Chapter 36 [Do you think you have not done enough? 】
One week later.
Yang Jian and Eric Snow have become the hardest-working members of the Sonics. Apart from eating and going home to sleep, they spend most of their time in the gym practicing basic skills, dribbling, passing and receiving, and footwork.
, shoot.
As long as a player runs fast, will he be able to play fast breaks well? Of course not.
The person responsible for the first pass must pass the ball accurately, the person responsible for the fast break must move smoothly, and the ball must be steady. If there is a problem in any link, an easy scoring opportunity may become a mistake.
Yang Jian's practice of basic skills is not just for fast breaks, but a major event related to the entire career. Most common problems of basketball players who have excellent physical fitness but cannot play well are poor basic skills. The fundamental reason why some people are not strong is poor basic skills.
But the blame was put on physical fitness.
Yang Jian's current shortcoming is Yang Jian's basic skills, which are obviously not as good as Snow's. He is prone to mistakes and steals when holding the ball. Only by practicing the basics can he be better able to hold the ball and attack in the future instead of relying on talent to play randomly.
The outside world's evaluation will not change because of Yang Jian's efforts, and the major media are still not optimistic about the Sonics.
Some media said that the Sonics' No. 2 position is the weakest in the league, with almost no one capable of playing. Some media also questioned Payton, saying that he is seriously overrated.
"Payton is a point guard who puts scoring first. When he dribbles with his back to the basket and faces the frame near the free throw line, he always chooses to shoot without hesitation."
This is indeed true, but this media ignored that Payton's field goal percentage last season was 50.9%. Many players who are underestimated by the media only shot 40%, such as Mavericks forward Jamal Mashburn.
"Once Edwards is injured, the Sonics' perimeter offense will be severely affected. Then they will have to let McMillan start at the No. 2 position. Who will be Payton's substitute? Second-round pick Eric Snow.
?”
"The SuperSonics don't seem to be planning to make a trade. George Karl's madness will rise to a whole new level in the new season. There are various signs that he seems to want Chinese player Yang Jian to start."
Yang Jian has the highest exposure among all rookies, making news every now and then. He has become a vague public enemy among rookies. During the summer league, he stole the spotlight from several high-ranking rookies.
"The first Chinese player in history to play in the NBA. It is said that his physical fitness can be compared with Michael Jordan. How many people believe this? Is this undrafted player really capable or is it just a hype?"
"Harvard basketball coach Tim commented on Yang Jian and actually said he was not impressed by him. Are you serious? This Chinese guy on your team can easily slam dunk and averaged 26 points per game in the Salt Lake City Summer League."
"Will young people from the mysterious ancient Eastern country help the SuperSonics rise in the new season? Let us wait and see."
After watching the news, George Karl talked to Yang Jianjian alone and asked: "Do you usually read the news?"
"No, Eric and I didn't even subscribe to the newspaper." Yang Jian shook his head. "But in the locker room, I heard them say there was a lot of news about me."
"What do you think?" George Carl asked.
"For me, this is motivation. Of course, the higher the exposure, the better." Yang Jian answered truthfully.
George Karl smiled. "You have a good mentality. Aren't you afraid of being criticized by the fans if you don't play well? Many people now think that our No. 2 position is the weakest, and there are many rookies who want to deal with you and prove themselves."
Yang Jian shrugged and relaxed. "On the other hand, if I play well, they will say I'm awesome. I think this is a good thing."
"Keep it up, don't be afraid to play." George Karl patted Yang Jian on the shoulder.
"Can I take more shots in the game?" Yang Jian asked.
"What, you think you haven't taken enough shots?" George Karl was a little surprised. Yang Jian is already the team's fourth scoring point, second only to the three stars in the number of shots.
Yang Jian nodded and whispered: "I have actually been suppressing my desire to take action, and I did not go all out during training. Bob knows that I like to roar when I score goals in the summer league. If I am in a violent state,
I can show my strength better. I can't do this in the team, like provoking my teammates."
"..." George Karl was speechless.
I think you are already very fierce, but you still have reservations?
You always dunk even if you have reservations. What is the violent state you are talking about? When you charge, no matter whether there is anyone in front of you or not, how many people try to dunk?!
George Karl was silent for a moment and said seriously: "It's a good thing that you have energy, but I don't recommend that you try too many dunks. If there is a defender in front of you, it is best not to dunk, as there is a risk of injury. If you feel hot on the jumper, I
You can be allowed to take more shots."
"As long as I can shout a few times often, I guarantee that my shooting will be more accurate than usual during training. I think this is the controller that improves my condition." Yang Jian said with a smile.
"I'll wait and see." George Karl felt that this guy was full of energy. Could it be that shouting twice could increase his jump shot percentage?
Sorry, yelling twice can really increase your mid-range shooting percentage. If Yang Jian doesn't explain, others won't be able to understand his iron-bloodedness.
George Karl was relieved when he saw that Yang Jian had a good mentality. The coaching staff was afraid that he would not be able to withstand the pressure and would not be able to show his strength in training. Young players are prone to this situation. They perform bravely in training, but are timid in games and do not dare to play for fear of making mistakes.
.
The media often talks about Yang Jian, and SuperSonics fans all know him. Most fans don't like him because he is not famous. From the perspective of onlookers, it is risky to let him start in the starting lineup. The SuperSonics opened the first game for two consecutive seasons.
After the round was eliminated, the mentality of all fans has undergone some changes, and they are relatively pessimistic.
Yang Jian is the most optimistic person, and he is very happy without any pressure. The higher the exposure, the better. It doesn't matter if everyone looks down on him.
Where does he get the pressure? He knows that the SuperSonics can definitely play well this season. And he firmly believes that the SuperSonics will perform better than in the parallel world. Internal harmony is on the one hand, and the lineup changes on the other.
In Yang Jian's memory, P.J. Brown and Bo Outero did not join the SuperSonics, and he triggered a good butterfly effect. Both of them are strong defensive players and will definitely play some role in the playoffs.
Outlaw has a poor offense and his shooting style is a bit funny, but he defends well and is tireless on the court.
PJ Brown is a famous inside player in the parallel world, capable of defense and mid-range shooting. In the 2K game, he was even called "the strongest Tyrannosaurus Rex player in history" by Chinese players. (The model looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with short arms)
Payton, Kemp, and McMillan are all excellent defensively. Yang Jian's defense is also better than the Sonics' original No. 2 starter Hersey Hawkins. In this era of striving for defense, the Sonics are not afraid of any strong team, including
Super bull.
Strong defensive teams are difficult to defeat because they can reduce their opponents' scoring efficiency, and even if their own offense has problems, they can slowly wear out their opponents.
The Bulls' offense mainly relies on Jordan, Pippen, and Kukoc. The SuperSonics' top scorer is not as good as Jordan. Adding Yang Jian as a scoring point is enough to make up for the disadvantage on the offensive end.
The best training is actual combat. The NBA preseason has kicked off. The SuperSonics played the Lakers in their first game, and Yang Jian started.
However, the scene of killing everyone he expected did not appear, and his playing time was too short, only playing 12 minutes.
In the next two games against the Timberwolves, against the Nuggets, Suns and other teams, Yang Jian also played only ten minutes, and averaged less than 15 minutes per game in the preseason.
It's not that George Karl deliberately suppressed the three stars of Yang Jian, Payton, Kemp, and Schrempf. Their playing time was very short.
Preseason is a warm-up match. For star players, it is enough to warm up and play one or two quarters. Most of the time is for substitute players and new players to allow them to better adapt to the game.
Lay a solid foundation in the regular season.
In the future, NBA preseason games will be held at each team's home court, with a large number of fans attending. At that time, preseason games have become very formal, and the stars will play for a long time to make the fans worth their while.
Today's preseason games are held in each team's training hall, with only a few fans present. Of course, the stars will not want to fight to the death. The outcome is not important at all, they can just find their condition.
Yang Jian's inability to produce good statistics in such a short period of time and his short playing time is precisely a sign of the coaching staff's trust in his performance. He performed very well during team training and no longer needs to be inspected in the preseason.
After the regular season begins, Yang Jian no longer needs to retain his strength.
The schedule has already been determined. On November 3, the SuperSonics will challenge the Jazz away from home.
