The Wembanyama system has been decided! The reconstruction of the Spurs dynasty opens a new stage The zebra era is coming

In their last loss to the Bulls, the Spurs suffered a 16-game losing streak, tying the franchise's longest losing streak. However, the biggest difference in this game is that Victor Wembanyama played as a center, which is also the first step of Popovich's Wembanyama system after 20 games of experimentation, and the Spurs' plan for the next 20 years may also really enter the tactical execution level.

In the first 20 games of the season, the Spurs went through countless changes of formation, and in order to adapt Wembanyama to the intensity of confrontation in such a high-level game as the NBA, Popovich even let him play in the way he was most comfortable. However, in the last game against the Bulls, Wembanyama began to get into a systemic arrangement, he was moved to the center position, Sochan played power forward, and Collins was pressed to the bench.

Obviously, this is a major change, as Collins has been a starter since the start of the season, even dating back to February 8 last year. Popovich didn't want to explain too much about this, saying only that having a stronger bench would always help the team reduce the pressure on the starting lineup, and that he hoped that the team's squad space would be better distributed. In that game, Spurs bench players scored a total of 46 points.

Popovich didn't elaborate too much about Malaki Branham playing point guard and starting to build a pick-and-roll partnership with Wembanyama, saying, "Our coaching staff has been talking about it for a while and we have to decide what is the best combination for the team at this time. I don't have time or want to tell you what we considered. ”

So we don't know if this is a temporary tactical set-up, especially since almost all of the Bulls' players play five outside the three-point line, which may not be a good fit for a combination like Wembanyama and Collins. In the loss to the Bulls, Wembanyama posted a double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds, plus four assists and four blocks. With this wave of performances, Wembanyama swept three all-time records in one game, becoming the first rookie since O'Neal in 1992 to score at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks in a single game in his rookie season, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a single game (19 years and 338 days), and becoming the first player in NBA history to hand over at least 350 points, 50 assists, 50 blocks and 25 steals in the first 20 games of his career.

As a seven-foot-long man, Wembanyama is a synthetic version of "AD+KD", and he not only has excellent passing awareness, but also has an enviable back-to-body skill, movement speed and agility, which makes him a top basket protector and rebounder, and more importantly, he has the desire to win as a champion of the sky, which is also his most valuable quality. Now that a quarter of the schedule is over, Popovich must have seen a lot of problems. The next step is for the Spurs to start a new phase and try to figure out how to win around Wembanyama. According to the current basketball style, combined with the game with the Bulls, Wembanyama has gradually moved from a free and infinite casual round of play to a fixed position, and the space is bound to shrink further, and more time will be played like a thick eyebrow brother. On top of that, the Spurs will gradually replace role players, as well as the accessories they need, or trade them to complete their new system.

Of course, Collins is also very supportive of Popovich's arrangement, he doesn't mind playing on the bench, and even thinks it's a great challenge for him: "Playing on the bench means you don't have time to get into the game, you have to get your body and brain ready. So even when you're not on the field, you have to stay focused. At the same time, you have to play your own style, stay positive and energetic, and add energy to the team from the bench. This takes the pressure off the starters. ”

Spurs are a team with a deep championship heritage, and Popovich's ability to control the team is unmatched, his tactical planning is very fine, and he knows how to inspire the fighting spirit and confidence of the players to play at a better level in the game. Perhaps from the day Wembanyama began to be truly established as a center, the Spurs have officially entered the next stage!