Chapter 90 89. He only has eyes for the basketball hoop
The five starters, Brevin Knight, Kareem Rush, Gerald Wallace, Okafor and Brezek, had a back-and-forth battle with the five starters, Joe Johnson, Royal Ivey, Al Harrington, Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia.

Zhang Yang’s new paper has a topic - on the importance of ordinary point guards to basketball teams.

He was very curious about which talented coach let Joe Johnson play point guard, and looked at the opposite bench, Mike Woodson?
If he remembered correctly, this was Larry Brown's...defensive assistant coach for the past five years.

That's not surprising. No wonder Joe Johnson was used as Iverson, and he was required to score and organize the offense.

Zhang Yang came on the field very quickly. Halfway through the first quarter, when the score was 11 to 12, he and Felton were substituted in together.

Also on the field were Gerard Wallace, Jack Voskuhl and Brezek.

Voskuhl, a second-round center in the 00 class, is not strong in offense and defense, but he can be seen on the NBA historical data list - in the 03-04 season, he beat Kurt Thomas, Eddy Curry, Kenyon Martin and other foul kings to win the season's foul king.

After the technical station announced the Bobcats' substitution list, cheers rang out at the scene, with people shouting "Raymond", "Jack", and "Marvin".

During the preseason, the venue was not full, with about two-thirds of the nearly 20,000 seats occupied, and groups of people were wearing North Carolina jerseys, and very few were wearing Bobcats jerseys.

Felton said to Zhang Yang in dissatisfaction: "It's ok for our school's fans to cheer for Marvin, but why are they still shouting your name?"

Zhang Yang: "I'm also a North Carolina player!"

Felton: "When did you become our North Carolina player?"

Zhang Yang: "I am a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Business, right? I am also a basketball player, right?"

Felton: “Does that count?”

Zhang Yang: "Just tell me if it is true or not!"

"..." Felton rolled his eyes and said, "Even if that's the case, why do more people call your name than mine? And most of them are female classmates?"

Zhang Yang: "Maybe it's because I'm young, they have an overflowing maternal love. There's a kind of fans called mom fans, it's scary, you don't have to envy them, just let me bear this scary thing alone... Oh, that girl has a great figure, look, she's wearing my No. 3 jersey."

Felton: “…”

I shouldn't have talked to my little brother when we were about to step onto the court together!

Zhang Yang looked at the opposite side, and five players including Tyronn Lue, Josh Childress, Al Harrington, Marvin Williams, and John Edwards came on the court... The Hawks really have a lot of forwards.

The only serious guards are Coach Lu and the modern Jordan.

On the sidelines, Bickerstaff and Engelland looked at Zhang Yang with some concern.

It was fine within the team. Okafor was aloof and disdainful of doing those things, and was very friendly to those who were good at studying; Gerald Wallace had a good personality, and when he heard Zhang Yang said he liked the No. 3 jersey, he gave up his jersey number and changed it to another number he liked, 45. He didn't care much about this; Felton protected Zhang Yang... plus the team's obvious care, except for Brevin Knight occasionally teasing Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang was not targeted because of his identity as the "youngest high school rookie in history."

But players from other teams were not so friendly.

The two coaches' predictions were correct. The opposing forward Al Harrington took the initiative to tell his teammate Childress that he wanted to switch defense on Zhang Yang.

When the referee blew the whistle to continue the game, Harrington immediately approached Yang and started to confront him.

Harrington also entered the NBA directly from high school and had experienced all the hardships that high school students should have experienced. When he met Zhang Yang, who was also a high school student, he gave a good interpretation of what it meant to "tear up your umbrella because I've been caught in the rain."

Zhang Yang didn't give Harrington too many opportunities for close combat and immediately started running quickly, and Harrington chased after him.

Harrington's teammates found it very funny because they had never seen this teammate defend so hard during the regular season last season.

However, although Harrington is one of the fastest players at the power forward position, his speed is already at a disadvantage at the small forward position, and it is even worse at the shooting guard position. He tried his best to catch up, but Zhang Yang's speed did not reach the fastest.

On Felton's side, after receiving the serve, he violently attacked Tyronn Lue. Tyronn Lue couldn't withstand it, and Marvin Williams quickly moved up and punched his old teammate hard, then made up for the defense and formed a siege with Tyronn Lue who was actively chasing and defending.

Zhang Yang did not run around. He noticed the movement of Marvin Williams and took the initiative to run to the baseline on the same side. The moment Felton was double-teamed, he ran to the high position at full speed, bypassed Voskuhl who was left open on the left side of the three-second zone, and shook off Harrington to the left side of the free throw line.

As soon as Felton was double-teamed, he turned his head to see Zhang Yang and passed the ball to him immediately.

Zhang Yang received the ball and shot a mid-range shot. Harrington went around Voskuhl and chased after him, but it was too late to interfere with him. He could only watch Zhang Yang... and missed the shot.

Childress secured the defensive rebound.

Harrington, who was feeling a little embarrassed after being left behind, instantly perked up and caught up with Zhang Yang to start the "education" mode: "Youngest kid, how can you not make an open shot? You will disappoint your coach. If you can't make a shot, you will have no chance to play in the future."

While paying attention to the position of the ball on the other side, Zhang Yang responded: "Senior high school rookie who scored 2 points, thank you for reminding me with your tragic experience, but you don't have to worry about me. I am highly valued in our team. Even if I can't make the shot, they will let me continue to shoot."

Two points? Harrington didn't react at first. He couldn't get two points in high school! If he could get two points, would he not be able to go to college? Generally, he got 1 point, and there were subjects with 0 points...wait!
This high school student was making fun of him averaging two points per game during his rookie season!

Harrington originally wanted to use trash talk to make Zhang Yang nervous and scared, but he didn't expect that the other party's mouth was much more offensive than his. What's more, if he wasn't smart enough, he wouldn't even know he was being insulted!

Harrington waited for Tyronn Lue to advance and then asked for the ball. He wanted to beat Zhang Yang... but Zhang Yang didn't guard him. Guarding in front of him was Gerald Wallace, who gave him a headache.

Harrington and Zhang Yang were not supposed to play against each other. Harrington's original main position was power forward, but the team selected two talented power forwards, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams in the past two years. Head coach Woodson arranged for him to play small forward. Although this is not his best position, he is already lucky. The 203-centimeter Childress went directly to play shooting guard.

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t beat Zhang Yang by himself. Harrington raised his neck towards Childress who was close to the right side of the three-second zone, and Childress immediately leaned against Zhang Yang to ask for the ball.

Torture high school students, Childress is coming too!
Do they think Zhang Yang has no talent and will never be able to play well in the future? No, they know that those high school students who can enter the lottery zone are all talented. They have such a talented person in their own team, Josh Smith.

In his rookie season, Josh Smith was not only targeted by his opponents, but also troubled by his teammates. However, after playing for two months, he managed to secure the starting position and squeezed Al Harrington to the small forward position.

But precisely because of this, they must seize the opportunity to bully the weak ones now, because if they miss this opportunity, they will never get it again.

Harrington passed the ball to Childress. Zhang Yang tried to intercept it from the front, but seeing that there was no chance, he decisively went back behind Childress to block it.

Childress received the ball and tried to trick Zhang Yang into flying, but Zhang Yang ignored him and stuck to him, preventing him from jumping.

Childress made a fake turn, but Zhang Yang still ignored him, sticking closely to him and giving him the necessary physical confrontation.

Childress didn't dare to really turn around and break through. There were three 211+ cm inside players under the basket, Voskuhl, Edwards, and Brezek, blocking him tightly. But he only had these two tricks in one-on-one play, nothing else. The opponent didn't take the dribbling, so he could only force a close-range jump shot against the resistance... and it missed!
Brezek blocked the onrushing Marvin Williams and secured the defensive rebound!

On the sidelines, Bickerstaff was relieved and smiled at England, "Jack played well. He had a great sense of defense and didn't do unnecessary things. Although he didn't score, his positional sense was great. He knew exactly when to move. He just shot too hastily. If he was slower, he might still have scored."

England: "Primoz's positioning awareness is also very good."

Bickerstaff nodded: "Primoz's personality is a little soft, and his playing style is also soft, but he has the positioning and blocking awareness that an Eastern European center should have."

Zhang Yang's offense and defense made the Bobcats head coach and shooting coach very satisfied. On the court, Harrington's mood was not so good.

The rookie once again accelerated and sprinted around the slalom at the perfect time to connect with Felton! But he was left behind again!
But this time, as soon as Felton passed the ball, Marvin Williams rushed out after the ball at an extremely fast speed.

When Zhang Yang received the ball, Marvin Williams jumped up with all his strength and pounced on him.

Harrington was delighted. If Zhang Yang took this shot, he would definitely be blocked... Stepping back! The rookie stepped back!

After receiving the ball, Zhang Yang calmly took a step away from Marvin Williams' blocking range, jumped, and shot a mid-range shot... This time he had a sense of rhythm and showed his good mid-range shooting ability, and he made it!
Shooting value +20! Zhang Yang was delighted.

Harrington's smile froze on his face... He saw Zhang Yang making a scissors hand gesture at him.

When others saw Zhang Yang's action, they thought that this high school student was making a "yeah" gesture. The female fans on the sidelines exclaimed. Jack's celebration was as pure and simple as that of a child.

Only Harrington knew what the rookie really meant - I got two points, which is the same as your average score in your rookie season. No, I must beat this rookie tonight!
...

Originally, when Tyronn Lue came on the court and the Hawks had a serious point guard, it should have been their best time.

In the middle of last season, after Tyronn Lue was traded to the Hawks, he averaged 13.5 points and 5.4 assists per game with a shooting percentage of 46%, playing the best performance of his career. He also led Josh Smith, Harrington, Anthony Walker, Childress and other forwards to play very beautiful offense.

With the arrival of Woodson this season, Tyronn Lue was relegated to the bench, but normally, when he comes on, he can drive the offense.

But Harrington insisted on competing with an off-ball shooter, holding on to the ball and directing his teammates to single out Zhang Yang. Tyronn Lue had to give the ball out when he crossed half court. Sometimes Harrington even received the serve himself and pushed forward, which made Tyronn Lue very confused.

Fortunately, Coach Lue has rich experience as a forward point guard, so he just went back to his old job, and he accepted it. Anyway, thanks to his average performance of 13+5 per game last season, he has already got a three-year, $3 million contract extension.

In fact, Zhang Yang played averagely, his shooting was inaccurate, and his defense was able to hold up, but it was only because Childress's ability to attack with the ball was too poor.

But what Harrington cares about is not whether Zhang Yang plays well or not, but Zhang Yang is obviously just a high school student, and a 17-year-old high school student, so why can he be so calm?

On the offensive end, run honestly, and when you have the opportunity to catch the ball and shoot, just shoot. If you can't run out and have the opportunity, just keep running. If you receive the ball and don't have the chance to shoot, just stick your butt out to protect the ball and pull it out, then pass it to the teammate who comes to receive the ball.

This calm attitude of striving not to make mistakes made Harrington envious and jealous.

If he could do this in his rookie year, would he still be spurned by Bird and kept on the bench?

And the more Zhang Yang failed, the more jealous Harrington became.

What the hell is the head coach of the Bobcats doing? This rookie is so bad at making open shots, why doesn't he just replace him and throw him into the trash?
In his rookie year, he would be replaced if he missed any shot!

It is worth mentioning that in his rookie year, Al Harrington averaged 7 minutes per game, 2.7 shots per game, and a hit rate of 32%...

张杨从首节6分11秒上场，打到了第二节2分16秒，被换下，出场8分多钟，8投3中，拿到6分1板1抢断。

His shooting percentage was quite poor, so poor that Felton, who was substituted out at the same time, complained that his younger brother wasted so many open shooting opportunities. He would definitely be able to make more shots if he was given the chance. The only player on the Bobcats whose mid-range shooting training performance could match Zhang Yang's was Felton.

Both of them are at a good level, but Felton's shooting stability is better after confrontation.

The players of the Bobcats, except for the rookies selected in the draft in the past two years, are mostly scraps that other teams don't want. Mid-range shooters are one of the most popular types of players in this era, and other teams will not let the Bobcats get away with it.

However, although Zhang Yang's data is average, his effect is unexpectedly good.

8分多钟时间，两队打出了14比12的比分，山猫队以25比24反超老鹰队1分！
Originally, the Bobcats coaching staff felt that they would be beaten badly by the opponent when they entered the rotation stage. The Hawks' forward group, if given a decent point guard, even just an ordinary high-quality substitute-level point guard, can take off a little, as proved last season.

Bickerstaff never expected that his Jack could actually defeat the opponent...

Of course, that was because their opponent was the Hawks. Last season, the Bobcats had 18 wins and 64 losses, and were not last in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks, with 13 wins and 69 losses, were last. That was why Zhang Yang was able to run into open space so easily without any defensive coordination from the opponent.

Marvin Williams can occasionally fill in the gaps, only because he still has the habit of playing team basketball in college and actively fills in all the opponents who miss out. After a year or two, even he may not be able to do it.

After 'surviving' the stage where Tyronn Lue was 'leading the team', Brevin Knight and Okafor returned to the court, and the opponent also sent Joe Johnson to play point guard, the Bobcats' advantage was revealed!
At the end of the first half, the Bobcats led the Hawks 47-40, gaining a 7-point lead!
In the second half, when Harrington came on the court, Bickerstaff sent Zhang Yang, who had rested for more than a quarter, back on the court, this time partnering with Brevin Knight.

Seeing Zhang Yang coming on the court, Harrington continued to target him. He would be unhappy if he didn't target Zhang Yang.

Tyronn Lue, who was on the court with him, consciously transformed himself into a forward point guard...

Harrington is currently the strongest player in the interior of the Hawks, averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds per game last season. He is tied with newcomer Joe Johnson, who averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for the Suns last season, as the inside and outside dual core. If he wants to dominate the offense, what can Tyronn Lue, a backup point guard, do?

Harrington thought that the opposing point guard had changed from rookie Felton, who seemed to have a good relationship with Zhang Yang, to veteran Brevin Knight. Since Zhang Yang was so close to him, Brevin Knight should not pass the ball to Zhang Yang.

But... Brevin Knight passed the ball more actively!
Unlike Felton who cares about whether his teammates can make the shot, Brevin Knight will pass the ball to Zhang Yang as long as he can run out of position and dares to throw the ball after receiving it.

He doesn't care about his teammates' shooting percentage or the assist conversion rate of his passes. As long as his teammates receive the pass and shoot, he is likely to get an assist!
Seeing that Zhang Yang dared to throw the ball after receiving it, Brevin Knight began to like this rookie a little. Moreover, this rookie could keep up with his speed in counterattack!

Harrington: No, why! Why was I so miserable when I entered the NBA, while this high school kid on the other side could play so freely?
...

99 to 88, the Bobcats finally defeated the Hawks by 11 points and won their first preseason victory.

There were some interesting things on the court, including the rivalry between Felton and Marvin Williams, the former teammates, Harrington being annoyed by Zhang Yang's calmness, and Joe Johnson being uncomfortable with Iverson's style of play...

In the eyes of the audience, this was just a fight between two weak teams, and there were times when the play was particularly outrageous - the Hawks played shockingly badly when Zhang Yang was on the court.

The next day was a day off, and the Bobcats scheduled an afternoon training session.

But in the morning, Bickerstaff, Engelland, assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff Jr., assistant coach Randy Brown, Jordan and five others had already arrived at the stadium, and the video editor worked overtime last night to cut the game footage of Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang only played for 17 minutes last night, and it was even shorter after editing. It didn’t take much time for several people to watch it twice.

Jordan, who is about to become the big boss, spoke first: "He didn't take advantage of so many good shooting opportunities. He made 15 of 6 shots and 3 of 2 free throws for 14 points. If I had so many shooting opportunities, I could get 28 points!"

Bickerstaff couldn't help but roll his eyes and grumbled, "How about you come back?"

Jordan: "It's a good idea, but no, I've promised never to come back. Although Jack's shooting is not accurate, these opportunities are all created by himself. It's surprising."

Bickerstaff: "When he was playing in the training game, I found that he had a good tactical awareness. I didn't expect that he could do better in the official game."

Englander broke the ice at the right time: "It was because the Eagles' team defense was so poor that he had so many opportunities, and he only had eyes for the basket..."

As he said this, he pressed the replay button, and several people watched Zhang Yang's clip again.

Zhang Yang received the ball and shot. When he received the ball and encountered a defensive dive, he would step back and shoot. When he received the ball and encountered a defensive dive, he would take a step forward and shoot. When he received the ball with his back to the basket, he would first step forward and turn around to shoot a jump shot...

Jordan's attention was focused on Zhang Yang's running before. After being reminded by Englander, he noticed this aspect and said bitterly: "He is so independent. I am not as independent as him... But it is rare to be able to find opportunities and use them. Most rookies nowadays don't even know how to find scoring opportunities. They only know how to take the ball and work alone."

Englander also agreed with this statement, saying: "The Nuggets have a group of talented young players, but coaching them to practice shooting is much harder than coaching Jack."

Bickerstaff defended Zhang Yang: "In fact, Jack is not as unique as the video editing makes him look. Only a dozen or so rounds of his shooting were edited here. His touch rate in this game was very high. When he received the ball and had no chance, he would protect the ball and pass it to his teammates. He would not mess around."

Jordan watched the game from the sidelines, thought about it, and said, "Yeah, I didn't think he was alone when I watched the game, I just thought his shooting was really bad."

Bickerstaff: "So, boss, how do you deal with this problem? Keep Jack shooting? Or reduce his shots?"

Jordan thought for a moment and said, "Let him continue to shoot. As long as he has the ability to run out of shooting opportunities and can catch the ball, let him shoot. Anyway, he won't be able to play for long."

Bickerstaff: "I have the same idea as you, but Jack's ability to distribute his physical energy is indeed a problem. When he was in high school, his opponents were not as tall, fast, or strong as him, so he could play the whole game. Now he is obviously tired after playing for seven or eight minutes in a row. But he is still young. It is good enough for him to be like this at the age of 17. It may be better if he plays for a shorter period of time."

"It depends on him. If he wants to get more playing time, he has to improve his physical strength. If he wants to have shooting opportunities all the time, he has to show us his progress. If his shooting percentage remains the same, we can only change his role. He has good defensive talent... But I think he has guessed our decision."

Jordan said as he walked to the one-way floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the 17-year-old player practicing mid-range and long-range shooting on the training ground downstairs.

Knowing shame leads to courage, this spirit of hard work is hard not to admire.

……

……

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(End of this chapter)