Chapter 149 148. You should throw more in the preseason

The other four old teammates, Perkins, a high school defensive center, is in his fourth year of his career and will only turn 4 in November. Judging from the tests to see whether he has made any progress, even the dogs would shake their heads.

Zhang Yang didn't shake his head. He praised, "3K, you seem to be stronger."

Perkins' miserable face broke into a smile, and he flexed his biceps towards Zhang Yang to prove that the other party was right.

His body fat percentage decreased this summer, but his weight did not drop, still just over 120 kilograms. There is no apparent improvement in his mobility, but his physical strength is definitely better.

3K is Perkins' nickname, which has two meanings. One is that there are three Ks in Perkins' name, and the other is that 3K itself means people who complete dirty, dangerous and hard work.

Jumaine Jones and Matt Carroll are accurate three-point shooters. There is no obvious improvement, but they have not regressed, which means they did not play all summer. At least they got basic training or practiced well before returning to the team.

Alan Anderson had good three-point shooting and defensive performance at the end of last season and in the playoffs. As soon as he was eliminated from the playoffs, he got a two-year, fully guaranteed contract of 2 million US dollars. Even after deducting taxes, it is still over one million US dollars. Although he is still a bottom-level player in the NBA, he has established a firm foothold.

Compared with the other two substitute shooters, Alan Anderson's three-point shooting has improved significantly. Because his basics are much worse, even if he has made obvious progress, he is not as accurate as those two.

However, he is just 24 years old and has higher potential than Matt Carroll, who is already 26 years old, and Jumaine Jones, who is 28 years old.

In addition to the improvement in three-point shooting, Alan Anderson has also become more muscular, increasing from around 95 kg last season to around 100 kg. With good athletic ability, he may take on more defensive responsibilities in the new season, and the weight gain is definitely for this purpose.

After looking at the tests of the new teammates, Zhang Yang found it difficult to judge how they would perform in the new season as there was no reference point.

Just like Herman, he can shoot very accurately in training, but he has never played on the court, so how can he know how he will perform in a formal game.

He can judge the progress of Felton, Okafor and Gerald Wallace because he has watched the three teammates train countless times and played many games together, and can reasonably infer how their training performance will be projected into the game.

However, during the conversation with the coaching staff, Zhang Yang learned that the coaches were very satisfied with the competitive form of two veterans, Derek Anderson and Othella Hannington.

Bickerstaff told Zhang Yang: "If Alan, Rajon, Jumaine, and Paul don't perform well, they will most likely be replaced by Derek and Osela."

Zhang Yang knew what Bickerstaff meant, and wanted to use his words to make the two pitchers and two rookies feel a sense of urgency.

The Bobcats currently have 14 players, the active roster is 12, and two of them will definitely have to wear suits.

He was used as a tool, but what could he do as the youngest player in the league? He could only turn to the fat guy.

That afternoon, Felton, the boss of the Big Boss Gang, went to urge the four teammates, saying that the two veterans were in good shape and the coaching staff wanted to put the two veterans on the active list, asking the four teammates to work harder and not have their positions taken away by "outsiders".

Rondo and Millsap are both rookies selected by their own teams. Alan Anderson and Jumaine Jones are old teammates and are considered "insiders". The two veterans came from other teams and are still considered "outsiders" in Felton's mind.

Felton was not completely clueless. He knew that those two veterans who had fought for more than ten years would definitely not be his younger brothers.

Not to mention those two people, Perkins, who had a good relationship with him and was from the class of 03, went to play with Gerald Wallace from the class of 01.

...

On the 28th, the Bobcats entered the individual training phase.

The coaching team arranged different training tasks for each player based on the test performance.

Shooting, led by Engelland.

Technology, led by Randy Brown.

Zhang Yang's main attack points are three-pointers and attacking the basket. The opening game was on the 30th. Almost a month later, after resting for more than 1 days, he started to work hard towards 10+ three-pointers and layups over 75.

The one who helped Zhang Yang practice three-pointers was England, and the one who helped him practice layups was Randy Brown.

Randy Brown is of average ability. Although he was the main substitute in the Bulls' second dynasty, his average playing time was only about 15 minutes per game in those three years. In his best season of his career, he averaged 8+3+3. He was a pure role player.

Although his basketball skills are average, he is knowledgeable, good at observing technical details, and has rich experience in winning games, so he knows how to make the right choice.

Although they had worked together for a year, Zhang Yang didn't know much about Randy Brown and wasn't very interested in him before. However, his childhood friend Tyson Roy told him something that made Zhang Yang curious about this assistant coach.

Although Randy Brown is not good at playing basketball, he is good at having a son. At the age of 38, his son is already 19...which means he had a child right after entering college.

His son Justin Brown is a top high school sports talent. He graduated from high school this summer and ranked 46th in the national high school basketball list, 97th in baseball list, and 40th in football list. He is being sought after by many universities, and NCAA Division I schools have offered scholarships in all three sports.

In the end, Justin Brown gave up playing basketball and joined Tyson Roy's USC Trojans football team.

During his break, Zhang Yang looked up Randy Brown's profile and found that this assistant coach was also a major shareholder of a small real estate company...

In addition to his rim-attack training, Zhang Yang chatted with Randy Brown about real estate.

Randy Brown saw that Zhang Yang also knew something about this and started chatting with him enthusiastically.

Coaching training is a rather boring job, and it is not as fun as discussing tactics or coaching games.

Zhang Yang mentioned that his father is not willing to buy a house for the time being, and does not plan to invest in the catering industry or the middle-class consumer and affordable consumer sectors for the time being.

When Randy Brown asked why, Zhang Yang explained that the subprime mortgage crisis was about to get out of control, the real estate bubble was too big and there was a risk of repeating the old mistakes, the economic situation was not optimistic and the employment situation for the middle class and low-income groups was severe. He actually knew the general idea, but although he could not tell the details, he could definitely talk about it.

Zhang Yang didn't know how much Randy Brown could listen to, or whether he could successfully extricate himself from the bubble that was about to be burst, and he didn't care much. He just wanted to chat with him after training, thinking that since they knew each other well, he might as well help him.

Soon, October arrived and the Bobcats held a media day. They made it to the playoffs and defeated James to advance to the second round. The media day was different.

Last year's media day was also quite lively, but most of the attendees were domestic media. This year, all major media outlets in North America sent people.

They are already a rising new team in people's eyes. Like other emerging teams, they are given the title of youth army, and their four core players have also received many nicknames.

Among those nicknames, the one Zhang Yang wanted to complain about the most was the 'North Carolina Four Young Masters'. This nickname was given by Boss Joe, and it gave the impression that he was trying to plagiarize his alma mater.

The key point is that Boss Joe really hit the jackpot. Their team has two North Carolina players, and Charlotte is located in North Carolina, so there is no problem with calling it this nickname, and local fans even like it.

However, considering that the fat boss likes the nickname "North Carolina Four Young Masters" very much, Zhang Yang did not complain during the interview.

There are even more childish ones - God's Royal Guards, God's Legion and so on.

Zhang Yang guessed that it was the post-90s generation that started to use the Internet... It is necessary to have a legal provision prohibiting people under 18 from using the Internet!

The nicknames of middle school students are actually okay. In a few years, the most outdated nicknames will sweep the basketball world: nerd, schoolbag, migrant worker, chatterbox...

When Zhang Yang thought of this, he felt a sense of crisis, but he hoped that fans many years later would not call him Prince Duan.

The team nickname 'New Bad Boys' was really hyped up by ESPN. After a few months, Zhang Yang no longer complained about it so much and took it as motivation.

The goats in the last century overcame the bad boys, and the bad boys in the 21st century have made a comeback and have become a mountain that the goats cannot cross... Isn't this a long-term goal?

When Zhang Yang was interviewed by domestic media this year, he had a headache.

Every media outlet would ask about the 'Big Three of the Rockets'. Zhang Yang strained his fingers until they hurt, but he still couldn't count where the Big Three of the Rockets came from.

But he still had to give Yao Ming face. Whenever the reporter mentioned "Rockets' championship run", he praised Yao Ming for averaging 25 points per game in the World Championships, saying that Yao Ming could also perform like that in the NBA.

The reporter was confused by Zhang Yang, a center averaging 25+ points per game?
Since the modern basketball era, there have been less than 25 centers who can average 10+ points per game in a single season. Since the 21st century, only O'Neal has done it... If Duncan is also considered a center, the Stone Buddha before he suffered from plantar fasciitis also did it. Since the 21st century, there have been 4 championship teams, and centers who average 25+ points per game are rarer than the number of championship teams!
The reporters were just brazenly bragging about the 'championship contenders'. After all, any team that could make the playoffs could be considered a 'championship contending' team. They came to Zhang Yang to get information. If Zhang Yang said that the Rockets were championship contenders, then he could brag about it and collect a small amount of money. If Zhang Yang said that the Rockets were not championship contenders, then he could criticize them and collect a small amount of money... In the end, Zhang Yang boasted even more harshly than them!

Can't afford to provoke...

...

After the media day, we entered the tactical training phase.

Zhang Yang was a little tearful. In last year's training camp, the coaching staff arranged very little and simple tactical training, and most of the time was devoted to individual training.

He even had to figure out how to fight a positional battle and how to follow up when counterattacking...

However, he could understand the coaching staff's arrangements at that time. The initial goal last season was to train the newcomers and to compete for high draft picks.

This year is different. They are already regarded as a playoff-level team, and the team's goals are higher. Jordan shouted the slogan of "hitting 50 wins" at the beginning of training camp.

Although they won 45 games last season, it is still very difficult for them to achieve 50 wins this season.

It wasn't until March last season that the Eastern Conference's top three teams began to take them seriously. In April, several teams in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoffs began to regard them as competitors. But until the last moments of the regular season, the Western Conference's strong teams still didn't take them seriously.

Now that they have become famous and are on the rise, their opponents will definitely pay more attention to them and the competition environment will be more difficult than last season.

But it’s never wrong to aim high!
Most of the tactics that the coaching staff is going to use this year are the ones that were played well at the end of last season and in the playoffs. A small number of them are new tactics that the coaches have come up with. All of the tactics revolve around their 'Four Youngsters'.

Just as Zhang Yang expected, his role in the tactics is still a pure scorer and counterattack promoter.

Jordan told Zhang Yang in a team meeting: "You have a great talent for scoring, so you should first practice your offense to the extreme. You can have other abilities, but you must know that putting the ball into the basket is what you are best at."

Jordan said this because Zhang Yang talked to the coaching staff about how he had learned some high-post back-to-the-basket offense when he was free, and Jordan specifically reminded him of it.

On October 10th, Zhang Yang came to Atlanta with the team.

Training camp ended the day before yesterday, they had a day off yesterday, and tomorrow they will start their preseason game with an away game against the Eagles.

After a night of rest in Atlanta, the Bobcats came to Philips Arena to challenge the Hawks away.

At 5:206 in the evening, after the players of both teams entered the stadium, Zhang Yang looked at the group of cm players on the opposite side... This year, the Hawks selected two swingmen at the rd and th positions, Shelden Williams in the lottery zone and Solomon Jones in the second round.

The Eagles' operations, from the owner to the head coach, are confusing.

This year, the Hawks still have only one serious point guard, Tyronn Lue.

The media, fans, and experts have all been criticizing the Hawks for repeatedly selecting 206-centimeter players in recent years. Hawks owner Steven Price insisted on selecting them, reminding them to bring in a point guard, but they just didn't. They focused on playing a middle-aged rebel who would say, "The more you forbid me to do something, the more I'm going to do it."

Zhang Yang chatted with his good friend's uncle before the game and found that Coach Lu was quite happy.

Although the team's record is bad, his playing time is guaranteed under normal circumstances, and his salary is higher than when he was on a strong team in his early years. The championship has already been won, and now Coach Lu's pursuit is to make a little more money.

Tyronn Lue should not be abandoned this year. Al Harrington, who entered his contract year, was sent back to the Pacers by the Hawks because he asked for a high-paying contract extension. Mike Woodson said in an interview with the media that the "six-foot-nine-inch point guard plan" was wrong and he would not do that again.

Zhang Yang felt that Josh Smith was miserable. He had just learned how to play point guard in the latter part of last season, but when he came back after an offseason, the head coach told him, "You don't need to play point guard anymore." He had to learn a new style of play and change to a new position...

At 6 pm, the Bobcats' first preseason game kicked off.

Zhang Yang officially appeared in the game as a starting player.

In fact, Zhang Yang started twice last season. In December last year, when the team had the most injuries and the coaching staff put Felton back on the bench to show the ability of Brevin Knight to the buyers, Zhang Yang started two games and set a new record for the youngest starting player in the NBA... The "record" that was broken this time was not No. 12, but Kobe. Kobe started at the age of 23 years and 18 months, which was the youngest record before.

After the game started, Zhang Yang was no longer targeted, and he felt a little disappointed...

Al Harrington was traded and Zhang San was no longer a rookie. The other players on the Hawks had no reason to target him. Everyone was concentrating on brushing up their stats and competing for playing time.

Although Josh Smith is still there, he has no animosity towards Zhang Yang. He targeted Zhang Yang last season only because he got along well with Al Harrington. He didn't have much of his own opinion, so his friends asked him to join them in targeting Zhang Yang, so he did it.

Zhang Yang put aside the strange feeling of loss and took turns with the fat boss!

The coaching staff's plan for this year's preseason is to let the two of them swing more and let the wing shooters shoot more so that they can get into the game state as soon as possible.

The tactics for the new season also require Zhang Yang and Felton to attack more from the outside with the ball.

A few months ago, after the team's main lineup was completed, Zhang Yang guessed that the coaching staff would definitely create outside singles opportunities for him and Felton based on the strong impact of the frontcourt players.

He mainly plays one-on-ones with the ball in the high post and mid-range, while Felton plays one-on-ones from the outside and shoots after pick-and-rolls.

In the preseason, Zhang Yang definitely didn't consider cooperation. He would throw the ball as soon as he received it and fire endlessly.

The old teammates who had played preseason games with Zhang Yang were not surprised at all, but the new teammates were all stunned.

Zhang Yang played for a total of 23 minutes tonight and threw the ball 24 times...

24投11中，其中三分球8中3，加上4中4的罚球，拿到29分！
Not only in this game, but also in the following away games against the Heat and Wizards, and back home against the Magic, Bulls, and Hawks, Zhang Yang played more than 20 minutes in each game and took at least 20 shots! He had to shoot seven or eight three-pointers in each game!
Zhang Yang takes a lot of shots, and his new teammates have heard about it. Even Rondo and Millsap, who just graduated from college, know about it.

But they didn't expect Zhang Yang to be so extravagant!

Rondo: How do I play with this guy? No, how did this team get to the second round?

On October 10, in the last preseason game against the Pacers, Zhang Yang's shot attempts were suddenly cut in half. If he didn't have a good chance, he would pass the ball to Felton or Gerald Wallace. He would also pass the ball after being double-teamed when he broke into the paint... The change came very suddenly!
At this time, teammates suddenly remembered that in the first 6 games, Zhang Yang had no other faults except for shooting wildly without any care when he had the ball.

When there is no ball, he will run well to cooperate and contain the opponent, and even provide cover for teammates who cut in from the wing.

The defense also does what it should do, interfering with shots, chasing after off-ball shooters, and shrinking when necessary to help double-team players cutting in from the wing.

If you think about it carefully, Zhang Yang's frequent shots didn't seem to have any negative impact on their tactical coordination.

Because their main tactics include Zhang Yang playing one-on-one, wing players providing support, and frontcourt players rushing to grab the ball.

It’s just that Zhang Yang chose not to pass the ball and insisted on shooting.

As for Zhang Yang's tactics of playing as a supporting role and a distraction point, he did everything a supporting role should do very well, even better than many substitutes.

The teammates had even more complicated feelings - what kind of player is this?
Gerald Wallace sensed the confusion of his new teammates and suddenly realized that they, the old players, were used to it and that the new teammates must have the same misunderstanding of Zhang Yang as they did at the beginning of last season.

He explained to his new teammates: "Jack shot a lot in the previous few games because the coach arranged for him to shoot more. He listened to the arrangement and seized the opportunity to shoot more. He wanted to find the feeling of the game as soon as possible. The coach asked us to play this game as a regular season game, and he switched back to his normal style of play."

After hearing this, the confusion of Millsap, Muhammad and others dissipated a little... but they still felt weird.

The transition from a lazy guy to an excellent team player was too sudden!
Only Rondo felt relieved after hearing the explanation.

He thought of how Zhang Yang was usually humble and kind, but when they were sparring, he would bully him to death.

Is there anything wrong with Zhang Yang's sudden change in playing style? Nothing wrong!

(End of this chapter)