#头条创作挑战赛 #
The Spurs recently cut power forward Alize Johnson and signed combination forward Stanley Johnson, and there is nothing surprising in the operation itself, given that Stanley Johnson is a player with great height and reach, athleticism and defensive skills, and although he lacks outside projection ability, he can athletically score in offensive and defensive transitions, and his role with the Spurs is easy to figure out. It's strange that the Spurs have brought in another forward instead of the point guard most people think they need, and they don't seem willing to make this a priority, which is strange, and I think there may be two reasons.
The simplest answer to the question of why the Spurs didn't sign another point guard (preferably a young man) as a backup for Trey Jones is that they trust Blake Wesley, and they're just waiting for his return. Wesley was injured after playing just a few games in his rookie season, but he looks promising to have his place in the NBA and appears to be able to get a lot of playing time straight after Josh Primo was waived. If the Spurs think Wesley is better than Malaki Blanham, it makes sense to reserve that spot for him. This is similar to why Jeremy Sohan was awarded the starting spot, Popovich may have wanted Sohan to know that his playing time and role are clear and that no one will take his place even if his performance is struggling. The same applies to Wesley, who may have been given some sort of assurance that he would get a few minutes of playing time when he returned, given that for the Spurs, the development of young players is key this season.
However, there are two potential problems with this line of thinking. First, if the development of young players is the goal, not having a competent point guard on the second team can actually hinder the progress of other players. Second, if the Spurs really have that high demands on Wesley's performance this year, it wouldn't be a big deal to bring in a player like Sherif Cooper from the Atlanta Hawks in a minimal trade, or convert Charles Bessie's two-way contract to a regular contract while using a two-way contract to sign a point guard. Even if the player performs well, the coaching staff could simply choose to prioritize Wesley, just as they use Sohan over the better-performing players like Doug McDermott and Keita Bates Diop, who can now help more with experience alone. So it's true that the Spurs are just waiting for Wesley, but things could be more complicated than that.
The Spurs don't seem to need any small backup point guards. When the Spurs entered the season, there was no backup point guard in the rotation, and Primo, the point guard of the second team, actually played shooting guard when he was drafted, and his skills were also score-based, spending a year honing his possession organization and defensive ability with the ball.
Since dropping Primo, the Spurs' choice is to put Josh Richardson, who is 1.98 meters tall, in charge of the ball, while Romeo Langford, who is 1.96 meters, will usually be responsible for defending the opponent's master controller. The stats prove it, with Richardson ranking second on the team in terms of average dribbles per game, average time spent on the ball per offensive turn and total possession per turn. Langford spent most of his time defending defenders on the pitch, and his most defended players were Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Porter, Derwent Graham and LeBron James. Of these players, Graham is the only one who is not the main initiator of the team's offense, and a further look reveals that he often defends opposing point guards. The Spurs' plan this season appears to be to have a winger on their nominal backup point guard, a plan they stuck to even after dropping Primo.
There may be different reasons for the Spurs' decision, but such an arrangement also makes sense. For starters, having a group of players who are taller than the average point guard makes it much easier to switch defenses, and theoretically, any player on a roster without Trae Jones should have the ability to switch from No. 1 to No. 4. As for the offensive side, the absence of a master player would allow Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson to have more ball-carrying opportunities and make them the core of the playmaker. While Jones ranks first on the team in total touches, the two wingers are first and second on the team when touching the ball up front, followed by Jacob Boltel and Zach Collins, essentially indicating that Jones' task is to dribble through halfway and then he won't hold the ball once the team starts attacking. There is a benefit to taking this unconventional route, as it can help improve defensively and keep the ball in the hands of core players, which is also the result that rebuild teams should want.
It's probably a good sign that they want to use a bigger line-up not only in the forward position but also in the backfield, which explains why they haven't brought in any small players if their purpose is to change defences, let both wings score, and have inside players provide the ability to respond.
That being said, it's interesting to see if Wesley will take over some of the playing time for Langford and the veteran when he recovers? His height, arm span and athleticism may not be as high as most wingers, but his height of 1.93m is already considered the top among defenders, and we can see if he can improve his ball control and playmaking skills as he plays more. But anyway, it doesn't seem to be a bit of a problem for the Spurs to have a traditional point guard on the second lineup as the main point guard, so we may not see any new operations from them to solve this problem for the time being, do you think the editor has a point?