There wasn’t much controversy surrounding the San Antonio Spurs’ first two of their three picks in the draft (Sohan may have had some, see above for details), but there were still a lot of questions about selecting Blake Wesley with the 25th overall pick. the sound of. Why do and the Spurs have a soft spot for this guard who doesn't have a good physical test, whose college statistics are not explosive, and whose resume is not impressive, and even considered taking him with the 20th overall pick?
The first one-and-done in the history of the University of Notre Dame
To unveil the mystery of Wesley, we must first start with his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. Basketball is not the strong point of this Catholic university, which is regarded as a holy place by football fans. Today, as more and more high school talents choose "one-and-dane", few top-level talented basketball prospects choose here. One Notre Dame player who has gained a foothold in the NBA is Pat Connaughton, the 41st overall pick in the 2015 senior draft. This season, the team nicknamed the "Irish Warriors" achieved an overall record of 24-11, 15-5 in the league, ranking second in the ACC ( Atlantic Coast Conference ) (tied with North Carolina, second only to Duke ), not only reached and March Madness again, but also defeated the powerful University of Alabama in the first round.
This Irish Warriors team retains most of the previous team, and they are not as weak as many fans think. Prentiss Herb is a qualified organizer and ball handler, Dane Goodwin is a wing shooter with a three-point shooting rate of more than 40%, and No. 4 Nate Razev, nicknamed "Big Nate" Ski's skills are also good. They have both played for the team for four years. The two main rotations, Cormac Ryan and Trey Watts, have also been with the team for two years and are qualified outside shooters. The team does not lack excellent team players and shooting, but limited by their physical and athletic talents, they have always lacked the ability to independently attack inside and outside to open up situations and effectively kill their opponents.
After acquiring Yale University senior center Paul Atkinson from the transfer market, Notre Dame's interior offensive firepower has been significantly improved. The heavy responsibility of outside blasting fell to Wesley, who was new to the team. In the team's first game, Wesley came off the bench and scored 21 points, making 4 of 6 three-pointers and going to the free throw line 5 times. Facing the powerful rival Illinois in the sixth game, Wesley came off the bench and scored a new high of 24 points. After going to the free throw line 8 times and proving his lethality from the outside, Wesley was put into the starting lineup by coach Mike Bray until End of season.
Throughout the season, Wesley played in all 35 games of the team. His average playing time per game (29.3 minutes) ranked only fourth on the team, while his scoring average (14.4 points) and number of shots per game (12.6 times) ranked third in the team. Ranked first in the team in points made (5.1 times), free throws (4.1 times), and steals (1.3 times). He has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games. Among this year's one-and-done players, only No. 1 pick Paul Banqueiro can achieve it. Even Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith have not been able to achieve it. .
The University of Notre Dame has the strongest three-point firepower in the ACC division (39.6% field goal percentage and 9.5 field goal average both rank first in the ACC). Goodwin and Laszewski are both excellent players with a field goal percentage of over 45%. Three-point shooters, they have a C&S shooting rate of more than 50% from the bottom corner and 45 degrees. Therefore, as the player with the best physical fitness, the strongest combination of man and ball, and the most aggressive offense in the team, Wesley uses the cover of his teammates and the threat of outside C&S at the top of the circle to make mid-range and long shots with the ball. Breakthrough is an important means for the team to dismantle the opponent's defense in positional battles.
Although the overall efficiency is average, Wesley has a very rich arsenal: he can pull up long two-pointers and three-pointers (once he gets into his rhythm, he can often hit consecutive hits), he can break out after the pick-and-roll, shoot and pass. , when the tactics really can't be opened, you can also rely on dribbling and speed to rush to the basket and cause fouls. As a rookie, Wesley became the team's main attacker, taking a lot of the ball, with an astonishing usage rate of 31.1% (second only to Johnny Davis among rookies). He assumed the focus of the opponent's marking, attracted a certain amount of defensive help, relieved the pressure on teammates who were not good at attacking with the ball, and allowed Goodwin, who are better at off-ball movement and C&S, to get more and better opportunities. Opportunity to take action.
In addition to positional offense, transition is what Wesley is good at. His speed and impact coupled with skillful dribbling skills make him more efficient in transition offense than positional warfare, averaging 4.3 points per game. With his good size, wingspan, athletic ability, defensive aggression and anticipation, Wesley has excellent steals and interceptions ability (averaging 1.3 times per game), which makes him even more powerful, often performing a one-stop after steals. A great game to score. positional battles have accelerated blasting and push transitions. Wesley's arrival has undoubtedly made up for these two shortcomings in Notre Dame's tactics and enriched the team's tactics. This has been a successful season for both parties.
After the season, Wesley was selected to the ACC All-Rookie Team, and ESPN also placed him in the lottery area of the 2023 mock draft list (and next year's draft market is generally considered to be better than this year), Scouting It is generally believed that if he goes through one or two more college seasons, he is very likely to become a top offensive and defensive backcourt star. Against this background, Wesley chose to end his college career, participate in the draft early, and was selected by the Spurs. Is this option a good choice for both parties?
Opponent: The top-heavy Spurs have chosen another short guard. Do they want to gather seven guards and summon the dragon?
Positive: The Spurs management has determined to rebuild, and a versatile and potential backcourt like Wesley is worthy of long-term investment.
The Spurs have traded away Murray and allowed Walker to sign and leave the team freely. In the new season, if the team does not swing Vassell from the third position (he played most of last season at the third position), , Richardson was not traded (the possibility of staying on the team is very small), Langford was not renewed (the possibility of staying on the team is also very small), and only Primo and Tre Jones were left last season. two backcourt players. Even if some veterans are acquired through trade, they may not be in the team's long-term plan - the Spurs, who claim that their defenders can play mahjong, suddenly have no defenders! Now it seems that Wright has made the determination to rebuild before the draft and reshuffle the team's backcourt - Wesley, who is versatile and has potential, is worthy of long-term investment.
Originally we thought that young guards like Branham and Wesley, especially the latter, might need to experience 1-2 seasons in Austin. Now it seems that their time to enter the rotation may be much earlier. As for choosing defenders instead of tall frontcourt players like Jovic and Baldwin, in addition to the team having to reshuffle the backcourt, may have experienced Luka Samanic and the management paid more attention to physical and technical skills. Competitiveness beyond the spiritual level. Wesley dared to take over the task of being the team's leading offensive player in his rookie season, and his personal data and team record were remarkable. In addition, he showed a strong sense of competition in the 3V3 trial training. It's hard not to make Wright feel excited.
Opposition: Whether it is two points, three points or free throws, Wesley's shooting percentage is terrible and his efficiency is low. He is obviously a scumbag!
Positive: After playing like this in his rookie season, Wesley already has the faint shadow of an all-around attacker on the offensive end.
Is Wesley a brush? I have mentioned before that Notre Dame's lineup requires him to take a lot of shots, especially one-on-ones and blitzes. As a rookie, it is difficult for him to balance "quality" and "quantity". Compared with Jaden Hardy, he has done a very good job. He made many difficult shots, including those one-on-ones at the top of the circle facing the opponent's strong defense (0.848 per round, over 62%), one-stop in transition offense, forced breakthroughs and high-speed in the face of the opponent's crowd His smooth turning and shooting during breakthroughs give him the potential to become an all-around backcourt attacker. As for the shooting percentage, as a freshman who mainly shoots with the ball, I personally feel that a 30% three-point shooting rate is not unacceptable.
Of course, being able to take possession of the ball may not necessarily be efficient after releasing the ball. The Spurs are not the University of Notre Dame. Even if the team's backcourt is completely different, Wesley will never have unlimited firing rights like the university. How to improve efficiency in limited playing time is a constant topic among the top universities. Compared with Sohan who is good at air cutting (1.517 per round, over 93%), and Branham who is good at fixed-point shooting (1.083 per round, over 82%), scores 0.89 at fixed points per round (over 50%), and air cutting Wesley, who is 1.125 (more than 43%), obviously needs to focus on improving his C&S skills and off-ball running ability. Some of his basic skills also need to be refined, especially free throws - the 65.7% shooting rate is indeed too ugly.
Opposite side: Dynamic physical test, hip stretch, speed and lateral movement comparable to a center, poor defensive data, embarrassing defensive end.
Positive: The physical test cannot deny Wesley's outstanding physical fitness and excellent athletic ability. He is expected to become an offensive and defensive player.
Wesley's dynamic physical test results were not good, this is an objective fact. However, just like the in vitro experimental results of some drugs cannot be equated with clinical efficacy, there are also differences in the performance of physical test data on the field.. The dynamic data of Wiskamp's joint trial training was quite good. He was better than Primo in terms of speed, lateral movement and jumping. However, when the season started, everyone saw a completely different picture. Obviously, compared to more objective static data, dynamic data is more mechanical. Taking the four-point movement in the three-second zone as an example, this project is mainly used to test the player's lateral movement. However, what is needed on the playing field is not mechanical lateral movement. Instead of moving, you react quickly or instinctively and constantly adjust your steps according to the opponent's movements and posture - these cannot be reflected in the physical test.
Compared with cold numbers, I believe more in game videos and reports from scouts on site visits. ACC is the top division of NCAA, and its exposure is unquestionable. In games against opponents like Duke and North Carolina, the sidelines are always filled with scouts, and players like Benqueiro, AJ Griffin, Videos of popular rookies like Mark Williams, Taytay Washington, and Caleb Love are all over the YouTube website. His instant explosive power, ability to accelerate, change gears and brakes, speed of reaction, body control and flexibility have been unanimously recognized by opponents and scouts. All scouting reports believe that he has the ability to become a leading perimeter defender - although the final result is difficult to predict - but at least he has such potential.
The performance of past rookies has already proved that the joint test is a bonus item, not a veto item. Wesley's body and athletic talent are undoubtedly outstanding in this class. He is not top-notch in the NBA, but for the current Spurs backcourt, he is already top-notch. The Spurs once had such a talented player - Lonnie Walker, who just left the team, has even better athletic talent, but he has never been able to maximize this talent. Compared with the introverted Walker, Wesley's personality is more outgoing, more proactive, more competitive and expressive, and may be more hopeful of becoming an offensive and defensive player.
Opponent: Wesley is a short offensive guard who only has eyes for the basket and is unlikely to be qualified for the role of point guard.
Positive: The No. 1 position is vacant, and combo guard Wesley has the potential to fill this gap.
At the University of Notre Dame, Wesley took on a considerable ball-holding task and also showed a certain amount of playmaking potential. He averaged 2.4 assists per game and ranked second on the team. However, the assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.09 is not ideal. Although his dribbling is quite good, he is still far behind NBA-level point guards in terms of protecting the ball and controlling the rhythm of the game. After getting the ball, the more choice is to launch an attack instead of controlling the rhythm and reading the game. Of course, this type of shooting-first offensive point guard is not a minority in the NBA. Popovich also has a lot of experience in cultivating this type of combo guard-turned-point guard. Wesley also needs to work hard to hone himself. His luck control skills and reading of the game.The difficulty of 's success is not small, but the rewards are also huge. Excellent physical fitness and defensive potential will give Wesley a considerable advantage in the first position.
After Murray left the team, the Spurs only had Jones as a pure point guard at the first position. Compared with the 2/3 positions, the reserves at this position are the thinnest. Maybe the team will correct Jones in the short term, maybe trade for a veteran point guard, but they are obviously not the long-term answer to the team's No. 1 position. Primo may be another option, but his position is still unclear, and there is a high probability of positions 2 and 3. In Popovich's tactical system, defenders play a far more important role than wings. Wesley has the potential to cut through the defense and become a breaking point to drive the whole team - this was also the path that Parker became famous for. , opportunities have emerged, but challenges follow.
Ending
In the next few years, the Spurs still have a considerable number of first-round draft picks, including many lottery picks and even top rookies. Compared with Scott Henderson and DJ Wagner, Wesley, the 25th pick, has no advantage at all. At a normal family dinner, you may savor a piece of abalone in sauce, but when the chef may serve bluefin tuna, gooseneck barnacles, king crab and other top-notch delicacies at any time, you will You may not be so patient anymore. is rebuilding the team, and the challenges faced by rookies, especially non-lottery picks, are extremely severe. There are big waves in the sand, and is destined to have many talented young people abandoned by the team on the road to rebuilding - the stage left for them is huge, but Time is short - opportunities and challenges coexist, good luck to Blake Wesley!
(Text/Mu Yan 1199)
