The direction of the new era is established, where is the Spurs goal?

Judging from various signs, this year is likely to be a year of great leap forward for the Spurs.

After missing the second half of last season, Bunyama finally got rid of all constraints and officially started to hit results. Outside of the team, in addition to Wenban returning healthy, the Spurs focused on strengthening the backcourt. They exchanged for Fox at the trade deadline last year and acquired Dylan Harper with the second pick in the draft.

While most teams are still limited to the shackles of the luxury tax, the Spurs have begun a cultural revolution. Now we need to clarify a question, what kind of team do the Spurs want to be in the future?

Although Wenban has shown his defensive talent from the moment he was selected, on the offensive end, he is still in a stage of evolution. In terms of scoring, his current offensive weapons are not necessarily the key to his future becoming a superstar. To a certain extent, his weakest part has become his brightest scene.

After the first two seasons, Wenban's performance as a finisher was far better than his role as an offensive creator. In 46 games last season, his true shooting percentage on self-created shots was 49.8%, but when he took shots within two seconds of catching the ball, his offensive performance was as high as 62.5%.

Top insiders such as Jokic, Embiid, and Antetokounmpo can create about 30 shot opportunities for themselves or their teammates in each game. Wenban is obviously not in this category. His role is closer to second-tier penalty area players such as Jaren Jackson Jr. and Adebayor.

Therefore, when Paul can feed him the ball, Wenbanyama's offensive efficiency significantly improves. With Paul on the court, Wenban scored 28.7 points per 100 possessions and a true shooting percentage of 60.8%; without Paul, he only scored 20.8 points and a 54% shooting percentage.

At the current stage, Bunbanyama's ball-handling skills have improved rapidly this season and have basically reached the ball-handling level. Stable enough in open spaces, but a little lacking in crowded penalty areas.

For Wenban, the next development direction is for him to steadily develop his independent scoring and offensive diversification abilities. Judging from the distribution of shot patterns this season, this big man can be regarded as the player with the most abundant offensive methods in the league. Although the overall efficiency is still unstable, his offensive scenes are amazing enough.

Only three players in the league have a higher shooting percentage in the penalty area than Wenban, and only four players can hit more catch-and-shoot jumpers than him. According to BBall Index statistics, he is also among the league's top 20 most productive pick-and-roll finishers and alley-oop passers. What is even more exciting is that the Chinese class can be upgraded almost every year. Last year, he became the league's top three-point shooter in terms of shot volume; and in this year's preseason, he began to show more talent and actively challenged the penalty area.

And if Wenban’s advantage lies in his unlimited upper limit in the future, then Fox next to him represents a clear enough sample.

Since entering the league, this defender has relied on his speed advantage to establish himself in the league's star defender echelon. Starting in 2023, Fox chose to hand over the organizational work to Savoy, and then began to transform into a star. After being relieved of organizational responsibilities, his game goals began to become simpler. Although the average number of touches per game dropped significantly, the game value of each touch increased significantly.

After reducing the pick-and-roll rounds, he was replaced with more simple dribble handoffs and fast break opportunities. The offensive efficiency and scoring diversity increased simultaneously. After rejecting the traditional point guard framework, he officially entered the All-Star level point guard.

From the perspective of player attributes, both Fox and Wenban can play value in a stable structure, but neither of them may be able to support a system structure alone. Wenban's most efficient mode requires a disciplined point guard to control the team's rhythm for him; while Fox needs more teammates who can break through the talent to make his stability an advantage.

But if Wenban is simply put together with Fox, or even Harper and Castle, who are slightly lower-level stars, the Spurs are likely to misuse this epoch-making genius.

Before last season was ruled out due to blood clots, Wenban and Fox only played together for five games. In these 120 minutes, the duo's point difference on the field was negative. Based on the limited player data, Wenban's scoring and shooting percentage dropped significantly when Wenban and Fox were on the same court. On the contrary, Fox's scoring and assist data were able to improve.

In comparison, the Spurs in the new season are indeed better than the same period last season, but the overall strength of this team will ultimately need to be tested throughout the season to know the final upper limit.

Looking at the lineup, we see a team with two All-Stars, the current Best Rookie, and a favorite for the future Best Rookie. Such a core team plus a group of comprehensive forward rotations, and in such a team, the most terrifying thing is that Bunyama continues to improve himself.

Next, the key goal for this team is whether the Spurs team can keep up with the growth of the Chinese class.