No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 187 - 109. Scoring goals is the ultimate goal!

It’s all about scoring right from the start!

Even Kirilenko can’t fool me!

This was Sloan’s interpretation of Zhang Yang’s shot.

When it was the Jazz Team’s turn to attack, Deron went one-on-one against Felton, but a change of direction failed to shake off Felton’s entanglement. As Deron drove to the inside, he was pincered by Zhang Yang who had dropped down from the baseline.

Facing two players from his draft class, Deron didn’t force the issue; instead, he passed the ball steadily...

Deron’s strengths were indeed visible to the naked eye.

However, Zhang Yang was also a cool-headed defender and wouldn’t blindly collapse inwards.

Devin Brown, wide open in the corner, first looked for teammates instead of taking the shot when he received the ball.

When Zhang Yang closed out on Devin Brown, Brown failed to find an open teammate, and in a panic, he took a shot with Zhang Yang rushing at him... It didn’t go in!

Perkins secured his position, and Felton protected the defensive rebound well.

Sloan turned his head and sighed. Devin Brown was considered their worst acquisition last summer.

They must have had grease for brains to give a player like him a 2.5 million US dollar salary when they could’ve gone after Jason Hart, who averaged 9 points and 5 assists for the Bobcats last season.

Last season’s NBA Finals between the Spurs and the Pistons were unappealing to many, but Sloan found them fascinating. In a close game where the Spurs narrowly beat the Pistons, Devin Brown shot 2 for 3 from the three-point line, playing a crucial role in the Spurs’ victory. During the offseason, he suggested to the management to sign the player. Hearing that the Lakers were also interested in Devin Brown, Jazz management promptly offered a 1-year deal worth 2.5 million US dollars. The Spurs didn’t match the offer, and the Lakers withdrew from the competition... They later learned that both the Spurs and the Lakers had only offered a minimum 1-year contract. They realized they’d been the big spenders for no reason.

In the transition between offense and defense, the Bobcats continued with Perkins setting consecutive high screens, Felton penetrating off the pick, and Zhang Yang receiving the ball outside at the free-throw line extend.

Deron had an abundance of offensive talent, but he had his flaws. His defensive talent wasn’t impressive. His switch defense was slow, and his chasing and positional awareness towards moving players were quite poor, allowing Zhang Yang to easily lose him in the process of switching and chasing.

Facing Kirilenko, who had pushed out from the inside, Zhang Yang didn’t hesitate and took a decisive shot... another hit!

Sloan, watching Kirilenko’s defense, felt a bad premonition about the future.

Of course, he was very pleased with Kirilenko, who was his favorite player on the team. It’s just that Kirilenko’s defense as he developed differed greatly from what Sloan had initially hoped for!

Observing Kirilenko’s games revealed that though he was often compared to Garnett and Gerald Wallace over the past two years, his defense fundamentally differed from the two of them.

The common trait in the defense of all three was that they could connect the inside and outside lines of defense, allowing for defensive players to be filled in around them and create strong team defense. However, their individual defensive styles were completely different.

Gerald Wallace was a true small forward, with pressing defense on the outside, collapsing for double-teams on the inside, and blocking wings’ penetration.

Kirilenko preferred to stay in the low post like an inside player. Although he wasn’t physically strong, he was tough when defending post players, adept at helping from inside out. He was not particularly good at intercepting passes, which could be seen from his stats; his steals were comparable to Garnett but far fewer than Wallace, and his block numbers were higher than both. However, his one-on-one defense against perimeter players was considered weak compared to other defenders at his position.

Garnett’s defense was wholly unlike mainstream power forwards; he fell between Gerald Wallace and Kirilenko. Garnett wasn’t good at one-on-one post defense, his style wasn’t aggressive and couldn’t be described as robust... Of course, he was tough against Nowitzki, Webber, and Rasheed Wallace, but when facing power forwards like Barkley, Larry Johnson, Duncan, Kemp, and Vin Baker, he would avoid direct matchups whenever possible, focusing instead on help defense and cutting off passes.

In terms of mid-range protection, Gerald Wallace would match up directly with mid-range scorers. Garnett’s defense significantly limited mid-range scorers as well. Kirilenko excelled at protecting the rim compared to the two, but his mid-range defense was much weaker.

Seeing Zhang Yang, a rookie, daring to ignore Kirilenko and shoot consecutively, Sloan dared not imagine how difficult the Jazz Team’s path to championship would be in the coming years if the Lakers were to rise again... He cursed the Lakers to never recover!

Zhang Yang’s consecutive baskets helped the Bobcats to extend the lead to 5 points.

Deron couldn’t maintain his composure any longer, he took matters into his own hands! He isolated against Felton, drove to the free-throw line, and, despite being tightly guarded, he pulled up for a mid-range shot... It didn’t go in!

Perkins held his ground, Gerald Wallace went for the rebound, Felton closed in, ready to pass out the ball, and Zhang Yang cut quickly towards the basket from mid-range on the left... Sloan, after seeing this play, felt the night’s game was heading towards ruin.

Just then, Matt Haplin charged into the paint, threw himself into the air, and clashed with Gerald Wallace, touching the ball first... his balance lost, he crashed to the floor.

Although the referee quickly blew the whistle, ruling that Gerald Wallace, who had leaped forward, committed a rebounding foul, Matt Haplin earned the Jazz Team possession. But even the Bobcats players winced at his fall!

He was all in!

"When I step onto the court, I know I must move forward, I must be strong, I can never back down, only then can I have my own place"—Matt Haplin’s declaration during the draft.

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