First in scoring

Chapter 91 90. This 17-year-old genius is worthy of their full training!

Jordan and the coaching staff had this discussion not because they thought Zhang Yang shot too many times. They were willing to give Zhang Yang opportunities to shoot. They were just analyzing whether this style of play was correct and whether it needed to be corrected.

When they were watching the game last night, they didn't think anything was wrong, but after the game they saw Zhang Yang took 17 shots in 15 minutes... This definitely makes them discuss whether there is something wrong with their high school student's playing style.

If there are any problems, correct them as soon as possible. At the age of 17, there is a lot of room for maneuver.

Even as Jordan said, if Zhang Yang is really not good at offense at this age, he can develop his defense first, just like Kobe in his early years, who was first selected for the first defense and then for the first team.

As for Zhang Yang, he had no doubt at all about the correctness of his style of play.

After several experiences, he had no problem with his shooting-first style of play with the Suns, Celtics, and even the Spurs who had entered the system era.

He can run out and catch the ball, but if he doesn't shoot, won't the ball die in his hands?
If he can make such a shot, he can attract more defensive attention when he is running, which can help his teammates play better, and then feed back to himself, forming a virtuous circle.

His problem now is that he can't make shots...

A preseason game allowed him to understand the kind of competition he would face in NBA games, which was something he could not experience even in team training games.

In high school games, he was able to make shots after wrestling with his opponents. Most outside confrontations were painless for him. When he learned to use his body, he was already dominating the Southern California League in the late 10th grade.

In the team training matches, no one takes it seriously, except Gerald Wallace...

But official NBA games are completely different.

The opponent was really bumping into him, trying to destroy him with his strong body.

Improving confrontation cannot be done in the short term, so just improve shooting.

With practical experience, he knows more clearly what he needs to improve in his shooting in the game, which is something that even top shooting coaches like Engelland cannot teach him. Of course, it is okay for him to understand which areas need improvement and discuss with Engelland how to do so.

Two days later, on the 13th, the Bobcats faced the Magic in a preseason game at home.

Zhang Yang met Dwight Howard, who was like a sunny boy. He saw the news a while ago that Howard was arrested for going to the red light district. Of course, he was not arrested because of his girlfriend, but because he was not old enough to drink.

After being released on bail, Howard defended himself in an interview with the media - I am a devout Christian, and my purpose in going there is to save the souls of those fallen girls on behalf of God.

Francis, who took good care of Yao Ming when he was on the Rockets, took the initiative to greet Zhang Yang, the Chinese rookie. Zhang Yang responded politely and behaved properly.

The Magic player Zhang Yang most wants to meet is Grant Hill.

The rookie trio consisting of Zhang Yang, Felton and Anderson went to take a photo with Hill together. The other party's polite attitude made them feel very comfortable.

Zhang Yang noticed that Hill already had white hair on his temples. He saw the news during training camp that Hill had just turned 33.

This is Hill's fifth season with the Magic, and he has been out for four consecutive seasons. No matter how tough his heart is, his body will reflect it.

The Bobcats' second preseason game starts at 7 p.m.

Okafor played very aggressively tonight, relying on his solid lower body to defend Howard.

During the offseason this year, Okafor gained 9 kilograms in weight. At the end of his rookie season, he weighed 118 kilograms. Now he weighs 127 kilograms. It seems that he is aiming to defend Howard, and the effect is very good.

But the negative effects are also obvious. The defense cannot be expanded much, and the team doctor also reminded that gaining too much weight will bring potential injury risks.

Although Okafor restricted Howard very well on the defensive end, the Magic basically did not rely on Howard to score. Francis, Hill, Turkoglu, Nelson, Arroyo, DeShawn Stevenson... and other talents were the main scorers. Except for Okafor who defended Howard and Gerald Wallace who defended Hill very well, the other positions of the Bobcats starters were all blown up, and the Magic's defense was also better than that of the Bobcats.

There was an obvious gap in strength between the two teams. After 8 minutes of the first quarter, the Bobcats were already 12 points behind with 19 to 7.

The Bobcats called a timeout and made substitutions. Zhang Yang was substituted in, and his teammates who also came on the court were Brevin Knight, Kareem Rush, Gerald Wallace, and Brezek.

After the timeout, Bickerstaff watched Zhang Yang being tagged by DeShawn Stevenson... There are so many high school students in the league!
Stevenson is also a high school rookie, the 2000rd pick in the first round of 23. His defense is not comparable to Harrington. The Magic are a fringe playoff team in the Eastern Conference, predicted to have 35+ wins, and their team defense is not comparable to the Hawks.

Bickerstaff was ready for Zhang Yang to hit the target repeatedly.

But the actual situation was not quite what he imagined.

After Zhang Yang came on the court, the offensive space for others improved significantly!

DeShawn Stevenson was defending tightly, so Zhang Yang slowly led DeShawn Stevenson away from his teammate with the ball, helping him create better conditions for launching an attack.

When DeShawn Stevenson tried to make up for the defense, Zhang Yang would speed up and if he had a chance to catch the ball, he would throw it decisively, trying to draw DeShawn Stevenson's attention back.

His teammates defended him. If Brevin Knight was not on the court, Zhang Yang could still launch a fast break counterattack on his own!

When it comes to dribbling with confrontation, Zhang Yang is far inferior to Felton, but when it comes to fast breaks without confrontation, he is much faster than Felton.

The game was eventually lost, 95-103, with the Bobcats losing to the Magic by 8 points in their second preseason game.

But in the preseason, winning or losing is not important…it doesn’t matter if we lose in the regular season.

What matters is the performance of the newcomers.

Felton played better against Francis and Nelson than he did against Joe Johnson and Tyronn Lue.

In his early years, Francis relied on his enthusiasm and physical fitness. Although his defensive skills and awareness were not good, his overall defense was not a drag.

Although Francis is only 28 years old now, perhaps because he has been knocked too much, his offense has begun to decline early on, and his defense has declined even more seriously.

Jameer Nelson is considered a very strong point guard, with a physique of 183 cm and 90 kg, but Felton is in better physical condition and can eat Nelson alive.

费尔顿今晚打了25分钟，拿到9投4中加上5中4的罚球，拿到12分3板5助攻1抢断，表现总体让教练组满意。

Zhang Yang gave Jordan and the coaches a surprise!

He made 8 of 4 shots, including 5 of 2 mid-range shots, 2 of 1 layups, and 1 of 1 counterattack shots. He had no free throws and scored 8 points.

The shooting percentage was actually not that good, it was brought up by that fast break dunk.

But facing the Magic, whose defense is much stronger than that of the Hawks, it is already good enough to guarantee a similar hit rate with regular shots.

His scoring did drop sharply under Stevenson's defense, but it was not because his hit rate was lower, but because his number of shots decreased.

The defensive end is also okay, and he can follow the off-ball shooters very closely.

Zhang Yang did not have to shoot 15 more times tonight just because he took 15 shots in the last game. Instead, he knew what he should do. If he had the opportunity to run, he would shoot. If he did not have the opportunity to run, he would just keep the ball open. He did not get frustrated when he could not get the ball like some newcomers.

Their 17-year-old high school students are different from other 17-year-old high school students and may not be able to provide much help to the team, but at least they will not be a drag, which is already better than some of the 20-something guards in the team!

Not only that, after the first game, Bickerstaff said that Zhang Yang's physical strength distribution was not good. Tonight, he also saw improvements on the offensive end and his running rhythm was improved.

Zhang Yang had one minute less playing time because DeShawn Stevenson and Keyon Dooling, who were matched against him, were both able to run on the offensive end, unlike Childress who just stood there.

...

Over the next dozen days, the Bobcats played five more preseason games.

16号客场打热火队、18号客场打魔术队、20号客场打篮网队、23号主场打雄鹿队、25号主场打步行者队。

The Bobcats won both times when playing against the Heat and the Nets, because the playing styles of these two teams were very mature, and they did not let their main players play for too long. Players like O'Neal, Wade, Kidd, and Carter all played for a short while and then went off to rest and never played again. It was purely to save face for the fans. They were testing the strength of role players and examining the strength of players under training camp contracts, but they were upset by the Bobcats.

However, when playing against the rising Magic and Bucks, whose coaching staffs treated every game as a training opportunity, the Bobcats were beaten.

The Pacers are very special. They have a strong lineup, a good coach, a mature team style, and a sound tactical system... but no player wants to play well. No one likes each other. Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal have all applied for trades, and the team is in a state of tanking...

In 7 preseason games, the Bobcats had 4 wins and 3 losses. The Bobcats management and coaching staff didn't care about winning or losing the game.

They care about the improvement of the players.

Okafor doesn’t look as good as he did in his rookie year.

With a tonnage of 127 kilograms, its rim protection ability has been greatly improved. In the game against the Heat, O'Neal's first hook shot was blocked by Okafor... O'Neal was so angry that he directly dunked in the second attack.

However, Okafor's defensive effect outside close range has been greatly reduced, and his shooting feel has been affected by the sudden increase in strength. Last season, his long two-point shooting percentage was 34%, which is not good, but it is a certain threat. In the 7 preseason games this time, he only made 12 of 3 long two-point shots, and his shooting percentage was only 25%, a sharp drop.

Gerald Wallace has made great progress. In the 7 preseason games, he averaged 18 points and 5 rebounds per game, with a hit rate of 60%. His ability to break through and cut into the basket has greatly improved, but his free throw rate is very poor. In these 7 games, he averaged 10 of 6 shots and 10 of 6 free throws...

Although Felton has many problems, his playing style is very mature and he can bring his strength into play once he enters the NBA. Overall, it is satisfactory.

What the coaches are most concerned about is Zhang Yang's performance in every game.

There are surprises, dissatisfaction, and pain in the balls.

His tactical awareness is really good, and his positioning is also really outstanding. Not to mention that he is only 17 years old, many 27-year-old pure pitchers are not as good as him in this aspect, and he also has the potential to attack with the ball.

During the three consecutive away games, it was not suitable for regular training, so the coaches saw Zhang Yang taking time out to practice the triple threat stance. Although he could not use it in the game and the supporting technology could not keep up...but when England reported Zhang Yang's situation to Jordan on a daily basis, Jordan was silent for a few seconds.

He is really weak. He made 8 of 4 shots against the Magic, and he dared to make 5 of 1 shots against the Heat facing the defense of White Chocolate and Payton.

However, no matter how bad Zhang Yang is, as long as the opportunity comes, he dares to shoot, and he will do whatever he can to shoot if he has the conditions! This makes the coaches both happy and annoyed...

What impressed the coaches the most was Zhang Yang's maturity on the court. He knew exactly what he should do. Most of the time he might not be able to help his teammates, but he rarely made mistakes!
Through the preseason test, the Bobcats management and coaching staff determined that this 17-year-old genius is worthy of their full training!

Why do the incoming Bobcats boss and coaches have so much free time to focus on Zhang Yang all day?

And he was watching Zhang Yang's every move on the court with an almost nitpicking eye?
The main thing is that they have nothing else to do!

Let Jordan pay attention to Felton? He will want to beat his junior to death. He has played in college for three years and is still at this level.

He also came out as a junior and was directly selected to the second team.

Although his junior Carter was a little weak, he entered the NBA and won the Rookie of the Year award after his junior year.

Felton, what is this?

As for Gerald Wallace, he was a hard-working player with a different playing style and a strong opinion. Jordan took the initiative to give him some pointers, but was declined.

Jordan was so angry that time. He was such a great basketball god, but he actually felt a little bit of disgust from the other party!

Okafor, they are not in the same position at all.

Of course Jordan could only stare at Zhang Yang.

As for the coaching staff, Bickerstaff, Bickerstaff Jr., Randy Brown and others who are in charge of the team's games don't have much to do. Building a winning tactical system for the Bobcats? That's not something humans can do. Even if you bring in the Zen Master, Popovich 10 years later, Carlisle, or the God of Calculation... they still can't do it.

What they should do is to give up and continue to hoard talents.

It is difficult to find a way to win, but it is not difficult to lose. Naturally, the focus should be on the newcomers.

Okafor, Gerald Wallace and Felton play very maturely, and all they need to do is give them enough playing time and ball rights.

Then only Zhang Yang will be left to focus on the research.

England, Jordan signed him back just to train Zhang Yang.

Harrington, Stevenson, Josh Smith: Let’s just say that they are all first-round rookies out of high school, so why is there such a big difference in their treatment?
...

Zhang Yang was recognized by the team, but was criticized by the outside world.

Jordan, Bickerstaff and England were nitpicking in order to better train Zhang Yang.

The media are just nitpicking. He averaged 18 shots in 10 minutes per game and had a total of 7 assists in 5 games.

The hit rate is only 40% and he still shoots. It's a waste and a miss.

Most of his shots are mid-range, and he only relies on cutting in to catch the ball and counterattacking to attack the basket, which is very weak.

Every time Zhang Yang saw these comments, he would check out the news about Bynum...and he would feel much calmer.

In his rookie year, Bynum transformed into Gao Yuanyuan in the preseason, scoring 0 points and 0 rebounds twice, and was criticized even more harshly than him.

Seeing Bynum getting so angry and arguing with reporters after being mocked during an interview, and even almost getting into a physical conflict, Zhang Yang wanted to call Anzhu to have a chat, or else he should not accept the interview and stop wanting to satisfy his desire for the camera while listening to unpleasant words.

Like him, if he doesn't play well, he won't accept interviews and devote his time to training. It would be better to keep a low profile. They are only 17 years old, why do they need to care so much about those few shots? There will be too many interviews in the future and they will be annoyed.

During the tryouts and the draft, he and Bynum got along pretty well. They couldn't be said to be very close, but at least they were classmates, so he should show some concern for them.

But thinking about the Lakers having that player, it seems he doesn't need to worry about it.

Zhang Yang turned his attention to himself.

On the 26th, the day after the preseason ended, the Bobcats had a day off.

In the morning, Zhang Yang invited Felton and Anderson to a cafe for breakfast.

After breakfast, he tactfully told his two teammates: You need to improve your playing style.

Hearing the younger brother say that he wanted to give some pointers to the boss, Felton first responded with a sneer: "That's right, Jack, you really need to improve. Make your shooting more accurate. You wasted so many of my wonderful passes."

I didn't mind you wasting my chance to run out. You were lucky enough to seize half of my chances to pass the ball. You still think I wasted your pass? ... Zhang Yang responded: "Boss, you are right! I will work hard!"

Although I was still a little upset when my younger brother told me that my playing style needed improvement, he called me the boss...

Felton said: "Then how do you think I should adjust? I will consider your suggestions."

Anderson didn't have so many problems. In his heart, Zhang Yang was smarter and more talented than him. He himself knew that he had many shortcomings, and he was of course happy if someone could point them out to him.

Just when the two were expecting Zhang Yang to say something about 2.58 million, they saw Zhang Yang take out two file bags...

Felton and Anderson took the file bag with their names on it and opened it. Wow, there were several pages of A4 paper. After a quick look, they saw analysis, evaluation, and improvement suggestions for their playing style. Some aspects clearly stated how to improve, while others did not...

Anderson looked at this "analysis report" with an interesting expression.

Felton was much more direct: "Do I have so many shortcomings? Ah! And you are being too perfunctory, aren't you willing to say it yourself? Write it down so that I can read it myself?"

Zhang Yang: "How can I remember so many things? I also write down the problems I need to solve on my computer after each game."

Felton remembered that when they played three consecutive away games, he and Zhang Yang lived in the same room. It seemed that after every night of the game, he could see Zhang Yang holding his laptop and typing away frantically. He thought Zhang Yang was hooking up with some young lady... If he wanted to go online in college, he would do this kind of thing on the campus network.

I didn’t expect that the younger brother would analyze whether he played well or not after the game, and even help the older brother who didn’t know how to analyze to analyze together!

Looking at Zhang Yang’s aggrieved expression, Felton said: I, the boss, really deserve to die!

……

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(End of this chapter)