One Year Left to Play-Chapter 89 - 28: We’d Be Laughed At for Choosing a High Schooler!
Clippers General Manager Elgin Baylor, Zhang Hao originally wanted to see this unluckiest NBA superstar in person, but didn’t get to meet him.
The interview was very casual, and regarding the trial, he was arranged to play 3-on-3 with five other players who came for trials in the morning. The result was that the two older Black players on his team took control of the ball and kept playing, leaving him without much chance to touch the ball.
After the 3-on-3 game was over, no one paid attention to Zhang Hao anymore. He strolled around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and at another training area, he saw a crowd watching the training of a player he knew—20-year-old North Carolina genius and top draft pick favorite, Jerry Stackhouse.
This year, the Clippers have two draft picks, one second overall in the first round and the other 53rd overall in the second round.
For the second-round pick, the Clippers, with their influx of talented rookies, don’t care at all; not even rookies selected in the lottery are necessarily valued because they have lottery picks every year.
It’s only the second overall pick that makes the Clippers take the selection seriously. For the second-round pick, they’ll choose randomly; the trials aren’t that important.
...
The hype always comes fast and fades just as quickly. With O’Neal and Olajuwon meeting in the finals, fans’ attention has shifted to them, and the hype around draft hopefuls like Zhang Hao has started to diminish.
Indeed, trials aren’t much to see; if teams have already decided on their picks or discovered a player with hidden talent despite mediocre college performance, they won’t broadcast it around, lest a team ahead of them snatches that player.
On Zhang Hao’s end, after trials with the two Los Angeles teams, he trained at his school from June 1st to 3rd. On June 4th, he arrived in Texas and participated in the Dallas Mavericks and Spurs trials on June 5th and 7th respectively.
Originally, Zhang Hao thought the trial with the Lakers was a normal situation, while the Clippers trial was more unusual. But after attending the Mavericks and Spurs trials, he realized that the Clippers trial is actually the norm, while the Lakers offering solo test opportunities is the exception.
After one trial after another, Zhang Hao finally truly felt the uncertainty and confusion of being a draft prospect.
He could only endure the unease, attending trial after trial. On June 8th, Zhang Hao arrived in Philadelphia, participating in the 76ers trials on the 9th and 10th.
Finally, there was another opportunity for a solo trial, and after the first day of trials, he was called back the next day for almost identical tests.
Just when Zhang Hao thought the team was interested in him, he was notified that the trial was over...
Following this, Zhang Hao became somewhat numb; on June 13th, he participated in the Pistons trial in Detroit, and on June 17th, he was in Seattle for the SuperSonics trial, then on June 22nd, in Phoenix for the Suns trial... 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
During this period, Zhang Hao saw many talents—some faster runners, some with broader shooting ranges, some who jumped higher... During trials, most teams didn’t offer him any special treatment; he was just one of the ordinary players in the trials crowd.
He even received less attention than many ordinary players. Like during the Pistons trial, he didn’t even see the assistant coaches.
The main reason is that he entered the draft right after graduating high school.
In this era, high schoolers entering the draft are often doubted, as they haven’t even competed against college players. Next year’s Little O’Neal, who averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game over 100+ high school games, almost didn’t make the first round.
At this point, Zhang Hao indeed regretted somewhat. If he entered college, he would definitely be a sensation at school, given his previous performances in the McDonald’s Dunk Contest and the Adidas Training Camp.
But participating in the NBA draft, he didn’t seem as special, and he clearly noticed that although some teams were curious enough to invite him to training camps, they didn’t truly value him; he was disregarded often because of being a high schooler entering the draft...
This situation was vastly different from what Zhang Hao imagined when preparing to enter the draft, creating a tremendous sense of disillusionment...
After entering the draft, he even entertained thoughts of being the "chosen one," believing his trials would surely shock the world.
Indeed, his mid-range shooting ability was the best among the trial players in whichever team he was with.
But he clearly felt that most teams merely considered him as a second-round pick at best, contemplating whether or not to select him as a role player with a no-ball, mid-range shooting style.
He had thought about someone coming along to taunt, and then he would dominate... But in reality, he found most trial players were just like him, feeling numb from trial to trial, having no idea how their fate would unfold, completely in the dark about whether they’d be selected in the draft.
Compared to those lottery favorites, top ten favorites, top pick favorites, they were indeed not striking.
Compared to the confident demeanor when going out for trials, Zhang Hao was full of uncertainty and confusion upon returning to his apartment in Inglewood. He didn’t know what to do anymore; after sitting in the apartment for a while, Pierce had already gone to San Diego in early June, his brother was there, and Aprile Clark went to attend a pre-exam art training. He couldn’t find anyone to talk to.
