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你知道嗎，西班牙 ACB 聯賽是全世界外援比例最高的聯賽，全聯盟高達70%是外國球員！然而，西班牙卻依然是一支世界級勁旅。

反觀很多亞洲聯賽，至今仍陷在一個迷思中：「要讓本土球員成長，就要限制外援。」

這聽起來好像很合理，因為邏輯很簡單：外援少了，本土球員自然有更多上場機會、更多的上場時間，才會有更多機會表現、進步。

但問題是——這些上場時間真的有幫助嗎？他們真的因此變得更強、更能打國際賽嗎？還是，只是讓球員活在舒適圈裡，從來沒被逼到極限過？

卡總的一句話，點破亞洲籃球的盲點

我最近在 podcast 訪問了桃園領航猿的西班牙籍主教練卡總（Iurgi Caminos），一位曾在西班牙、日本與台灣都有執教經驗的教練，從青訓到職業層級都待過。他說了一句話，讓我印象深刻

這句話讓我立刻想起去年 7 月我寫過的一篇文章。

當時我訪問了日本 B.League 國際發展部主管齋藤千尋，聊到聯賽擴大亞洲外援名額、外援與本土發展的關係。文章目前因網站改版暫時下架，但核心觀點至今仍鮮明：

今天我想分享三個我從這些訪談裡學到的重要觀念。它們或許會挑戰你對「本土發展」的傳統想像，但也可能給我們一個更實際的方向。

1.「上場」不是重點，「對到誰」才是關鍵

不是所有的上場時間都一樣有價值。

打 40 分鐘，如果對手很弱，只會讓你越打越安逸，根本不會進步。

但如果你只上 20 分鐘，對手是那種比你更快、更壯、更聰明的洋將呢？你每個失誤都會被懲罰，每個防守偷懶都會被抓出來，你做的每個決定，甚至沒做的，都會產生影響。

你根本沒時間放空，也沒地方可以躲。

這就是壓力帶來成長的方式。

卡總很簡單地說了一句話：

日本的改革：限制失敗，放寬反而成長

回顧去年在迪拜 BCL Asia 決賽圈期間我和齋藤先生做的那次專訪，我們聊到日本近年打開外援名額之後，球員的成長反而加速。

你沒看錯，是打開外援，不是限制。

按照現在 B 聯賽的制度，每場比賽最多可以同時派上 3 名非本土球員（兩名洋將＋一名亞洲外援或歸化球員），也就是說，場上五個位置，只剩兩個留給本土球員。

這樣的設計，對於「保護本土」派來說，幾乎是大忌。

但齋藤先生怎麼說？

簡單來說：本土球員不是需要「被空出來的位置」，而是需要「能逼他進步的對手」。

這才是真正的訓練。

成長不是靠「打比較多」來的，而是靠「打得更有挑戰性」。

那種會讓你不舒服、突破極限、打破藉口的時間，才是真正讓人變強的時間。

2. 好的制度不是「讓你輕鬆上場」，而是「讓你不斷升級」

回到一開始我所提到的，根據國際籃聯針對2022/23賽季所發布的《國際籃球報告》，西甲聯賽的外國球員所佔的比例高達70%，依舊是全世界聯賽外援人數最多的聯賽。

因為歐盟勞動法的關係，西班牙 ACB 聯賽無法限制外來的歐盟球員，正如卡總所透露，Baskonia 和 Murcia 兩支西甲球隊甚至沒有西班牙本土球員！

但你看他們的國家隊，不管是奧運、世界盃，還是歐錦賽，永遠都是世界強權。

為什麼？

因為他們有完整、分層的青訓制度：

• 每支職業隊都有自建的青訓系統
• 球員只要夠好，就能跳級挑戰
• 從 U10 到一軍，隨時處於被壓迫、被拉扯的環境中

Ricky Rubio 14 歲就在 Barcelona 登場；Luka Dončić 16 歲就在 Real Madrid 打 Euroleague。

他們天賦出眾是一回事，更重要是制度給了他們壓力，也給了他們空間。如果他們是在其他國家，大概還卡在高中，和早就打不過自己的同齡人比賽。

這，才是真正的成長環境。

不是讓球員一直待在同齡的「頂端」，而是不斷把他們放進下一個等級的「底端」，讓他們在壓力中生存、適應、直到有一天成為那一層的主角。

3. 保護太多，其實是在拖慢最好的球員

我知道這段話會讓一些人不舒服，但我還是得說出來：

很多聯盟規定外援人數、本土出場時間、本土輪換配額，乍看之下是在「培養人才」，但實際上只是扭曲競爭機制。

本土球員不是靠「保障」變強的。真正的強者，是在「無人讓位」的環境中，靠實力把位置搶下來。

我記得四年前，一位國外籃球分析師對我說過一個更激進卻現實的想法：

這話聽起來很冷血，但道理是對的。

我們需要的，是轉變思維。

阿根廷傳奇 Luis Scola 在2019年的男籃世界盃後，在接受中國記者楊毅的訪問時講過一句話，我至今還記得：

而這 12 個人，是在壓力下成長出來的。不是靠政策保護，而是靠實力證明。

所以我們該問的不是：「我們怎麼讓更多本土球員上場？」

而應該是：「我們怎麼打造一個環境，讓本土球員非得變強，不然就會失去位置？」

壓力不是成長的敵人，它是催化劑。

如果我們一直用舒適圈包著他們，他們永遠不會知道自己可以有多強。

🎧 延伸推薦：我和卡總的完整 podcast 對談

這篇文章，就是來自我和 Iurgi 教練在《喬遇師傅》的訪談內容。

我們聊到了：

• 亞洲聯賽為何總想限制外援？這真的有效嗎？
• 歐盟法規怎麼影響西班牙的開放政策？
• 為什麼沒有配額的西班牙聯賽，反而養出最多頂尖球員？

如果你對這些話題有共鳴，我非常推薦你點進去看看這一集，應該會給你一些全新的角度。

📺 點這裡看完整訪談（中文字幕）：👉 卡總：「球員的養成，靠的是挑戰而非保護！」​

🎙 Podcast 節目名稱：《喬遇師傅 One on One with Jordan》

📝 ENGLISH VERSION

Did you know, Spain’s ACB League has the highest percentage of foreign players in the world — 70% of the entire league is made up of imports. And yet, Spain remains a global powerhouse in basketball.

Meanwhile, many Asian leagues are still stuck in a familiar mindset: "To help local players grow, we need to limit foreign imports."

It sounds reasonable. The logic is simple: fewer imports means more playing time for locals. More minutes equals more chances to perform, and that leads to development.

But here’s the real question — Do those extra minutes actually help? Do players really get better? Are they more prepared for international competition?

Or are they just getting comfortable — never being pushed, never having to stretch past their limits?

What Coach Caminos said that stuck with me

I recently interviewed Spanish coach Iurgi Caminos on my podcast. He’s coached in Spain, Japan and Taiwan, across youth levels and pros. And he said something that broke through all the noise:

Let that sink in.

It reminded me of an article I wrote last July, after interviewing Chihiro Saito, Director of International Development for Japan’s B.League.

We talked about Japan’s decision to expand the Asian Players Quota to include 8 new countries and territories, and whether more imports would help or hurt local development.

The article is temporarily offline due to a site redesign, but the core insight still stands:

So here are 3 key takeaways from that conversation — takeaways that might change how we think about player development forever.

1. Playing time isn’t the metric. Competition is.

Not all minutes are created equal.

Play 40 minutes against weak competition and you’ll get comfortable — not better.

But play 20 minutes against an elite import who’s stronger, faster, and smarter? Every mistake gets punished. Every lazy closeout gets exposed. Every decision — or hesitation — matters.

You have no time to coast. No space to hide.

That’s how pressure creates growth.

Coach Iurgi put it best:

Japan’s breakthrough: Lifting limits, unlocking growth

In that same interview with Saito during the BCL Asia Finals in Dubai, we talked about how Japan’s decision to increase the number of imports actually led to faster growth for their local talent.

That’s right — they didn’t restrict imports. They opened the door.

Under the current B.League rules, teams can have three non-local players on the floor at the same time (two international imports and one Asian or naturalized player). That leaves only two spots for local players.

To “protect local players” advocates, this sounds like a disaster.

But what did Saito say?

In other words — Local players don’t need “vacant spots.” They need opponents that actually force them to level up.

That’s real training.

Growth doesn’t come from “playing more.”

It comes from playing in situations that are uncomfortable, challenging, and unforgiving.

2. A real system doesn’t hand you opportunity — it stretches you beyond your level

Let’s go back to the data.

According to FIBA’s International Basketball Migration Report for the 2022–23 season, 70% of players in Spain’s ACB League are foreign.

That’s the highest percentage in the world.

Due to European Union labor laws, Spanish clubs can’t restrict EU players — which means French, German, Italian players all have the same rights to play in the league as Spanish players.

Coach Iurgi mentioned that at times, ACB teams like Baskonia and Murcia field zero Spanish players.

And yet…Spain’s national team remains a global force.

Olympics. FIBA World Cups. EuroBasket. They’re always contenders.

Why?

Because Spain has built a complete, layered development system.

• Every club is required to build their own youth pipeline.
• Talented players are allowed to play above their age group, move up divisions, train with pros, and constantly face higher levels of physicality, speed, and complexity.

Rubio played with Barcelona’s senior team at 14. Doncic played Euroleague minutes at 16.

Of course they were talented — But more importantly, the system gave them pressure and space.

If they were in most other countries, they’d still be stuck in high school, dominating kids they outgrew years ago.

This is real development:

Where they’re forced to fight. Forced to adapt. And eventually, ready to lead.

3. Protection inflates mediocrity. Pressure reveals greatness.

This one’s going to make some people uncomfortable.

But here’s the truth:

Leagues that set strict import limits, enforce local quotas, or mandate minimum local minutes often believe they’re helping development.

But what they’re really doing is distorting meritocracy.

Players don’t get better because they’re guaranteed minutes. They get better because they have to earn them.

4 Years ago, a basketball analyst told me something that stuck with me:

It sounds cold. But it’s true.

This is the mindset shift we need

Luis Scola, after the 2019 FIBA World Cup, said it best when he was interviewed by the Chinese media:

And those 12?

They’re not made by playing more games. They’re made by facing higher pressure, higher stakes, and higher standards.

So the question isn’t, “How do we get more local players on the floor?”

It’s, “How do we create environments where local players have to get better — or lose their spot?”

Pressure is not the enemy of development.

It’s the catalyst.

And until we stop confusing opportunity with safety, we’re going to keep building systems that reward mediocrity and suppress greatness.

🎧 Want the full conversation?

This newsletter was inspired by my podcast episode with Coach Iurgi Caminos. We talked about:

• The difference between protection and real development
• How EU labor laws shaped Spain’s open approach to foreign players
• Why some of the best players in the world come from a league with no foreign limits

If this topic interests you — and you care about the future of basketball in your country — this is one episode you don’t want to miss.

🎙 Watch the interview here →​

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