By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-05-25 01:03:44
2026年5月24日星期日，在圣安东尼奥弗罗斯特银行中心进行的西部决赛第四场第二节比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell)（24号）在俄克拉荷马雷霆队后卫亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso)（9号）的防守下护球。
在马刺队以103-82大胜俄克拉荷马雷霆队的比赛初期，瓦塞尔令人瞩目的全能季后赛表现便成为了焦点。当时，他先是封盖了贾里德·麦凯恩 (Jared McCain) 的反手上篮，紧接着在几秒钟后便助攻维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 完成空接扣篮。
“我一直试着在防守端极具破坏性，不仅要做好持球防守，还要做好无球防守，并在场上扮演领袖角色，”瓦塞尔说道。
这位六年级前锋在周日的比赛中做到了上述所有点，帮助马刺队终结了两连败，将西部决赛大比分扳平。双方将于周二晚上回到俄克拉荷马城进行第五场对决。
“他的影响力无处不在，体现在球场的方方面面，在场下他也展现出了领袖气质，”文班亚马说道。
瓦塞尔在33分钟的出场时间里贡献了13分、6个篮板、3次助攻、1次抢断和1次盖帽。最让他感到自豪的是，他参与了球队令人窒息的防守，将雷霆队的得分限制在自2021年12月2日以来的单场最低得分（无论是常规赛还是季后赛），并迫使对手三分球33投仅6中（命中率18.2%）。
“防守是我们的立身之本，”瓦塞尔说道。“我们觉得在输掉的那两场比赛中，我们打得不像自己，没有发挥出应有的水平，给了他们太多空位机会。所以（今晚）我们进行了很多出色的轮防，防好了持球人，这成功限制了他们的命中率，并让我们能够打出防守反击。”
马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔谈到第四场比赛：“我们知道自己必须做出回应，这就是回应的方式。做好防守。不要只把注意力放在进攻端。完成防守，打出转换进攻，守好自己的防区，这就是我们所做的。” pic.twitter.com/ABFtZpkszt
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) 2026年5月25日
系列赛至今，瓦塞尔场均贡献17.0分、5.8个篮板、2.0次助攻、1.5次抢断和1.0次盖帽，三分命中率高达45.2%。在已进行的15场季后赛中，他场均得到13.7分、5.1个篮板、2.6次助攻、1.3次抢断和近1.0次盖帽，三分命中率为36.5%。
“他的表现是现象级的，”马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 表示。“如果抛开所有数据，仅仅看我们的比赛，他可能是我们表现最稳定的球员。他的下限和上限之间的差距可能是最小的。”
瓦塞尔在攻防两端的强劲表现，是马刺队距离自2014年以来首次晋级总决赛仅差两场胜利的重要原因。
“我们都知道他能投篮，但他也是我们防守和篮板最好的球员之一，”马刺队后卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 说道。“他表现得极其活跃，不断破坏对手传球、完成抢断。他是我们在许多比赛中能够咬住比分或发起反击的关键原因之一。”
瓦塞尔在季后赛中令人惊叹的表现，反映了他在约翰逊指导下付出的所有努力。
在担任助理教练期间，当马刺队在2020年NBA选秀中以首轮第11顺位选中这位出生于佐治亚州、毕业于佛罗里达州立大学的年轻球员后，约翰逊便担任瓦塞尔的球员发展教练。在2024-25赛季初期格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 中风后，约翰逊接任临时主教练，他不断鞭策瓦塞尔成为一名更全能的球员。
“对我个人而言，看着他成长真的很有意思。因为当我们刚选中他时，他有点被归类为——无意偷懒，但‘3D球员’确实是当时贴在他身上的标签，而现在他已经成长为联盟中极其出色的得分手，”约翰逊说道。“有时作为一名年轻球员，很难在增加进攻负荷的同时，还能在防守端投入同样的精力。
“他可能曾一度在防守端有所松懈，但现在看到他在攻防两端都能产生如此巨大的影响力，这对我们的球队非常关键，对于我这个从他新秀年起就一直陪伴他成长的人来说，也感到无比欣慰。”
瓦塞尔表示，这一切归根结底在于努力。
“就是尽我所能去拼，”他说道。“在我来到这里的六年里，我一直这么说，有些晚上你就是投不进球，这是你无法控制的。但你永远可以控制自己的能量和努力。我努力确保自己的能量和努力用在正确的地方，无论是在防守端、拼抢篮板，还是鼓励队友。这是有感染力的。不能因为投不进球就垂头丧气，成为球队的毒瘤。你必须带来正能量。
“在很多比赛中，这对我来说是最重要的。我的投篮可能不进，这没关系。但你还能通过其他什么方式来影响比赛呢？”
25岁的瓦塞尔也受益于日益增加的从容感，作为目前马刺队中效力时间第二长的球员，他仅次于效力了七年的老将凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson)。
“我现在做得最好的一点就是带着自信打球，”瓦塞尔说道。“我对自己的比赛很有信心。我知道什么时候该去到我的甜点区，我知道什么时候该专注于防守，什么时候该得分，什么时候该完成一次防守。”
他也知道如何成为一名领袖，在第四场比赛后的新闻发布会上，当被问及在职业生涯首次季后赛中学到了什么时，他展现了这一点。
“经验并不重要，”瓦塞尔说道。“我们已经走到了这里。我们在常规赛中已经积累了所需的所有经验，我们将继续证明所有人都是错的。”
由生成式 AI 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：Why Spurs' Devin Vassell has been 'phenomenal' in his first playoffs
Why Spurs’ Devin Vassell has been ‘phenomenal’ in his first playoffs
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) protects the ball from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the second quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, May 24, 2026.
Devin Vassell’s impressive all-around play in the postseason came into sharp focus early in the Spurs’ 103-82 victory over Oklahoma City when he fed Victor Wembanyama for a lob dunk seconds after blocking Jared McCain’s reverse layup attempt.
“I’ve been trying to be super disruptive, really good on the ball but also off the ball, and a leader on the court,” Vassell said.
The sixth-year forward checked all those boxes Sunday in helping the Spurs snap a two-game losing streak to tie the Western Conference finals heading back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
“His impact has been all over the floor in all kinds of areas and off the floor as a leader,” Wembanyama said.
Vassell finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes. He was proudest of being part of a suffocating defensive effort that limited the Thunder to their fewest points in a game — regular or postseason — since Dec. 2, 2021 and just 18.2% (6 of 33) from 3-point range.
“That’s what we hang our hat on, the defensive end,” Vassell said. “We felt like those two games they won we just weren’t ourselves. We weren’t playing to a level we could. We were leaving them open way too much. So (tonight) we were in a lot of great rotations, guarding the ball and that helped us make them miss and get us out in transition.”
Spurs guard Devin Vassell, on Game 4: “We knew we had to respond, and that’s how you respond. You get stops. You don’t try to focus on the offensive end. You get stops, you get out in transition, you guard your yard, and that’s what we did.” pic.twitter.com/ABFtZpkszt
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) May 25, 2026
For the series, Vassell is averaging 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range. Through 15 playoff games, he’s averaging 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and nearly 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc.
“He’s been phenomenal,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “He may be our most consistent player if you took away any stats and just watched us play. His floor and ceiling may be the least margin.”
Vassell’s strong play on both ends is a big reason why the Spurs are two wins away from a berth in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.
“We all know he can shoot the ball, but he’s been one of our better defenders, one of our better rebounders,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said. “He’s been extremely active, getting deflections, steals. He’s been one of the reasons we’ve been able to stay afloat or fight back in a lot of these games.”
Vassell’s impressive postseason reflects all the work he’s put in under Johnson’s guidance.
When he was an assistant coach, Johnson served as Vassell’s developmental coach after the Spurs selected the Georgia native and Florida State alumnus 11th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. After taking over as acting coach after Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke early in the 2024-25 season, Johnson pushed Vassell to become a better all-around player.
“It’s been personally for me really fun to observe him because when we first drafted him, he was kind of a, not to be lazy, but a three-and-D generalization is kind of the bucket he was in, and he’s developed into a heck of a scorer in this league,” Johnson said. "And at times when you are a young player it’s hard to increase your offensive load and still continue to put that same energy into defense.
“He probably went away from it a little bit, and now to see him have the two-way impact he has is very impactful for our team and very rewarding for someone who has been with him from his rookie year.”
Vassell said it all boils down to effort.
“Just playing as hard as I can,” he said. "I’ve said this for the six years I’ve been here, there are nights where you can’t make a shot. You can’t control that. But you can always control your energy, your effort. And I try to make sure my energy and effort are in the right place, whether that’s defensively, whether that’s getting a rebound, whether that’s encouraging my teammates. That’s infectious. Just because you’re not making shots, you can’t can’t hang your head and be a cancer to a team. You got to bring positivity.
“That’s the biggest thing for me a lot of games. My shot may not fall and that’s OK. But how else can you impact the game?”
Vassell, 25, also benefits from the increased comfort level that comes with being the second longest-tenured current Spur behind seven-year vet Keldon Johnson.
“The biggest thing I’m doing now is playing with confidence,” Vassell said. “I’m sure of my game. I know when I want to get to my spots. I know when it’s time to lock in on defense, when it’s time to score, when it’s time to get a stop.”
He also knows how to be a leader, something he showed from the podium after Game 4 when asked what he’s learned in his first postseason.
“That experience does not matter,” Vassell said. “We’re here. We’ve had all the experience we’ve needed this regular season and we’re going to keep proving everybody wrong.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News