Chapter 27 27. You haven’t discovered such a genius in 5 years?

Zhang Yang also recognized this person, and was even more impressed by him—Aaron Afflalo.

Afflalo is also about to enter the 12th grade and was ranked 04nd among all high school students in the United States in the 82 class by the Associated Press this summer.

However, although these two geniuses ranked in the top 100 in the United States stood together and seemed to be joking in their tone, they gave people a feeling of tit-for-tat.

When Zhang Yang was looking up information before, he guessed that these two people would not get along in the new season.

They are already in grade 12, so there must be a core conflict between the two.

Last season, the team had Roderick Stewart, a big man who was ultimately ranked 03th among all the high school students in the United States in the 36 class, and both of them played their part in helping out.

Now that Stewart has graduated and is going to the USC Trojans, these two are definitely eyeing the core position, so that they can have more shots, a higher tactical position, put up better stats, strive for a higher ranking, and get more attention when they go to college.

When the two strongest players on the team have a fight, it’s their teammates who suffer.

But this has nothing to do with Zhang Yang, he is just a spectator.

His goal is to join the freshman team or the reserve team in the new season. These two will fight against them in the main team. When he develops and has the strength to join the main team, these two will have graduated.

With these two taking the lead, people in the training ground gathered around and started to make a fuss.

DeRozan and Tatum came to the middle court to start a one-on-one duel amid cheers.

Zhang Yang came to the less crowded corner area to watch.

Just as he thought, one-on-one duels were not difficult at all for the snake-like player DeRozan. He could score goals easily by making shots from inside and outside.

Tatum on the opposite side was not the kind of person who made a lot of noise without any ability, and he fought back and forth with DeRozan.

The duel was more entertaining than expected and Zhang Yang was very excited to watch it.

Thomas saw the commotion at the training ground from the surveillance camera, and ran over with two assistant coaches to watch the fun. They didn't squeeze into crowded places, but stood next to Zhang Yang.

Seeing Zhang Yang's curious look, Thomas introduced the two assistant coaches.

The assistant coach whose hairstyle resembles Thomas' is called John Johnson. He is responsible for leading the freshman team and the reserve team, as well as the technical training of young players. In Thomas' words, Johnson does the hardest work of the entire team.

The assistant coach, whose hair is so thick that it seems to have absorbed all the hair of his two colleagues, is called Del Burke. He is responsible for team tactics and games with the main team.

Looking at the two people fighting fiercely on the court, Thomas said to Zhang Yang: "Jack, Carmelo is pretty strong, right?"

Zhang Yang analyzed: "He is strong, has good explosive power, is very good at using his body, has excellent ball control, and is very good at breaking through."

Thomas nodded. "Very good comments. These are Carmelo's strengths. Although he is not as famous as DeMar, he became the strongest player in the freshman and reserve teams last season. He will be your and DeMar's main competitor in the next three years."

Zhang Yang wanted to be modest, but forget it, he responded: "Thank you."

This answer made Burke beside him very interested, and he asked, "Jack, who do you think will win?"

Zhang Yang answered without hesitation: "DeMar, he will bite all opponents to death like a snake."

Thomas didn't understand: "Like a snake?"

Burke understood Zhang Yang's joke: "You mean he's like Kobe Bryant?"

Zhang Yang: "His idol is Kobe Bryant."

Burke continued to ask: "Why are you so sure that DeMar can win?"

Zhang Yang: "Tatum is very good at using his physical advantage, but he doesn't seem to have many ways to score. DeMar is already trying to adjust his defense. If Tatum can only break through and score, then he is doomed to lose..."

As soon as he finished speaking, DeRozan blocked Tatum at the edge of the three-second zone, and Tatum forced a shot but missed.

Zhang Yang discovered DeRozan's positive defensive attitude when he was sparring with Jones and others.

DeRozan was not known for his defense in the NBA, but he was not a drag when he was young and had a good defensive attitude. It's just that his defensive ability and awareness were not good enough in the NBA.

A player like this was not that bad at defense during his school days.

If Tatum is a player with comprehensive offensive skills, DeRozan may not be able to defend well, but he can only break through. After a few more rounds, DeRozan will be able to find the defensive trick. On the contrary, Tatum can only pray that DeRozan has a bad touch in a one-on-one situation.

This ball became the dividing line between the two players in this one-on-one duel. DeRozan continued to have his way with them afterwards. Although Tatum was not locked down, his breakthrough success rate dropped sharply.

Burke praised: "Jack, Tony's praise of your high basketball IQ seems to be true."

He made the same judgment, but he is a professional coach. He heard that this young man used to play baseball and has only played basketball for less than a month. That’s different, not to mention that he is only a 15-year-old kid.

Before Zhang Yang could be modest, Johnson, who had been silent, interrupted and said, "One-on-one duels are not what Carmelo is best at. His ability to organize offense is his most outstanding advantage. Being good at one-on-one duels is one thing, but there are not so many one-on-one opportunities in real games."

A question mark popped up in Zhang Yang's head. What kind of PY deal did this coach have with the charcoal-headed guy? They were definitely not father and son. One had a skin color that was whiter than his scalp, and the other had a skin color that was as black as his hair. DeRozan's high school career hadn't even begun yet, and he might have offended his assistant coach by beating up his favorite student? What kind of protagonist start was this?

Wait, his classmate Xiao Zhang may have also offended the teaching assistant.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Zhang Yang responded: "You are right, a one-on-one duel is one thing, a game is another... But I believe that no one will be able to defend DeMar in the game."

Seeing that the situation was getting tense, Burke teased Johnson, "John, you should think about how to comfort your favorite student. He may be in for a big blow today."

Johnson realized that he had lost his composure, and he coughed dryly and said, "Carmelo will not be defeated so easily. He does not need my comfort. I don't have a favorite student. As long as the student works hard, I like him."

Thomas and Burke looked at each other, both feeling helpless. This colleague was really unique. He could actually argue with a 15-year-old student, and he was the one who took the initiative to "provoke trouble".

On the contrary, Zhang Yang's answer satisfied the two of them. Unlike other young people, he was not as impulsive as others. He accepted the coach's instructions, but would firmly defend his friends.

As for whether Johnson will target Zhang Yang and DeRozan because of this, the two of them are not worried at all. Johnson just has a weird temper. His professional ability and professionalism are top-notch. They are more worried that Zhang Yang will have a dislike for Johnson, which will in turn cause DeRozan to have a dislike for Johnson... That would be troublesome. If a genius like DeRozan wants to transfer, a bunch of schools in Los Angeles will be vying for him, and they will not hesitate to take Zhang Yang as a gift.

But their worries were unnecessary. Seeing Johnson's embarrassment, Zhang Yang thought this assistant coach was quite cute.

Zhang Yang now has a certain understanding of the team's three coaches.

Johnson is a straightforward person who likes to protect his own people. In Zhang Yang's opinion, such a coach is much easier to get along with than those coaches with deep thoughts.

Burke seems to be a very thoughtful coach, and he is a lively type of coach.

Thomas...is an honest man.

...

The one-on-one match lost suspense as soon as DeRozan was able to effectively interfere with Tatum.

10-7, 10-5, DeRozan won both sets of duels.

At first it was said that the outcome would be decided in one group, but after losing a group, Tatum was not convinced and demanded a best-of-three game, and then he lost even more miserably.

Seeing DeRozan arrogantly raising his chin and looking down at people, Tatum was furious, but he was too shameless to say that it was a best-of-five game, so he could only admit defeat.

Shipp, who had just supported Tatum, patted DeRozan on the shoulder and laughed, "Oh, DeMar, you are so good, Carmelo is not your opponent. I am Josh, the captain of the team, welcome to join."

Afflalo was not to be outdone: "DeMar, you are great. After I graduate, it will be your turn to lead the team forward."

After the two big guys said this, the other players went to say hello and get to know DeRozan.

Tatum couldn't hold back after seeing this, and turned and ran away in shame...

However, DeRozan did not like this scene. He said, "Sorry, I still have to practice," ignored the eyes and voices of people around him, and returned to the corner of the court to continue practicing shooting.

Zhang Yang, who was still in the crowd, heard some discordant voices, but this time he did not argue about anything. He returned to the half court next to DeRozan and continued to practice basic skills.

The surrounding players gradually dispersed and continued to do their own things. Some would complain about DeRozan in private, while others would not take it to heart. Geniuses always have some quirks.

The three coaches did not leave. Since they were already there, they just guided the players in training.

Burke noticed that Johnson's eyes were always looking at Zhang Yang who was training alone, and asked, "Hey, hey, John, you don't really hold a grudge against your last student, do you?"

Johnson rolled his eyes at Burke and said, "This kid's training is very special. When other kids first started playing basketball, they would go to play in competitions... Tony, has he always trained like this?"

Thomas responded, "Yes, he stayed at my house for 10 days, practicing basic skills for about five hours every morning and evening."

Johnson thought for a moment and said, "Five hours of basic training every day? He's really patient. With this kind of training, his strength won't improve as fast as those who just soak in the court at first, but once he has a good grasp of the basics, his improvement rate could be terrifying... By the way, Tony, I remember you said he's been playing basketball for less than a month?"

Thomas looked at Johnson, who looked surprised, and smiled, "He started practicing basketball on July 7, which was also the first day he and DeMar met. DeMar told me that when he first met Jack, Jack could even hit his feet when dribbling."

Johnson's eyes changed when he looked at Zhang Yang. "Although his basic skills are not good yet, it's already pretty good after only three weeks. The training items are highly connected, which can't be achieved by hard work alone... He has the ability to analyze the game. From what you said, he seems to have tactical talent. He works so hard... Wait, Tony, you said he used to play baseball?"

The look in his colleague's eyes suddenly became sharp. Thomas felt guilty for no reason and said weakly, "Yes, he has been playing baseball for the past five years, but his level is not very good. He lost interest and switched to basketball."

Johnson gritted his teeth and glared at Thomas: "Isn't he from your hometown? You didn't discover such a genius in five years? And he is the most visionary basketball coach in California?"

Thomas: "..."

As a basketball coach, even if he returns to his hometown, he will go to the basketball court to discover talents, right? Which basketball coach would go to the baseball field to watch over him when he has nothing to do?

This pot is so heavy!
……

……

I stayed up late to write the second update. I would feel sorry for my friends who support Xiaofeng if I didn’t write it, and I couldn’t sleep... Please vote!

(End of this chapter)