andre

Team building through the right pieces matters and no one can convince me the Spurs aren't fully aware that adding the wrong piece will be more poison than medicine. That appiies whether that player is John Collins (a player the Spurs have passed on repeatedly when available) or Rui Hashimura (who multiple reports, indicate they are interested in). Furthermore, I KNOW for a fact that Rui Hachimura and some of the young Spurs core are all under the exact same management roof. That matters! Especially as he enters unrestricted free agency after finishing a strong 2025–26 campaign. I will repeat myself again for the sake of clarity and say that I’m not here to say that Hashimura is the team’s top free target, but having Stephon Castle and Carter Bryant already on the roster means the Spurs' front office has an active, daily line of communication established with the exact executives who are handling Hachimura's upcoming free agency market. I already spent a lot of time explaining the offensive fit, so let's break this down on the defensive fit now. Come to terms that the Spurs do not need another weak-side rim protector; they already have the most devastating one on Earth plus, “Hey! Have you seen the tape?” They just drafted a couple of young players who excel at that skill. They need a forward who can execute baseline team defensive concepts without breaking the scheme and blowing coverage. John Collins' vertical pop lets him make spectacular recovery plays that mask bad positioning on highlight reels. But across a grueling season, a defense built on dramatic recovery rather than structural discipline will constantly bleed high-efficiency looks and crowd Wemby. Collins is below the league average on many metrics and frequently falls victim to ball-watching. Instead of playing disciplined "help-the-helper" defense, he tends to fixate on the ball and fly in late to block the shot himself. This leaves the dunker spot or the opposite corner completely exposed for an easy drop-off pass or a wide-open kick-out three. Rui is built like a tank. While he lacks elite lateral quickness on the perimeter, he is exceptionally strong and structurally disciplined in isolation and post defense. He rarely bites on pump fakes, stands his ground physically against heavier players (even when guarding Wembanyama who you may recall JJ Redick’s Lakers played great defense against and who he guarded and nearly upset during the Olympics in France). Hashimura forces tough, contested mid-rangers without fouling. Rui plays within the defensive shell. He executes his assignments and stays attached to his zone, meaning Wembanyama can trust that his interior partners aren't constantly blowing coverage or wandering out of position behind him. As I, and others, stated earlier. Hashimura is a far better fit and defensive player for the Spurs than Collins or Mamukelshvili and it's not even close.

El último punto es el que más miedo me da. Pasar de un Marcelino con el equipo replegadito a un Íñigo que quiere robar el balón arriba y cuanto antes significa un cambio en la energía del equipo cuando no tiene pelota. Y de Mikautadze y Pépé depende que la presión sea efectiva.