The Best Point Guard-Chapter 80 - 15: [The Great Arenas Fusion]

Very few NBA stars jump right into a training camp in May. The vast majority use this time to rest and recuperate, putting on a bit of weight before shedding it and getting back into game shape during the pre-season training camp and preseason games.

The players who show up for special individual training during the offseason are usually highly motivated stars with grand ambitions.

Arenas, Baron Davis, and Michael Redd all hoped to take their games to the next level. Their current skill level put them on the fringe of being All-Stars, and they were all the core players of weaker teams. If they could take that next step, they could become highly popular stars, then superstars who could dominate games, and eventually, megastars.

They came to the training camp for targeted practice, reinforcing their skills based on their performance last season. Their main approach was to combine their natural talent with technical skill.

Arenas was working on increasing his upper body strength and explosiveness.

Baron Davis was doing a lot of balance training to improve his coordination and agility.

Michael Redd was training his speed and agility.

All three were powerfully built players, with Arenas and Davis being particularly prominent examples.

Grover would discuss these things with Su Xi in the evenings. "Arenas has top-tier explosiveness and top-tier speed," he said. "His upper body strength is ridiculous. He’s currently working on improving his ability to force shots. If he keeps this up, he’ll become one of the hardest scorers in the league to guard."

"Michael Redd is strengthening his off-ball game. He’s one of the league’s top shooters, and he wants to make his running routes more unpredictable, which is why he needs better coordination and agility."

"Baron Davis injured his knee in college, so I advised him to lose some weight. He’s already an incredibly strong player with an amazing vertical. I think if he can stay healthy, he has a chance to become a top-five point guard in the league."

Grover and Su Xi discussed matters of physicality and technique. Grover was a master in this field.

But he advised Su Xi not to rush things, as he felt Su Xi’s physical gifts were still far from fully developed. For the first two seasons, his focus had been mainly on defense.

Grover truly saw Su Xi as the most important "masterpiece" of his career.

The sense of accomplishment he got from working with Su Xi far surpassed what he felt with any other star.

He had thought more than once, ’If I train Jack into the next Jordan, will I become the greatest trainer of all time?’

After all, Jordan was Jordan from the very beginning.

But Jack had climbed his way up, one steady step at a time.

Su Xi trained for four or five days straight, gradually getting to know Arenas and Michael Redd.

As for Baron Davis, he was only there for a short time, training for two hours a day before leaving. Arenas was a total gym rat, often staying until six or seven in the evening, and Michael Redd was the same.

Arenas often gave Su Xi pointers on his shot; he had many unique shooting techniques. At first, he thought Su Xi wouldn’t be able to learn them. But after he demonstrated a few times, Su Xi’s form was already looking the part.

Why?

Because Su Xi’s explosiveness and strength were also very high, he had the foundation needed to force shots. In fact, his height and wingspan were even better than Arenas’s.

However, Su Xi’s current vertical and speed were far inferior to Arenas’s.

Still, with that explosiveness and strength, it was more than enough for training. Even the trainers holding thick pads were easily knocked aside by Su Xi. He forced a jump shot... SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Su Xi’s natural shooting talent wasn’t outstanding. In Arenas’s words: "Above average, about the same as me. It can be trained."

Arenas’s own shot had been developed through hard work. Though the man was arrogant and domineering, he was a genuinely hard worker.

Michael Redd, by contrast, was a natural shooter. He was a lefty, and though his form was a bit strange, his release was very accurate.

Su Xi also learned catch-and-shoot jumpers after moving without the ball from him. With the help of the trainers, he picked it up quickly. It was worth mentioning that Su Xi had been left-handed until he was 13. That year, he broke his left arm and had it in a cast, which made life inconvenient. He gradually adapted and made his right hand his dominant one.

"Jack, I don’t think you’ve figured out your game yet. You’re training explosiveness, strength, and forced jumpers with me. Then you’re training speed, agility, and open lefty shots with Michael. What’s next, are you going to ask Baron Davis to teach you that little puppy-lapping-water floater of his?"

Arenas teased Su Xi, "Don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’s like finding a girlfriend. You can have three girlfriends in a row to find the one who suits you best. But don’t have three at the same time. The three of us got to an elite level in the NBA with our own signature skills. Are you trying to absorb all three of our talents and techniques at once and become a superstar?"

Su Xi just smiled, thinking, ’Well, it’s not like it’s impossible.’

"How about a little one-on-one?" Arenas finally said the words Su Xi had been dying to hear.

"Let’s do it!"

Su Xi was ecstatic.

"Three-dribble limit." Arenas passed the ball to Su Xi as he announced the rule.

Su Xi passed the ball back to Arenas. "I don’t like playing offense. I’ll just defend you."

Arenas gave a faint smile and said, "This quiet guy is even cockier than I am." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Then he slowed his rhythm, followed by a sudden feint. As he dipped his shoulder and slammed the ball down hard, his body exploded forward. He then came to a quick stop and fired off a shot... SWISH!

The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air and went in.

Su Xi stood there, dumbfounded. Because from that single move by Arenas, the Super Explosiveness inside him surged, his Super Strength showed signs of activating, and his Super Speed jumped directly from 80 to 81.

’He’s that strong? Is this really just the talent of a fringe NBA All-Star?’

’Arenas’s upper body strength must be at least a 94, because it’s enough to activate the strength inside me, which means it has to be higher than mine.’

’His explosiveness has to be over 95, maybe even 97 or 98. It’s the quickest first step Su Xi has ever seen.’

’And his speed... it’s incredibly sharp. It’s definitely in the super tier, over 95.’

’And his vertical talent has to be top-tier, bordering on super-tier.’

’No wonder he’s so cocky.’

In reality, Arenas was also surprised. He had intended to catch Su Xi off guard, but he discovered Su Xi’s strength was no less than his own, and his control of his lower body was rock-solid. If he hadn’t used his upper body strength to force a path, he might not have been able to create an opening... ’This guy recovers fast, and his explosiveness is strong,’ Arenas thought. ’If his vertical and speed were a bit better, with his height and wingspan, he could actually cause me some problems.’

’And people out there are actually saying he has no talent, that his reputation is undeserved?’

Arenas felt that public opinion was so damn unreliable.

"Again."

Su Xi passed the ball to Arenas.

This time, he stayed right on Arenas, giving him no opportunity for a surprise attack.

But Arenas’s fakes were incredibly convincing, as expected of an NBA star.

Arenas threw a hard jab step forward, then quickly crossed over. He took one step to drive inside, and Su Xi managed to stay with him, falling only slightly behind. But then, Arenas spun around for a super fadeaway jumper. Su Xi lunged to contest the shot, but he was a little too late.

SWISH!

Another make.

"Not bad, Jack. You almost stopped me," Arenas said, habitually throwing in a bit of trash talk.

But Su Xi wasn’t angry at all. His face was beaming with an excitement that was plain to see, like he’d just won the lottery. "Yeah, you’re incredible."

He passed the ball to Arenas.

Arenas’s expression froze for a moment. Then, he lifted his chin slightly as a smile spread across his face. He hadn’t planned on playing anymore, but under Su Xi’s heartfelt praise, he started to get carried away.

He had originally planned to leave at six-thirty but ended up playing until seven-thirty.

"No more, no more! You’re a monster! You rest for twenty minutes and you’re good as new. And I feel like you’re getting stronger and stronger. Are you sucking away my talent or something?" Arenas grumbled.

He was a stamina monster himself, but even he was getting a little tired now. Meanwhile, Su Xi, standing next to him, had already pretty much recovered and was flattering him while asking for another 30 minutes.

Arenas refused to play any more, no matter what.

"Just ten more baskets. We have a saying in China that describes the greatest regret: ’To enter a treasure mountain and return empty-handed.’ A formidable scorer like you is a treasure trove to me. If I can’t practice with you a little longer, I’ll lose sleep over it when I get home," Su Xi said to Arenas.

Although Arenas mumbled about going home, upon hearing Su Xi’s praise, he lifted his chin again, like a cat getting the perfect scratch. "Alright. Last 10 baskets."

And so, they started practicing again.

They played 20 baskets.

They played until 8 o’clock, by which point Arenas was completely gassed.

He said, "Juggling three girlfriends at once isn’t this tiring."

"How is your stamina so good? Can you go, like, ten times in one night?"

"Hey, why don’t you come to Golden State next season and be my right-hand man? I’ll make you the second-in-command."

Arenas chattered on and on.

Su Xi was overjoyed. His Explosiveness had increased by 1, reaching 93. His Speed had gone up by 4, reaching 84, which was the peak of the "excellent" range and touching the edge of the "top-tier" range.

’Arenas is the best,’ Su Xi thought. ’That guy LeBron has exceptional talent, but he’s always running all over the place. We trained for a month and he only played one-on-one with me once, and for only 30 minutes.’

"Let me treat you to dinner," Su Xi said suddenly to Arenas.

Arenas was taken by surprise. He looked at Su Xi. "I’m always the one treating people to dinner. You want to treat me?"

"Yeah, I’ll cook for you myself," Su Xi said. "You’ll be the first NBA star to eat a meal I’ve cooked."

The moment Arenas heard the word "first," his interest was piqued. "Alright, Jack," he said. "But don’t make any of that weird stuff, you know... like chicken feet, devil’s eggs, pig lungs... none of that."

Su Xi laughed.

He got into Arenas’s Mercedes SUV, and they headed toward his place.

「Meanwhile」

Marcus Banks found Baron Davis with the help of their shared agent.

He had a big plan.

...