One Year Left to Play-Chapter 194 - 63: When Dreams Become Reality

What is "hard development"?

It means ignoring everything else and finding ways to make Zhang Hao take ten or twenty shots each game.

This method of development is simple and rough, but it has major drawbacks. If he loses confidence from too many missed shots... this kind of thing is not uncommon in the NBA.

The team’s strength is a bit lacking, but with two point guards like these, they can at least connect tactics well, allowing Zhang Hao to grow normally without gambling on Zhang Hao’s mentality using a betting approach.

Zhang Hao also performed well tonight, playing 26 minutes, making 4 of 9 shots, plus 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, with 3 turnovers, which is a bit excessive, but seeing his ability to pass from a high position, mainly with excellent vision to see his teammates’ positions, Randy Whitman was very pleased.

And then there’s the change in Zhang Hao’s playing style. Starting from the game against the Pacers, Zhang Hao, as he said, focused on cooperating with his teammates, and he’s doing quite well!

This pleases Butch Baird and Randy Whitman more than Zhang Hao scoring seven or eight extra points.

They, like Kenny Anderson, were surprised that Zhang Hao practiced for a few days and could use the turnaround fadeaway in games. Although neither attempt went in, it looked like nervousness and not having used that posture much in games before, but having the form in just a few days...

Keep it low-key! Don’t be like that foolish vice president over at the Timberwolves, blowing their rookie all day long. Look, yesterday, another high schooler got thoroughly beaten by Kemp, who also came from high school.

Who asked that Celtics legend to tell reporters, after Garnett had an all-around performance, "Our high school rookie is better than anyone else"?

Butch Baird quite understands McHale’s thoughts. After choosing a high schooler, the Minneapolis media trashed him thoroughly, and the local fans were very displeased. Now that talent is shown, of course, there’s room to flaunt.

But he won’t foolishly follow McHale’s example.

...

A night of continuous activity passed, and on the next day of rest, Zhang Hao arrived early at the gym for training once again.

Recently, the Brooklyn Nets coaches have been busy, and Butch Baird was also forced to delve into studying team tactics, actually, it’s because Randy Whitman was a bit overwhelmed, and the other two assistant coaches...

The two arrived at the gym before 8 a.m. and saw Zhang Hao already warmed up and calling the expressionless trainer to start training.

"Aix really is... haha, our trainer hasn’t been this busy in a long time." Butch Baird arrived at the second-floor office, stood by the window with great interest, ready to watch Zhang Hao train for a while.

Randy Whitman was also ready to watch, and after a while, both noticed changes in Zhang Hao’s training.

After the consecutive away games, when they just returned, they saw Zhang Hao developing the turnaround fadeaway. Unexpectedly, the progress accelerated daily, now he’s even started moving while catching and shooting.

Moreover, it’s clearly simulating a game situation of catching and shooting!

On the training ground, Zhang Hao handed the ball to the trainer at the left top corner of the free-throw line, ran from the left side of the paint into the basket, circled a training pole, and ran out from under the basket towards the right 45-degree angle direction, shouting "Pashmi."

Then taking two accelerated steps within the free-throw line distance, the trainer’s pass coincidentally arrived at the right 45-degree angle free-throw distance. Zhang Hao planted his left foot at the right 45-degree angle free-throw line distance, using his left foot as a pivot, turned around, jumped, still drifting towards the three-point line due to inertia, and shot the ball towards the basket...

The shot felt good, and it went in!

As former NBA players, now NBA coaches, Butch Baird and Randy Whitman had seen countless players, but Zhang Hao still surprised them!

This training progress is too fast! Such strong learning ability and comprehension? This is too outrageous!

They once were NBA players themselves, Butch Baird even made the All-Star, recalling those days, comparing themselves could be infuriating...

Unknowingly, the two stood for over an hour, watching Zhang Hao’s entire training, finding the mid-range shot training particularly pleasing, the layup training passable, but the three-point training unbearable to watch... After watching it all, when Zhang Hao went to get a massage in the physiotherapy room to relax his muscles, they realized their legs were sore from standing.

"Butch, actually, I had my doubts before, about whether to sacrifice the comfort of easily earning a salary for a high schooler. Now, I understand why you made this choice, Aix’s talent is even scarier than I envisioned!"

"Actually..." Butch Baird thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued, "I thought we just picked a player with All-Star talent as a shooter, paired with his athletic ability, if we developed him, even if we got fired, teams would value our ability. Now I believe in that."

All-Star talent, this is already a very high evaluation.

Don’t mind that every year there are 24 players selected for the All-Star in total between East and West, but actually, at least half of the positions are locked, consistent year after year, meaning that in a season, a bit more than 10 rookies earn All-Star, with some having been selected before, although without guarantee of being selected consecutively.

Producing a new All-Star is hard, very hard. If a player is selected three or five times for All-Star in a team, basically, it can be determined they will have their jersey retired.

If not the top pick from a strong draft year, selecting a player who can make one or two All-Star appearances is already very good.

A shooter with All-Star capability, this evaluation, Randy Whitman feels, is very high; in a championship-contending team, such a shooter’s impact is no less than a ball-dominant superstar.

However, Randy Whitman is more curious about another matter and asked, "What matter?"

"Aix said during the dunk contest that he’s only practiced basketball for two and a half years."

"..."

Thinking of Zhang Hao’s handy mid-range shot, only two and a half years practicing?

Impossible!

Not that the mid-range shot itself had only been practiced for two and a half years, Randy Whitman heard that Zhang Hao has been practicing basketball for just two and a half years!

Such solid off-ball movement knowledge, such good catch-and-shoot ability, such excellent mid-range shot...

When Zhang Hao participated in the draft, the knowledge teams really had about him mainly came from the physical performance displayed during the dunk contest; in terms of shooting excellence, apart from special attention from Butch Baird, other teams weren’t as informed, which is why Zhang Hao’s draft status ranged from the end of the first round to mid-second round.

Disregarding physical qualities, Zhang Hao’s strengths just lay in those three aspects, and those three aspects, weren’t skills to be refined in just one or two years.

Randy Whitman felt dubious, but seeing Zhang Hao’s training posture, he was clearly learning from Jordan, basically confirmed starting after facing the Bulls, and with this learning progress... he had to believe it...

This really is a super talent who has practiced basketball for two and a half years!

The lag in message transmission, having never seen Zhang Hao’s high school games, these two began to let their imaginations run wild—they might be nurturing a superstar!

Basketball superstars... in public perception, seem numerous, daily news on many stars appears.

But when you count them all, it’s just those athletes, divided among teams, only a few teams have genuine superstars, and some have two stars in one team, others, more akin to the Brooklyn Nets, peak at getting someone like Coleman or Kenny Anderson, between first-class and top-tier players, and it’s already very good.

Thus, on the Timberwolves selecting Garnett and confirming his talent, boasting tirelessly, Butch Baird and Randy Whitman just humorously noted it, not finding anything special.

The particular emotion for basketball in the hearts of those two former players was just hidden; busy striving for life, dreams aren’t on the menu.

But truly, with opportunity right before them... although they wouldn’t become superstars themselves, training one?

In old age, bragging to grandchildren, how cool would that be!

Men, no matter how old, always pursue being awesome and stylish.

"Randy, should we find Aix better trainers?"

"I wanted to suggest that too, Bobby’s okay, but the owner has allocated the assistant coach and trainer salary slots completely..."

"I think our coaching staff only needs you and me, we should discuss it with Bobby."

"That would offend people; our team has multiple shareholders."

"I don’t care about all that..."