No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 143 - 95. A strange sense of recognition_2

Although he didn’t receive a clear answer from Okafor, by the time Zhang Yang left Okafor’s house, he had already put the matter aside.

There’s a saying that good advice is often wasted on those doomed to ignore it.

He had done what he felt was his duty with a clear conscience; how Okafor decided to proceed was beyond his control.

The obsession of a person can be quite frightening, and it all depends on how strong Okafor’s dissatisfaction is about not being able to become the top pick like Duncan.

Now, Zhang Yang could be certain that Okafor would likely miss most of the season’s games.

Okafor needed time to lose weight; the muscle mass he had, wanting to healthily lose 10 kilograms, two months might not be enough. Adding in recovery training, it would be quick if he could return by the end of February, and it was possible it might not be until March or April; as for May... well, considering the Bobcats’ trend of starting strong but finishing weak, there wouldn’t be any games in late April, let alone May.

If Okafor didn’t lose weight, then the situation was even more direct; he might end the season on injury at any time, and the Bobcats would no longer consider him in their future plans.

Next, Zhang San would simply seize the opportunity and continue to level up through training.

Preparing for losses was part of Zhang Yang’s mental build-up ever since he was selected by the Bobcats—it’s all part of the process.

Starting with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss was a pleasant surprise, but currently, without Gerald Wallace and Okafor, the Bobcats weren’t much of anything.

Although Zhang Yang felt guilty about letting down the veteran who gave him his jersey number, in the 11 games without Okafor and Gerald Wallace due to alternating or simultaneous injuries, he indeed improved much faster!

Guarding corner shooters, the defensive workload decreased, and his average playing time increased by nearly 10 minutes per game.

The number of his shots also increased from 5-10 to 8-12 times per game.

In the first two games with increased shots, his already poor shooting percentage became even more dreadful. Even though the number of shots went up, the scoring did not increase at first.

But after playing two more games, hey, his mid-range shooting percentage rose again, and he was quick to adapt! The abundance of shooting opportunities ensured that he could score just over 10 points per game.

In the first 15 games of the month, he averaged 24 minutes per game, with a shooting accuracy of 41.6%, scoring an average of 12.2 points per game, along with 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1 steal, and 0.4 blocks.

Against the league’s worst defense, the Knicks Team, facing the quartet of Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, and the big Q, Zhang Yang delivered his best performance since the season began, playing 26 minutes, with 6 out of 9 shots made, plus 4 of 6 free throws, securing 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block with an extremely high shooting percentage. freёnovelkiss.com

The main reason was that he didn’t shy away from shooting due to previous misses, nor did he rashly take shots to show off. When the opportunity came, he shot coolly and without haste, using step backs, Euro steps, and lateral moves to maximize shaking off the defense. Every shot taken was a chance to practice and improve himself.

What improved even more was his layups, often having chances for fast breaks, where he usually faced the opponent’s perimeter players. During these fast plays, he could use his Euro step, striding layups, spins, or jump-stops effectively.

With consecutive injuries to Okafor and Gerald Wallace, his opportunities to attack the basket in set plays increased as well; it was a necessity born out of pressure.

Two months had passed since training camp began, and his layup skill had improved from 77 to 80, which was essentially adjusting to NBA-level basket attacks, and his ball-handling had improved from 79 to 80.

Having resolved the matters weighing on his mind, Zhang Yang returned to the gym to train with Felton and Anderson, who had started practicing on an off-day.

After the trainer mentioned that Charlie Villanueva had received the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award for November, Zhang Yang and Felton trained even harder...

...

On December 2nd, it was a game day for the Bobcats, and they were playing at home.

The morning’s preparatory training was personally arranged by Bickerstaff; he couldn’t make it today.

This wasn’t an intentional move to tank; without their two main players, either alternating injuries or out together, they couldn’t execute any tactics anyway. So, they just let Brevin Knight and Zhang Yang lead the fast breaks, and Felton and Zhang Yang handle the set offenses.

It was considered training for the two rookies.

The players trained on the court, some seriously, some half-heartedly, and some outright slacking off on the side.

This scene was clearly observed by several people in the boss’s office upstairs.

Bickerstaff, watching Felton practice top-of-the-arc pick-and-rolls and step-back three-pointers, exclaimed, "I didn’t expect Raymond to have so much perseverance."

Ingles responded, "Neither did I. When he came to me wanting to adjust his shooting habits, I wasn’t optimistic. He said his playing style had been perfected by the end of high school. With so many years of ingrained habits, it would be tough to change. At least in my career, I’ve never encountered anyone who could stick with it."

Jordan quipped, "It must be because of Jack. He’s the one putting pressure on Raymond, who wants to be the alpha. Being pushed forward, intimidated by a 17-year-old kid, is quite embarrassing, really."

Bickerstaff laughed, "Ha, seeing Raymond trying hard must be gratifying for you; after all, he’s your junior, well, they both are."

After a conversation with Zhang Yang more than a month ago, Felton began to voluntarily adjust his playing style, and stimulated by Zhang Yang’s game-winning shot on opening night, he trained even harder.

Over the course of more than a month, his progress was significant!

Specifically in his choice of offensive moves and shot selection.

During drives, when facing strong defenders, he would not force it and would use screens instead.

When shooting, he cut down on attempts from weak areas and tried to take more shots from the areas he was good at.

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