By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer / San Antonio Express-News, 2026-10-16 05:05:13
2026年10月4日（周日），马刺队维克托·文班亚马在圣安东尼奥Frost Bank中心举行的银黑队内对抗赛前热身。
马刺队上赛季提前打进了NBA总决赛，远超外界预期。如今他们已被视为夺冠热门，2026-27赛季的剧本将大不相同——马刺将从黑马变身为争冠大热门。在新赛季即将开启之际，马刺希望这不仅是一次重返总决赛的征程，更是一次冲击总冠军的旅程。以下是值得关注的五大看点：
1. 文班的下一步是什么？
年仅22岁的维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 已经达到了大多数NBA球员终生难以企及的高度。上赛季他入选NBA最佳阵容，成为联盟历史上首位全票当选年度最佳防守球员的球员，并帮助马刺队出人意料地一路杀入NBA总决赛。
如今，这位身高7英尺4英寸的天才即将迎来自己的第四个NBA赛季，他面临的下一个挑战是：让自己的影响力不仅体现在集锦镜头或某几段个人统治表现中，而是贯穿每一次攻防、每一节比赛，并延续到又一次期待中的季后赛深度之旅。
当对手在比赛末段对他进行包夹时，文班亚马能否成为更稳定的进攻终结者？作为组织者，他在破解包夹出球方面还能提升多少？在承担更重进攻任务的同时，他能否延续防守端的统治力？
文班亚马已经确立了自己作为马刺核心的地位。下一步，就是看他还能在此基础上走多远。
2026年9月28日（周一），圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（5号）、达龙·福克斯（4号）和迪伦·哈珀（2号）在圣安东尼奥Victory Capital训练中心举行的NBA媒体日上合影拍摄官方肖像。
2. 三后卫实验是引爆还是奏效？
米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 似乎已准备好押注三后卫首发阵容，由二年级新星迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 搭档现有首发达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)。
哈珀凭借替补出场的出色表现入选最佳新秀阵容，赢得了这次晋升。问题在于，这位20岁的年轻人能否在不破坏球队化学反应的前提下，让本已火力十足的后场更上一层楼。
上赛季，这三位天赋后卫同场作战的时间寥寥无几。虽然样本有限，但初步效果并不理想。约翰逊押注的是，更多的共同出场时间将帮助这三位天才后卫找到共存之道——并实现互补。
上限令人心动。哈珀与福克斯、卡斯尔组成后场，再加上维克托·文班亚马作为进攻枢纽，马刺可能拥有一套能以速度、组织和得分压制对手的阵容。
下限呢？约翰逊将要对上赛季后半段位列联盟最佳之一的首发五人组动刀。如果新阵容运转不畅，他将不得不抉择：是坚持到底，还是重新审视这套本已行之有效的公式。
2026年10月8日（周四），圣安东尼奥马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊和助理教练比利·多诺万在圣安东尼奥Frost Bank中心观看球队对阵亚特兰大老鹰队。马刺在季前赛揭幕战中以116-123不敌老鹰。
3. 米奇·约翰逊从总决赛大考中学到了什么？
上赛季马刺一路杀入NBA总决赛，这支年轻球队所经历的“经验速成班”备受关注。
他们的年轻主帅同样如此。
39岁的约翰逊在执教马刺的首个完整赛季中，率队打出62胜20负的战绩，获得年度最佳教练的呼声实至名归。
然而，总决赛却给这一突破泼了一盆冷水。在纽约队四场胜利中均从两位数落后实现逆转，约翰逊因调整迟缓而遭到批评。
整个赛季，约翰逊都高度依赖首席助教肖恩·斯威尼——一位著名的防守大师，正是他帮助打造了这支以文班亚马为首的联盟最凶悍防守球队之一。
如今斯威尼已经离队，前往奥兰多出任主教练。
约翰逊新添的助理教练绝非菜鸟。比利·多诺万 (Billy Donovan) 拥有11个赛季的NBA主教练经验，曾在佛罗里达大学两夺NCAA全国冠军，并已入选奈史密斯篮球名人堂。
有了总决赛经历在前，多诺万辅佐在侧，约翰逊有机会展示自己学到了多少——以及这些经验能否帮助马刺更进一步。
2026年10月4日（周日），圣安东尼奥马刺队托拜厄斯·哈里斯在银黑队内对抗赛暂停期间与队友凯尔登·约翰逊击掌。
4. 托拜厄斯·哈里斯能否推动年轻核心更上一层楼？
马刺管理层对打进总决赛的这套阵容相当满意，总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 及其团队在休赛期仅引进了一名自由球员。
托拜厄斯·哈里斯 (Tobias Harris) 对马刺而言是新人，但在NBA绝非新兵。
34岁的哈里斯即将开启职业生涯第16个赛季，他的履历中沉淀着马刺年轻核心亟需的经验。
这位身高6英尺8英寸的前锋上赛季效力于底特律，为那支60胜的活塞队首发63场。如今他来到圣安东尼奥，希望帮助这支天赋出众的年轻球队蜕变为一支久经沙场、值得信赖的季后赛劲旅。
哈里斯因小腿伤势缺席了马刺的首个季前赛，但预计一旦伤愈并找回状态，他将进入首发阵容。
马刺相信他值得等待。球队签下哈里斯，看中的是他在四月、五月和六月的表现，而不是十月。
2026年10月8日（周四），圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋卡特·布莱恩特（11号）在季前赛揭幕战上半场，于亚特兰大老鹰队中锋乔克·兰代尔（31号）和前锋祖比·埃吉奥福（20号）之间出手投篮。
5. 谁准备好迎接意外的聚光灯？
冠军球队由球星驱动，但往往是由那些无人预料到的球员所定义的。
马刺在上赛季总决赛之旅中得到了全队上下的贡献。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔、迪伦·哈珀、凯尔登·约翰逊、德文·瓦塞尔和朱利安·尚帕尼各有高光时刻，确立了自己作为轮换中可靠一环的地位。
现在，球队要寻找下一个横空出世的改变者。
可能是卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant)，他顶级的运动能力和防守积极性让他在第二个NBA赛季有理由争取更大的角色。
可能是新秀小塔里斯·里德 (Tarris Reed Jr.)，这位来自康涅狄格大学的壮硕替补中锋，其强硬作风和篮板能力已在训练营中赢得一致好评。
又或者，距离右脚踝骨折手术仅八个月的大卫·琼斯·加西亚 (David Jones Garcia)，还能再上演一两场“DJG之夜”。
马刺知道他们的招牌球员能做什么。问题是，当赌注开始升高时，还有谁会挺身而出。
由生成式 AI 翻译，翻译内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：Five storylines to watch as Spurs enter a new season
Five storylines to watch as Spurs enter a new season
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama warms up on the court before the Silver & Black Scrimmage at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
The Spurs made the NBA Finals last season, way ahead of schedule. Now they are considered a championship contender, the 2026-27 season will play out a lot different as the Spurs go from the underdog to the favorite. Here are five storylines to watch as the Spurs begin what they hope will not only be another run to the NBA Finals but to a championship:
1. What is Wemby’s next act?
At 22, Victor Wembanyama has already reached heights most NBA players never approach. He is coming off an All-NBA season in which he became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in league history and helped propel the Spurs on an unexpected march to the NBA Finals.
Now comes the next challenge for the 7-foot-4 phenom on the cusp his fourth NBA season — making sure his his imprint felt not just in highlight reels or individual stretches of dominance, but on every possession, in every quarter and deep into another hoped-for playoff run.
Can Wembanyama become a more consistent offensive closer when opponents load up on him late in games? How much can improve as a playmaker passing out of double teams? Can he continue his defensive dominance while shouldering an even bigger offensive burden?
Wembanyama has already established himself as the Spurs’ centerpiece. The next step is figuring out just how much more he can do from there.
San Antonio Spurs guards Stephon Castle (5), De’Aaron Fox (4) and Dylan Harper (2) pose for official portraits together during the NBA basketball team’s media day at the Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.
2. Will the three-guard experiment blow up or pay off?
Mitch Johnson appears ready to roll the dice on a three-guard starting lineup, with sophomore sensation Dylan Harper joining incumbent starters De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.
Harper has earned the promotion after a stellar All-Rookie campaign coming off the bench. The question is whether the 20-year-old can make an already potent backcourt even better without throwing its chemistry out of whack.
The three talented guards spent little time on the floor together last season. The early returns were not great, albeit in a limited sample size. Johnson is betting more minutes together will help the three talented guards figure out how to coexist — and complement one another.
The upside is tantalizing. With Harper joining Fox and Castle in the backcourt and Victor Wembanyama serving as the offensive hub, the Spurs could have a group capable of overwhelming opponents with speed, playmaking and scoring.
The downside? Johnson would be tinkering with a starting five that ranked among the NBA’s best over the second half of last season. If the new-look lineup sputters, he will have to decide whether to stay the course or rethink a formula that was already working.
San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson and assistant coach Billy Donovan watch their team take on the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. The Spurs fell 123-116 to the Hawks in the preseason opener.
3. What did Mitch Johnson learn from his Finals exam?
Much was made of the crash course in experience the young Spurs made on the way to last season’s NBA Finals.
That was true of their young coach as well.
The 39-year-old Johnson, in his first full season at the Spurs’ helm, received deserved Coach of the Year consideration for guiding the team to a 62-20 campaign.
The Finals, however, offered a sobering counterpoint to that breakthrough, as Johnson drew criticism for slow adjustments while New York rallied from double-digit deficits in all four of its victories.
Throughout the season, Johnson leaned hard on associate head coach Sean Sweeney, a noted defensive guru who helped fashion the Wembanyama-led group into one of the league’s most ferocious defensive teams.
Sweeney is gone now, having taken the head position in Orlando.
Johnson’s newest assistant is no coaching neophyte. Billy Donovan brings 11 seasons of NBA head coaching experience and two NCAA national championships from his days at Florida, along with a bust in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
With a Finals run behind him and Donovan by his side, Johnson has an opportunity to showcase how much he has learned — and whether those lessons can help the Spurs take the next step.
San Antonio Spurs’ Tobias Harris slaps hands with his teammate Keldon Johnson during a Silver & Black Scrimmage timeout at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.
4. Can Tobias Harris push the young core higher?
The Spurs’ front office was content enough with its Finals roster that general manager Brian Wright and crew decided to bring in one and only one free agent during the offseason.
Tobias Harris may be a newcomer to the team, but he is no NBA newbie.
At 34, Harris is entering his 16th professional season with a résumé built on the kind of experience the Spurs’ young core can use.
The 6-foot-8 forward spent last season in Detroit, starting 63 games for a Pistons team that won 60 games. Now he arrives in San Antonio hoping to help turn a talented young group into a more battle-tested, dependable playoff outfit.
Harris missed his first preseason with the Spurs while nursing a calf injury, but he is expected to slide into the starting lineup once he is healthy and up to speed.
The Spurs are confident he will be worth the wait. The club signed Harris for his work in April, May and June, not in October.
San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) goes up for a shot in between Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale (31) and forward Zuby Ejiofor (20) during the first half of the preseason opener at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.
5. Who is ready for an unexpected close-up?
Championship teams are powered by their stars, but they’re often defined by the guys nobody saw coming.
The Spurs got contributions from all over the roster on their run to last season’s Finals. Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie each had their moments, establishing themselves as reliable pieces of the rotation.
Now comes the hunt for the next out-of-nowhere difference-maker.
It could be Carter Bryant, whose elite athleticism and defensive motor give him a case for a bigger role in his second NBA season.
It could be rookie Tarris Reed Jr., the hulking backup center from UConn whose toughness and rebounding have already earned rave reviews in training camp.
Or perhaps David Jones Garcia, just eight months removed from surgery to repair a broken right ankle, can conjure another “DJG game” or two.
The Spurs know what their headliners can do. The question is who else will step forward as the stakes begin to rise.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer / San Antonio Express-News