By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-04-17 00:35:12
季后赛已经拉开帷幕。在经历了82场常规赛并斩获62胜后，圣安东尼奥马刺队已经确立了鲜明的球队风格和固定的轮换阵容。他们之所以能取得成功，很大程度上归功于核心球员之外的阵容深度。角色球员们纷纷挺身而出，在投射、防守和组织方面都做出了贡献。马刺队的前九人轮换虽非完美，但正如他们在常规赛所证明的那样，这套阵容足以击败任何对手。
通常情况下，季后赛的轮换会更加紧缩，但如果出现伤病，或者需要进行战术调整和应对，教练组派上一些不在对方球探报告中的边缘球员来填补微小的角色空缺，也并非罕见。那么，让我们来看看马刺队在轮换边缘还有哪些人选，以及如果被委以重任，他们在季后赛中能发挥什么作用。
马刺后场拥有一些“应急保险”式的投手
乔丹·麦克劳克林 (Jordan McLaughlin) 因为自身的局限性，在NBA从未真正获得过稳固的轮换位置，但在赛季初期以及最近，他证明了自己在需要时可以为球队提供几分钟高质量的表现。
麦克劳克林的体型、运动能力或速度并不出众，但他拥有出色的防守预判，且打球极其拼命。他能提供控球能力来启动进攻，从而让真正的主控手保持体力，在紧急情况下他也能进行自主创造。但更重要的是，他一直是一名出色的三分射手。
这位前森林狼和国王球员的三分命中率达到了42%，延续了他职业生涯近期的趋势——外线投射已成为他可靠的武器，这在他职业生涯初期并非如此。虽然出手次数不多，且受限于角色，他的很多出手并非在关键时刻，但可以肯定的是，作为一名定点投手，他能够把握住空位机会。
马刺阵容中还有一位功能更全面但效率稍低的投手。林迪·沃特斯三世 (Lindy Waters III) 今年的三分命中率为34%，但每分钟的出手次数很多。他在之前的球队表现更好，且具备移动中投射的能力。他提供的控球不多，但他很清楚自己的角色，这解释了为什么他在上场时间不多的情况下失误率极低。
后场投射曾被预测为马刺最大的弱点之一，且有时确实会成为问题，但尽管缺乏让对手不敢放空的轮换后卫，圣安东尼奥的表现依然异常出色。虽然不应指望麦克劳克林和沃特斯三世在季后赛中获得太多上场时间（甚至可能完全不上），但知道球队在特定情况下需要额外火力时，板凳末端还有这两位人选，总归是件好事。
马刺拥有众多大个子，但实际深度有限
马刺的名单上有五名中锋。维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 和卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 占据了轮换时间，而凯利·奥利尼克 (Kelly Olynyk)、梅森·普拉姆利 (Mason Plumlee) 和比斯马克·比永博 (Bismack Biyombo) 每场比赛都坐在替补席上，这意味着圣安东尼奥有充足的大个子储备。遗憾的是，数量并不等于质量。尽管人头攒动，但他们并没有太多替代方案能维持前两名球员的竞技水平，或者提供不同的战术打法。
比永博是一个非常棒的人，但在比赛的关键时刻，无论如何都不应该让他上场。普拉姆利以处理细节著称，他能掩护、抢篮板并保持球权流转，但36岁的他巅峰防守期已过，且在得分端威胁不大。奥利尼克是这三人中最独特的一个，因为他能投中空位三分，且是一名极其出色的传球手，但他也是同体型球员中护筐能力最差的球员之一。
马刺缺乏高质量内线深度却未酿成大祸的原因不难理解：他们的前两名球员在各自的角色上都是联盟顶尖的。如果没有意外发生，文班亚马在季后赛的上场时间可能会增加，而科内特将继续担任出色的替补，有时甚至能与文班短时间并肩作战。
如果文班受伤，无论深度表上他身后是谁，圣安东尼奥走得更远的机会都会烟消云散，所以没必要纠结于那种情况。但如果科内特受伤或表现不佳呢？这可能会成为马刺的一个难题。
卡特·布莱恩特可能比典型的第十人更重要
在常规赛的最后阶段，哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 占据了轮换的第九个位置，获得的时间远超卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant)——后者曾一度被认为是在竞争这一角色。这并不令人意外，因为巴恩斯拥有这位新秀显然缺乏的季后赛经验，而且尽管赛季表现起伏不定，他依然能在大量出手的情况下保持39%的三分命中率。然而，虽然如果米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 缩减轮换，布莱恩特可能会被挤出常规轮换，但在某些情况下，他最终可能会变得很重要。
当两名核心大个子不在场时，约翰逊通常倾向于打小球阵容，让布莱恩特在短时间内担任事实上的中锋，这使得马刺在防守端可以无限换防，在进攻端则采取“五外”阵容。这些阵容在篮板和护筐方面存在疑问，但考虑到其他选择，很难责怪约翰逊更青睐这种打法。如果对手也改打小球，或者马刺需要改变场上节奏，布莱恩特可能会获得一些出场机会。
如果这位新秀在侧翼获得了大量时间，那可能意味着出了什么问题，但如果马刺只需要注入一些运动能力，他在那个位置也可能有高光时刻。布莱恩特可能是轮换阵容中的第十人，但在特定的对位中，他也可能成为一个关键因素。
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：Can any of the Spurs’ deep bench players help them in the playoffs?
Can any of the Spurs’ deep bench players help them in the playoffs?
The playoffs are here. After 82 games and 62 wins, the Spurs have an established identity and a set rotation. A big reason for their success has been their depth outside of their main guys. The role players have stepped up, bringing shooting, defense, and playmaking. San Antonio’s top nine is not perfect, but it’s good enough to beat anyone, as they proved in the regular season.
Normally, rotations only tighten up in the playoffs, but it’s not uncommon for someone not in the scouting report to be asked to fill a small role in case of injury or to make adjustments or counters. So let’s see who the Spurs have at the edges of the rotation and what they could do in the playoffs if called upon to contribute.
The Spurs have some “break in case of emergency” backcourt shooting
Jordan McLaughlin has never really had a rotation spot in the NBA because of his limitations, but early in the season and recently, he has been showing that he can give the team a few solid minutes if needed.
McLaughlin is not particularly big, athletic, or quick, but he has good defensive anticipation and always plays hard. He offers ball handling to start possessions, which helps keep the true initiators fresh, and he can also create in a pinch. But more importantly, he’s been a good three-point shooter.
The former Timberwolf and King shot 42 percent from beyond the arc, continuing a recent trend in his career in which his outside shot seems like a reliable weapon, something that wasn’t true in his beginnings. The volume was small, and not a lot of his attempts came in high-leverage situations because of his role, but it’s safe to say he can make open looks as a spot-up shooter.
The Spurs also have a more versatile but less efficient shooter on the roster. Lindy Waters III shot 34 percent from beyond the arc this year, but on a lot of attempts per minute. He’s been better in past stops, and he can fire on the move. He doesn’t offer much ballhandling, but he understands his role, which explains his extremely low turnover rate in admittedly low minutes.
Backcourt shooting was projected to be one of the Spurs’ biggest weaknesses, and it was an issue at times, but San Antonio has done exceptionally well despite not having many rotation guards whom opponents are afraid to leave open. McLaughlin and Waters III shouldn’t be expected to play much in the postseason, if at all, but it’s good to know that if the team needs some extra shooting in a certain situation, they have those two in the deep bench.
The Spurs have a lot of big men, but not much actual big man depth
The Spurs have five centers on their roster. Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet get the rotation minutes, but Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, and Bismack Biyombo are on the bench every game, which means San Antonio has big bodies to spare. Alas, quantity doesn’t equal quality. Despite the many names, they don’t have a lot of alternatives to throw out there who can either sustain the level of play of the top two guys or offer a different look.
Biyombo is a fantastic human who should not get minutes under any circumstances when the game is on the line. Plumlee has been known to do the little things well, as he can screen, rebound, and keep the ball moving, but at 36, his best defensive years are behind him, and he’s not much of a scoring threat. Olynyk is the most unique of the three, since he can shoot open threes and is a terrific passer, but he’s one of the worst rim protectors among players his size.
The reason why the lack of quality depth has not been a huge problem for the Spurs is not hard to figure out: their top two guys are among the best in the league at their roles. If nothing unexpected happens, Wembanyama will likely see his minutes expanded in the postseason, and Luke Kornet will continue to be an excellent backup who can also share the floor with Wemby at times, for short stints.
If Wemby gets hurt, San Antonio’s chances to make a deep run disappear, no matter who’s behind him in the depth chart, so it’s not necessary to dwell on that scenario. But what happens if Kornet is injured or ineffective? It could be a problem for the Spurs.
Carter Bryant might be more important than the typical 10th man
In the last stretch of the regular season, Harrison Barnes claimed the ninth spot in the rotation, getting a lot more minutes than Carter Bryant, who at one point seemed in contention for the role. It’s not a shock, since Barnes has the playoff experience that the rookie obviously lacks, and despite his inconsistent season, he’s still a 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc on significant volume. Yet while Bryant might get squeezed out of the regular rotation if Mitch Johnson trims it, he could end up being important in some situations.
When he hasn’t had either of his two top big men, Johnson has preferred to go small often, with Bryant as the de facto center for short stretches, allowing the Spurs to be switchable on defense and play five-out on offense. Those units have some question marks in terms of rebounding and rim protection, but considering the alternatives, it’s hard to blame Johnson for preferring them. If opponents go small themselves or the Spurs need a different look, Bryat could get some run.
If the rookie is getting big minutes at the wing, it probably means something went wrong, but he could also have his moments at that slot if the Spurs just need a jolt of athleticism. Bryant might be the 10th man on the rotation, but could also be a factor in specific matchups.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock