NBA: Rising Superstar!-Chapter 129 - 111, [Layup] upgrade, [Bounce] attribute.

After the game ended.

Everyone pushed open the locker room door and celebrated wildly.

Everyone played happily tonight. Mike Malone rotated 12 players, and everyone put up decent stats.

Faried and Galinarli surrounded Zeng Xingyang, making a fuss.

Jokic even poured a bottle of mineral water over Zeng Xingyang’s head.

After messing around for about ten minutes, everyone went off to shower.

Meanwhile, the 76ers started accepting interviews first.

A reporter asked Coach Brown, "Coach, what’s your take on the Nuggets’ two rookies?"

What do I think?

Of course, I’m envious.

One scored 40+, and the other got a triple-double.

Damn, and it was done on my team’s watch.

Without comparison, there’s no harm.

Okafor only got 8 points and 11 rebounds tonight, scored just two field goals, so how do we compare?

Coach Brown said, "The Nuggets’ management has done an outstanding job. They played excellently, and both of them have the potential of All-Star caliber players."

Coach Brown almost said our management is trash.

Even if you’re tanking, don’t mess up the team culture.

Just look at their 7th pick and second-round pick...

Coach Brown wasn’t optimistic about his career with the 76ers either. Anyway, he figured he’d get a stint of pay before leaving.

Once fired here, it’d be tough to find another job.

...

After the 76ers players and coach finished their interviews, the Nuggets also came out for interviews.

Malone brought Jokic and Zeng Xingyang to the interview seats.

There was an overwhelming number of cameras below.

A reporter asked, "Congratulations on breaking your personal high again. Your average score this season is also in the top five. Will you be aiming for the scoring title next?"

Aiming for the scoring title as a rookie, that’s a huge challenge. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Zeng Xingyang remembered that the season’s top scorers were Curry, averaging around 30, and Harden, averaging about 29.

If I go for it, these two might get stimulated and bump their stats further...

For them, scoring isn’t hard.

For me to score higher than them now is extremely difficult.

Zeng Xingyang still had a sense of pressure...

Zeng Xingyang thought for a moment, then said, "I’ll try and challenge this goal, but it’s very hard to achieve."

Though not realistic, a goal is still needed.

The reporter asked, "What do you think of Nikola Jokic’s triple-double?"

Speaking of Jokic, it’s time to praise. Zeng Xingyang said, "This guy will become one of the best players in the league. Playing alongside him feels great; he brings everyone together—it’s a unique talent."

Being praised like this for so long, Jokic felt a bit embarrassed, scratching his head and spreading his hands.

Then Jokic praised Zeng Xingyang back: "Zeng will become the best scorer. He has a rich scoring arsenal, and I’ll vote for him in this season’s All-Star."

Outsiders could see that Jokic and Zeng Xingyang had a great relationship both on and off the court.

...

Scoring 40 points against the 76ers.

Does it mean this person is very strong?

Not necessarily.

Because the 76ers this season didn’t show NBA-level battle power. Aside from Okafor, none of their starting players could make the rotation on other teams.

Against such a lineup, slightly competent scorers wouldn’t find it hard to score points.

Of course, when such news appears about a rookie, the media gets excited. They don’t care about the 76ers’ strength.

Even if they’re bad, aren’t they still an NBA team?

"Zeng Xingyang locks Best Rookie, scores 40 again for a personal high!"

"We see the future scoring king’s prototype in Zeng Xingyang."

"Nuggets massacre the 76ers, uncovering the NBA tanking team’s disgrace!"

"The crazy Nuggets reach 5 wins and 3 losses, ranking fourth in the West!"

"Aiming for playoffs, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic become the new core of the Nuggets!"

"Rookie boasts target for scoring king!"

The domestic media hyped it up crazily.

Zeng Xingyang’s performance excited many media people.

...

But after defeating the 76ers, they suffered a loss against the Suns back at home.

The Suns aren’t a super strong team; their record was just 4 wins and 4 losses, yet the Nuggets still lost.

The reason for the loss was mainly because the whole team hadn’t fully recovered their stamina after the road trip.

The whole team had low offensive efficiency and apathetic defense on the court.

Everyone was very tired.

The point guard position was directly overwhelmed by "Blood Cloth" Bledsoe.

Under Blood Cloth’s lead, Knight, TJ Warren, and Booker all opened up their shots.

Nelson and Harris, both guards, struggled heavily.

In the end, the score was 100 to 89, with the Nuggets losing by 11 points at home, making their record 5 wins and 4 losses, ranking eighth in the West.

In the early season, one more loss or one more win can result in huge ranking changes.

Zeng Xingyang didn’t explode like before, scoring 15 points, collecting 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and committing 3 turnovers, with a 3-point shooting of 11 attempts and 3 makes—an average performance.

The best performer, Jokic, steadily contributed 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists, helpless to carry his lackluster teammates.

Like Zeng Xingyang’s rising status, Jokic, too, had more ball-handling opportunities now compared to when Zeng Xingyang watched him in his past life.

Though the Nuggets lost today, fans still thought Zeng Xingyang’s performance was decent. He mainly restricted the opponent when defending their small forward, and his help defense inside and out disrupted shots as much as possible.

Anyway, watching the Nuggets’ games now.

If they lose, the coach takes the blame, teammates are crap.

If they win, Zeng Xingyang is awesome, leading the team.

Especially the domestic media, they’re almost touting Zeng Xingyang as the Nuggets’ first "Emperor."

After the game ended, fans started leaving gradually, with only the staff still bustling around.

"Hey, isn’t that Zeng?"

"It’s him, it is him. What’s he doing?"

"Practicing shooting?"

"No, he’s practicing contested layups."

A few reporters took out cameras and aimed them at Zeng Xingyang on the court.

Zeng Xingyang was indeed not practicing shooting but rather practicing breakthroughs and contested layups.

The trainer had a big crash pad, and another trainer held two long sticks to help Zeng Xingyang train.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Iron!"

Soon, the sounds of constant layup contests echoed on-site.

It almost sounded like the clanging of iron hammers in a blacksmith shop, resonating throughout the Pepsi Center in Denver.

"Click, click, click."

Reporters captured this scene.

One reporter sighed, "While others are getting ready for the club, Zeng Xingyang is still working extra."

Another reporter said, "He will definitely become a superstar in the future!"

Zeng Xingyang’s additional training was mainly because he missed several breakthrough layups today, which annoyed him.

And his [Layup] attribute was close to upgrading.

With the new season, Zeng Xingyang mainly focused his training on finishing at the rim, which he used relatively less.

Other attributes could mostly gain equivalent experience through games.

Layups were used least and needed more extra practice.

To gain layup experience, it naturally couldn’t just be open layups, but simulated contested layups were essential for gaining experience.

So, Zeng Xingyang specifically asked the trainers to work overtime.

Trainers were happy to help players with extra training since they knew overtime work meant extra tips.

Players were millionaires or even billionaires, and a little bit from their pocket was enough to let these working folks live comfortably.

Not all trainers had high salaries, and ordinary trainers often worked for average wages unless they were top-tier trainers, then there were more people willing to work.

After today’s extra hour of training, Zeng Xingyang discovered that his [Layup] attribute was upgraded to LV4.

A LV4 [Layup] allows maintaining a certain level of stability under contact.

This attribute improvement would have a significant impact on him.

In addition to the [Layup] attribute upgrade, Zeng Xingyang discovered a new attribute activated, Bounce.

[Bounce]: LV2

[Vertical jump height: 60CM to 82CM.]

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om