No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 126 - 90. This 17-year-old genius is worth their full effort to cultivate!

Jordan and the coaching staff had this discussion, not because they thought Zhang Yang shot too much, they are willing to give Zhang Yang opportunities, but they were analyzing whether this way of playing is correct, and if it should be corrected.

Last night, while watching the game, they didn’t feel anything was wrong, but after seeing Zhang Yang took 15 shots in 17 minutes... they definitely had to discuss whether the high school student’s style of play had any problems.

If there are problems, they should correct them early; at 17, there is a lot of room for improvement.

Even as Jordan said, if Zhang Yang really can’t play offense well at this age, he can start by cultivating his defense, just like the early years of Kobe, who was first selected for the All-Defensive Team, and then for the All-NBA Team.

Zhang Yang, on his part, had no doubts about the correctness of his playing style.

After several experiences, with the Suns, the Celtics, and even when he entered the era of the Spurs system, his shoot-first style had no issues.

If he can run and get the ball, shouldn’t he shoot? Otherwise, wouldn’t the ball just die in his hands?

If he can make such shots, his movements can attract more defensive attention, which can help his teammates play better and feed back to him, creating a virtuous cycle.

The problem now is that he can’t make his shots...

A preseason game let him experience what kind of opposition he will face in NBA games, something he couldn’t feel in team scrimmages.

In high school games, even after being wrestled by the opposition, he could still make the shot; most of the external confrontations were insignificant to him. After he learned to use his body, by the end of sophomore year in Southern California league, he was supreme.

In team scrimmages, no one really plays seriously, except for Gerald Wallace...

But NBA official games are totally different.

The opponents really bump into him, trying to destroy him with their robust bodies.

Improvement in physical encounters can’t be achieved in the short term, so he decided to improve his shooting.

With real-game experience, he has a clearer understanding of what aspects of shooting he needs to strengthen during games, something that even top shooting coaches like Ingles couldn’t teach him. Of course, once he understood what areas needed strengthening, it was possible to consult with Ingles on how to enhance those skills.

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

Zhang Yang met Dwight Howard, who was like a ray of sunshine; he had recently seen news that Howard was arrested in a red-light district, not because of a girlfriend but because he was underage to drink.

After getting bailed out, Howard defended himself in a media interview — I am a devout believer, I went there to represent God to save the souls of those lost girls.

Francis, who took good care of Yao Ming during his time with the Rockets, proactively greeted Zhang Yang, the Chinese rookie, and Zhang Yang responded politely and appropriately.

The player Zhang Yang most wanted to meet from the Magic was Grant Hill.

Zhang Yang, Felton, and Anderson, the rookie trio, went together to take a photo with Hill, whose courteous demeanor made them feel very comfortable.

Zhang Yang noticed that Hill’s temples were already showing gray hairs; he had seen in the news during training camp that Hill had just turned 33.

This was Hill’s fifth season with the Magic, but he had already missed four consecutive seasons due to injuries — no matter how strong his heart was, his body reflected some things.

At 7 p.m., the Bobcats’ second preseason game began.

Okafor played very proactively tonight, with a solid base, he guarded Howard so well. freёnovelkiss-com

During this offseason, Okafor had gained 9 kilograms significantly. At the end of his rookie season, he weighed 118 kilograms, and now his weight was up to 127 kilograms, seemingly intent on guarding Howard, and the effect was pretty good.

But the downside was also apparent, he couldn’t extend the defense very well, and the team’s doctor had also warned about the potential risk of injury due to too much weight gain.

Although Okafor did a good job of limiting Howard on the defensive end, the Magic didn’t rely on Howard for scoring. Francis, Grant Hill, Turkoglu, Nelson, Arroyo, DeShawn Stevenson... were the main scorers. Aside from Okafor guarding Howard and Gerald Wallace guarding Hill well, the rest of the Bobcats’ starting lineup was blown out, and the Magic also played better defense than the Bobcats.

There was a clear gap in strength between the two teams. After 8 minutes in the first quarter, the Bobcats were already trailing by 7 points, 12 to 19.

The Bobcats called for a timeout and made substitutions; Zhang Yang was brought on, and at the same time, his teammates on the court were Brevin Knight, Karim Rush, Gerald Wallace, and Brezec.

After the timeout, Bickerstaff watched as Zhang Yang was closely guarded by DeShawn Stevenson... There are so many high school players in the league!

Stevenson was also a high school rookie, drafted in the first round of the 2000 draft at the 23rd spot. His defense was not comparable to Harrington’s. The Magic were a playoff fringe team in the East, predicted to have the strength of 35+ victories, and their team defense wasn’t something the Hawks could compare to.

Bickerstaff was prepared for Zhang Yang to miss shots repeatedly.

But the reality was somewhat different from what he imagined.

After Zhang Yang came onto the court, the offensive space for others visibly improved!

If DeShawn Stevenson guarded him closely, Zhang Yang would leisurely lead Stevenson away from the ball handler, helping to create better conditions for his teammates to initiate offense.

If Stevenson made a move to help defend, Zhang Yang would speed up, and if he had the chance to receive the ball, he would decisively shoot, trying to attract Stevenson’s attention back.

If a teammate was defended well, if Brevin Knight wasn’t on the court, Zhang Yang could even lead the fast break himself!

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