By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-06-23 21:32:50
资料图——2026年1月3日，在阿拉巴马州塔斯卡卢萨进行的一场NCAA大学篮球比赛下半场中，阿拉巴马大学后卫拉特雷尔·赖特塞尔二世 (Latrell Wrightsell Jr.)（3号）与肯塔基大学前锋杰登·昆坦斯 (Jayden Quaintance)（右）拼抢篮板。（美联社照片/Vasha Hunt，资料图）
肯塔基大学大个子昆坦斯参加了今年的选秀，他是本届选秀中最具争议的新秀之一——他拥有乐透秀级别的天赋，但由于持续的膝伤困扰，他在大二赛季仅出战了四场比赛。
马刺显然愿意赌一把。
在周二的选秀大会上，马刺用第20顺位选中了昆坦斯。他身高6英尺9英寸（约2米06），是一名防守型中锋，拥有顶级的力量和臂展条件。
作为前五星高中生和麦当劳全明星球员，昆坦斯在亚利桑那州立大学的大一赛季曾遭遇右膝前交叉韧带（ACL）撕裂。上赛季在肯塔基大学，他仅打了四场比赛，随后便因膝盖酸痛而提前结束了赛季。
选中他，完全是“高风险、高回报”的代名词。
在这两站的28场大学比赛中，昆坦斯场均可以贡献7.2分、6.5个篮板和1.7次盖帽。
年仅18岁的昆坦斯是今年选秀池中最年轻的球员之一。鉴于本赛季带领球队杀入总决赛的大部分阵容都将回归，马刺完全有时间等待昆坦斯的成长。
作为一名新秀，他下赛季想要挤进马刺的轮换阵容似乎希望渺茫。
两个赛季前，昆坦斯在仅出战24场比赛的情况下，就创下了亚利桑那州立大学大一新生的盖帽纪录。这似乎是他争取在马刺获得上场时间的最优路径。
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：Spurs roll dice on Kentucky big man at No. 20
Spurs roll dice on Kentucky big man at No. 20
FILE - Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (3) battles for a rebound with Kentucky forward Jayden Quaintance, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance entered this year’s draft as one of the most polarizing prospects in the field — a lottery-level talent who played in only four games as a sophomore due to persistent knee issues.
The Spurs were apparently willing to take the gamble.
The club used the 20th pick in Tuesday’s draft to select Quaintance, a 6-foot-9, defensive-minded center with top-tier strength and length.
A former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, Quaintance suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during his freshman season at Arizona State. He played in only four games last season at Kentucky before being shut down with knee soreness.
His selection is the definition of “risk-reward.”
In 28 college games between those two stops, Quaintance averaged 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
At age 18, Quaintance was one of the youngest players in this year’s draft pool. With the majority of the roster that led to an NBA Finals berth this season set to return, the Spurs can afford to wait on Quaintance to develop.
He would seem a long shot to crack the Spurs’ rotation as a rookie.
Two seasons ago, Quinatance set an Arizona State freshman record for blocked shots while appearing in only 24 games. That appears to be his best path to playing time with the Spurs.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News