By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-06-25 20:29:55
2026年6月25日，星期四，圣安东尼奥。马刺新秀杰登·昆坦斯在胜利资本表现中心举行的介绍性新闻发布会后与一小群人交谈。
对于马刺新秀杰登·昆坦斯 (Jayden Quaintance) 来说，他NBA生涯的第一个重大决定，是在抵达圣安东尼奥后几分钟内做出的。
这位身高6尺9寸的中锋，在亚利桑那州立大学读大一时穿的是21号球衣。在肯塔基大学读大二时，穿的也是21号。
在圣安东尼奥，他不会被允许穿上这个号码，因为这个号码已经在弗罗斯特银行中心的穹顶退役了十多年。
昆坦斯很明智，甚至没有费心去询问关于蒂姆·邓肯那个神圣号码的事情。
“没戏，他们很快就断了这个念想，”在周二选秀大会上第20顺位被选中的昆坦斯笑着说。“我不撒谎。”
昆坦斯长期成为邓肯球迷的原因，足以让从赫洛特斯到好莱坞帕克的马刺球迷感觉自己老得像是古生代的人。
“他是我祖父最喜欢的球员，”昆坦斯说。
昆坦斯最终选择了22号，这个号码曾被蒂亚戈·斯普利特、马拉基·布拉纳姆和达拉斯·科米吉斯等马刺名将穿过。
周四，四名新秀——昆坦斯、前康涅狄格大学中锋小塔里斯·里德 (Tarris Reed Jr)、田纳西大学后卫贾科比·吉莱斯皮 (Ja’Kobi Gillespie) 和杜克大学前锋马利克·布朗 (Maliq Brown)——在球队闪闪发光的西北区总部亮相，有一件事变得非常清晰。
此马刺非彼马刺。对于18岁的昆坦斯——2026年选秀池中最年轻的球员——来说，他们甚至可能都不是他祖父那代人所熟悉的马刺。
马刺队的五面总冠军旗帜中，只有一面——2014年的那面——是在昆坦斯出生后升起的。
然而，就像在邓肯那泛黄照片般的全盛时期一样，这支球队的新秀班底抵达圣安东尼奥时，都渴望加入这支刚刚杀入NBA总决赛的西部顶级强队。
正如昔日球员们渴望与邓肯并肩作战一样，这批马刺新秀也迫不及待想要和维克托·文班亚马一起上场。
“这是一个传奇般的组织，”身高6尺10寸的里德说道，马刺在与丹佛交易获得一个额外首轮签后，在第26顺位选中了他。“所以，仅仅是能来到这里，就是一种恩赐。”
昆坦斯则需要稍等一段时间才能留下自己的印记。
他的职业生涯起步预计会较为缓慢，因为他还在持续从膝盖问题中恢复，这些问题将他的大学生涯限制在28场比赛——亚利桑那州立大学24场，上赛季在肯塔基大学仅4场。
昆坦斯预计不会参加下个月马刺的夏季联赛阵容，因为他正在等待一个最终手术来清理右膝半月板，他的右膝曾在2024年遭遇前十字韧带撕裂。
昆坦斯“欢迎来到圣安东尼奥”的待办事项之一，就是与球队医疗组会面，开始规划重返球场的路径。
“我还不知道任何具体安排，”昆坦斯说，“但我知道他们说，他们优先考虑的是确保我100%康复。”
继周二在首轮选中两名大个子后，马刺在周三的次轮选中了吉莱斯皮和布朗。
马刺用第42顺位选中了吉莱斯皮，这位身高6尺1寸的田纳西大学大四生是SEC联盟一阵成员。他场均贡献18.4分和5.4次助攻，同时帮助志愿者队打入了NCAA锦标赛精英八强。
球队则用第44顺位选中了布朗，这位身高6尺8寸的前锋，其防守存在感是推动杜克大学闯入精英八强的关键，蓝魔正是输给了里德所在的康大。
马刺选秀球员小塔里斯·里德谈与康大校友斯蒂芬·卡斯尔并肩作战：“知道今年有另一位康大哈士奇队友能一起打球，这将会非常特别。肯定会聊一些关于赫尔利教练的酷炫、疯狂、有趣的往事，或者他…… pic.twitter.com/ukhCf3kmon
— 马刺国度 (@ Spurs_Nation) 2026年6月25日
在NBA选秀大会第二天晚上被念到名字后不到24小时，吉莱斯皮和布朗周四就来到圣安东尼奥，参观他们的新环境。
“这真是梦想成真，”22岁的布朗说。“昨晚是一个超现实的时刻。我还在沉浸其中。”
马刺的两名次轮秀，新秀赛季的大部分时间很可能要在发展联盟度过。
但这并没有减弱两位球员在周四的兴奋之情。
“我感到非常荣幸和高兴能来到这里，”22岁的吉莱斯皮说。“（我知道）这是一个多么优秀的组织，我知道这是我想要加入的团队。”
在周四亮相的四名新秀中，里德可能是最有能力在新秀赛季就为NBA带来影响的球员。
22岁的里德在大四赛季，凭借其强硬的球风和7尺4寸的臂展，成为了康大坚固防守的中流砥柱，场均得到14.7分、9.0个篮板、2.3次助攻和2次盖帽，投篮命中率达到61%。
他的代表作出现在NCAA锦标赛首轮，当时他在一场战胜弗曼大学的比赛中砍下31分并抢下27个篮板。
里德被标榜为一名乐于干脏活累活的球员，他的防守存在感、扎实的掩护以及冲抢篮板球的嗜好，可能会迅速为他在圣安东尼奥赢得上场时间。
“如果这是我为了赢球必须做的，算我一个，”里德说。“满分十分，我每次都愿意做。”
里德的同届首轮秀也迫不及待想要展示自己的实力。
既然昆坦斯已经搞定了他的号码问题，他期待着给他祖父一位新的最喜欢的NBA球员。
“我想成为一名全明星级别的球员，”昆坦斯说。“做最好的自己，并最大化我拥有的任何潜力。”
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' four-man rookie class ready to get to work
Spurs’ four-man rookie class ready to get to work
Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance talks with a small crowd of people following an introductory news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in San Antonio.
For new Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance, the first major decision of his NBA career came within minutes of arriving in San Antonio.
The 6-foot-9 center had worn No. 21 as a freshman at Arizona State. He wore No. 21 as a sophomore at Kentucky.
He will not be allowed to don that number in San Antonio, seeing as it has been retired in the Frost Bank Center rafters for more than a decade.
Quaintance was wise enough to not to even bother asking about Tim Duncan’s hallowed digits.
“Nah, they cut that off quickly,” Quaintance, the 20th pick in Tuesday’s NBA draft, said with a laugh. “I’m not going to lie.”
The reason behind Quaintance’s long-standing Duncan fandom is enough to make Spurs fans from Helotes to Hollywood Park feel positively Paleozoic.
“He was my grandfather’s favorite player,” Quaintance said.
Quaintance eventually settled on No. 22, a number once sported by such Spurs luminaries as Tiago Splitter, Malaki Branham and Dallas Comegys.
With four new rookies introduced at the club’s gleaming northwest side headquarters Thursday – Quaintance, former Connecticut center Tarris Reed Jr, Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Duke forward Maliq Brown – one thing became crystal clear.
These are not your father’s Spurs. In the case of the 18-year-old Quaintance, the youngest player in the 2026 draft pool, they might not even be his grandfather’s Spurs.
Only one of the Spurs’ five championship banners – the one from 2014 – came after Quaintance was born.
As it was in Duncan’s sepia-toned heyday, however, the club’s incoming class of rookies touched down in San Antonio eager to join one of the best teams in the Western Conference coming off an NBA Finals berth.
Just as players once salivated at the chance to play alongside Duncan, the incoming cache of Spurs rookies can’t wait to take the floor with Victor Wembanyama.
“It’s such a legendary organization,” said the 6-foot-10 Reed, who the Spurs selected 26th overall after trading with Denver for an additional first-round pick. “So just to be here, it’s just a blessing.”
Quaintance will have to wait a bit to make his mark.
His professional career is slated to get off to a slow start as he continues to recover from knee issues that limited his college career to 28 games – 24 at Arizona State and only four last season at Kentucky.
Quaintance is not expected to play for the Spurs’ Summer League squad next month as he awaits a final procedure to clean up the meniscus in his right knee, which suffered a torn ACL in 2024.
One of the items on Quaintance’s welcome-to-San-Antonio to-do list was to meet with the team’s medical staff to begin to plot a path back onto the court.
“I don’t know anything concrete,” Quaintance said, “but I know here they said their priority is making sure than I’m 100% healthy.”
After picking up a pair of big men in the first round Tuesday, the Spurs added Gillespie and Brown in the second round Wednesday.
The Spurs used the No. 42 overall pick on Gillespie, a 6-foot-1 First-Team All-SEC selection as a senior at Tennessee. He averaged 18.4 points and 5.4 assists, while helping the Volunteers reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.
The club spent the No. 44 pick on Brown, a 6-8 forward whose defensive presence proved key in propelling Duke’s run to the Elite Eight, where the Blue Devils lost to Reed’s UConn squad.
Spurs draft pick Tarris Reed, on joining fellow UConn product Stephon Castle: “Just knowing I have another fellow UConn Husky to play alongside with this year is going to be pretty special. Definitely going to talk about some cool, crazy, funny Hurley stories, or something he… pic.twitter.com/ukhCf3kmon
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) June 25, 2026
Less than 24 hours after hearing their names called on the second night of the NBA draft, Gillespie and Brown were in San Antonio on Thursday to tour their new digs.
“It’s been a dream come true,” said Brown, 22. “Last night was a surreal moment. I’m still just soaking it all in.”
Both of the Spurs’ second-rounders are likely to spend the majority of their rookie seasons in the G League.
That dampened neither players’ excitement Thursday.
“I’m just super honored and glad that I’m here,” the 22-year-old Gillespie said. “(I know) how good of an organization this is and I knew it’s something I would want to be a part of.”
Of the four draftees unveiled Thursday, Reed might be the best equipped to make an NBA impact as a rookie.
As a senior, the 22-year-old Reed used his toughness and 7-foot-4 wingspan to anchor a rugged UConn defense last season, averaging 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and two blocks while shooting 61% from the floor.
His magnum opus came in the first round of the NCAA tournament, when he scored 31 points and pulled down 27 rebounds in a win over Furman.
Billed as a player who enjoys doing dirty work, Reed’s defensive presence, solid screen-setting and penchant for pounding the glass might quickly lead to playing time in San Antonio.
“If that’s what I’ve got to do to win, sign me up,” Reed said. “Ten out of 10, I’ll do it every time.”
Reed’s fellow first-round rookie cannot wait to show his stuff, too.
Now that Quaintance has his number situation sorted, he is looking forward to giving his grandfather a new favorite NBA player.
“I want to be an All-Star level player,” Quaintance said. “Just be the best version of myself that I can be and maximize whatever potential I have.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News