league is that lately, this is what the Thunder do.
This team is stampeding. It is 24-1, heading into the NBA Cup semifinal against the Spurs. Its only loss was by two points, on the road, in the second half of a back-to-back, in a game it once led by 20.
During its current 16-game winning streak, OKC is outscoring opponents by 20.3 points per 100 possessions. On the season, it is pacing to blow the net-rating record to smithereens.
Right now, the Thunder can do no wrong, including from 3-point land, where they started the season cold. Their mission to perfect basketball is going swimmingly.
Oklahoma City has shot 43.7 percent from beyond the arc over its past 12 games. Last Friday’s around-the-league notebook zeroed in on Gilgeous-Alexander’s herky-jerky stepback, but that’s not the only type of jump shot that’s annihilating the competition. Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 52 percent on jumpers in general, first among the 140 players who have taken at least 100 this season.
The single-season record (minimum 350 jumpers) belongs to Kevin Durant, who shot 49.9 percent on them in 2022-23.
So on top of deploying a famously record-breaking defense, the Thunder, or at least Gilgeous-Alexander, might be on track to break offensive records, too. What just happened to the Suns could happen to anyone else.
By Fred Katz, via The Athletic