CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 96, THIS ROOKIE’S DEFENSE, VERY STRONG!

"Still haven’t met the right one."

"What kind do you like?"

"Beautiful, good figure, easy to talk to, gentle and obedient."

"Do you like Serbian girls? I can ask Natalia to introduce some to you, but if it’s about feelings, you can’t mess around."

Jokic and Natalia Masaisic have been childhood sweethearts, dating since Jokic was 16.

After Jokic entered the NBA, Natalia Masaisic transferred from Serbia to the Metropolitan State University of Denver, always accompanying Jokic.

"You can get the contact information and chat a bit."

In impression, Serbian girls mostly seem to be quite pretty.

After chatting for a while with Jokic along the way, Zeng Xingyang put on an eye mask and they each rested.

The plane landed in Minnesota at midnight, checked into the hotel, and continued to rest.

Adequate sleep is very important for players.

The next day, after waking up in the morning, Zeng Xingyang scrolled through his phone for a bit.

Abroad, it’s relatively calm, but domestically, the NBA forums are basically all about him.

"26 points in debut, Zeng Xingyang amazes the NBA!"

"Shocking, Zeng Xingyang actually did this in his debut?"

"Zeng Xingyang: ’Who dares to say I’m a bust at the 7th position?’"

"Zeng Xingyang’s transition three-pointer hits, Coach Mai’s slight smile is very charming."

"Hmph, a powerful three-pointer tells Mike Malone that I, Zeng Xingyang, deserve a starting position!"

"Breaking domestic player’s highest debut score in the NBA!"

Domestic fans have been intensely discussing and savoring all the details of Zeng Xingyang’s games, eagerly anticipating the next match.

It’s as if domestic fans have returned to the days of following Da Yao’s games.

A homegrown player who can play in the NBA is worth following every game.

.....

October 30th.

The Nuggets challenge the Timberwolves on the road.

Last season, the Timberwolves had one of the worst records in the league, so they got the first pick and selected Towns.

In recent seasons, the Timberwolves have been eagerly searching for high-potential players.

This season they have Lavine, Wiggins, Towns, and some other highly talented players.

This season, they don’t want to tank; they want to see how far this trio can go.

See if there’s a chance to make the playoffs.

Zeng Xingyang remembers in the past life, despite the Timberwolves’ trio having good player talent, they never quite made it.

Towns and Wiggins needed Jimmy Butler to barely make the playoffs.

Wiggins only showed interest in playing after going to the Warriors under the Splash Brothers’ guidance.

Towns was even abandoned by the Timberwolves later and traded to the Knicks...

Lavine could only showcase his skills in dunk duels against Gordon, and even after going to the Bulls, he didn’t become a qualified leader.

This is their first season as a team, and forming any kind of team combat power is unrealistic, but if you underestimate them, they will occasionally make big headlines.

Like last season when the Timberwolves faced the Knights, Wiggins would explode!

Strong teams like the Knights couldn’t gain an advantage over them.

Both teams are bottom-feeders, and attention in the United States isn’t high, but domestically, there’s a lot of interest.

Zeng Xingyang brings traffic naturally.

At the pre-game press conference.

Zeng Xingyang became the focus of the reporters, and many domestic sports newspapers or websites also sent reporters for on-site interviews.

"Zeng, what’s your goal for tonight’s stats?"

"I’m not too concerned about personal stats; I want to help the team get its first win of the season."

"Will you start tonight?"

"This depends on the coach’s arrangement. Whether starting or not, I will contribute on the court."

"Towns said he’ll block you hard a few times. How do you respond?"

"He must be dreaming."

.....

"Snap, snap, snap!"

Reporters crazily snapped photos of Zeng Xingyang.

Although just a rookie, Zeng Xingyang already showed signs of becoming the Nuggets’ core player.

Target Center.

As the Timberwolves’ home opener, local fans filled the arena, eager to see how the team’s new top draft pick would perform.

During warm-ups, Zeng Xingyang saw many fans wearing his jersey number, not only Asians but also some Black and White faces.

It’s a feeling of being noticed, and Zeng Xingyang wanted to give them his all on the court.

The game started quickly.

The Nuggets retained the same starting lineup as the last game; Zeng Xingyang wasn’t promoted to starter despite his excellent performance.

Mike Malone still preferred a more conservative arrangement.

Timberwolves starters: Rubio, Lavine, Wiggins, Gian, Towns

Unlike the Nuggets, the Timberwolves value their young players, starting all three of them.

Once the game started, the Nuggets held the advantage, as their lineup had better cohesion than the Timberwolves despite also being poor.

The Timberwolves played like a summer league team, with players constantly on solo missions. Too much passing led to turnovers; their tactics weren’t systematic.

Towns wasn’t protecting the rim well, with Faried grabbing several offensive rebounds against him.

Then Towns found it hard to push through in low-post plays as Faried and Luo Wenji weren’t afraid of physical contact.

Towns didn’t enjoy playing like this, but the Timberwolves’ head coach arranged for him to play in the low post, making him uncomfortable.

Zeng Xingyang could see that Timberwolves’ coach Sam Mitchell wasn’t certain how to use Towns, still hoping he would be like a traditional big man center.

Not every coach realizes that the times have quietly changed....

Zeng Xingyang took the stage with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter, but did not get many offensive opportunities. He succeeded in defense for several rounds and helped the team launch counterattacks.

After the first quarter, the score reached 30 to 20, with the Nuggets leading by 10 points at the visitor’s court.

The second quarter was a showdown between the two teams’ backup squads.

For the Minnesota Timberwolves: Rubio, Kevin Martin, Wiggins, Garnett, Towns.

For the Nuggets: Nelson, Harris, Zeng Xingyang, Galinarli, Jokic.

The ball was in Minnesota Timberwolves’ possession.

Rubio brought the ball to the front court.

Harris was closely tailing Kevin Martin.

Kevin Martin, standing at 2.01 meters tall, is a pure scorer. His body is very slender, but his shooting speed is extremely fast. His three-pointers are very accurate, and he’s adept at drawing fouls. Last season, he averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, his three-point shooting percentage reaching as high as 39%. His most unforgettable attribute is that distinctive shooting posture.

Rubio intended to look for Kevin Martin, but he found that Kevin Martin was being defended so well by Harris that he couldn’t establish any connection.

Kevin Martin’s speed has noticeably declined with age, making it more difficult for him to shake off the defense.

Rubio passed the ball to Wiggins, letting him launch the offense.

Wiggins faced Zeng Xingyang’s defense, who was exerting immense pressure.

Wiggins first reacted by not wanting to attack; he gave the ball to Towns, but finding it tough there too, Towns tossed the ball back to Wiggins.

Quickly pulling back, it was a done deal; Wiggins now had to attack even if he didn’t want to.

Wiggins lowered his center of gravity and conducted a probing step both before and after taking the ball.

Zeng Xingyang extended his long arms, maintaining interference with Wiggins’ direct pull-up shot.

As Wiggins couldn’t find a direct shooting opportunity, he opted to dribble the ball to make a play.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Continuous in-front crossovers.

Zeng Xingyang didn’t get too close, ensuring he wouldn’t be beaten by a single step.

Wiggins’ offensive ability is more potent than the average small forward, giving Zeng Xingyang no small defensive pressure.

After continuous dribbling adjustments, Wiggins went to the left side, with Zeng Xingyang swiftly shifting his body sideways.

"Boom!"

The pair collided, and Wiggins failed to gain space.

Wiggins hadn’t expected Zeng Xingyang would possess such strong core power, prompting him to switch hands to the right.

This time, Wiggins barely secured a stance, gradually advancing and forcing a second acceleration into a flying layup.

Zeng Xingyang was not completely shaken off.

"Pop!"

Zeng Xingyang extended his long arm, fiercely pinning the ball to the backboard just as Wiggins made the shot.

The rebound ball bounced down and was seized by Jokic who bent over.

"Well done!" The substitute players on the sideline roared out.

"Nice block, Zeng blocked a top draft pick," Barkley exclaimed.

"Zeng’s defense has always been top-notch. He has the potential to develop into a top defensive player in the future," Smith said.

Many have questioned Zeng Xingyang’s various technical flaws, but no one questions his defense.

Even in the last game against James Harden, Zeng Xingyang’s defense did not merely become overpowered; he often forced Harden into using pick-and-roll switch to continue.

Clearly, Harden also didn’t want to face Zeng Xingyang’s defense.

This rookie’s defense is strong!

On the court, Jokic, having grabbed the rebound, dribbled quickly and advanced.

Jokic felt that Minnesota Timberwolves’ defense had no intensity, seeing it as a counterattack opportunity.

Indeed, Minnesota Timberwolves had no one disrupting Jokic’s sprint.

Zeng Xingyang also accelerated on the other side, while Minnesota Timberwolves’ lineup was disorganized in their retreat defense.

Jokic broke through the middle and drew Minnesota Timberwolves double-teaming after crossing the free-throw line.

Jokic located Zeng Xingyang, who was moving towards the left-side three-point line.

Zeng Xingyang caught the ball at the left-side corner spot, at a completely open position.

Jokic’s timing in passing was extremely precise.

Upon catching, Zeng Xingyang showed no hesitation.

Pushed hard off the ground, executing a typical shooter catch-and-shoot form.

His hand gently launched the ball.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc.

"Swish!"

The basketball sliced through the net.

The voices cheering for the home team fell quiet all of a sudden.

Getting beaten like this in counterattack, the team’s defense is truly dreadful.

to 20

Zeng Xingyang high-fived the retreating Jokic.

"Hey, Nikola, your pass was wonderful."

"You shot precisely."

Jokic’s admiration for Zeng Xingyang’s three-point shooting grew ever deeper, always finding the open spot to make it.

"Oh oh, so precise!"

"Jokic really understands Zeng Xingyang. This pass is just fed to the mouth."

"I noticed too, this chubby center’s passing is particularly great."

"Zeng Xingyang’s three-point shooting percentage is solid, making him a competent shooter."

Fans discussed animatedly.

Coach Mike Malone continued to wave his fists in celebration, increasingly feeling that Jokic’s cooperation with Zeng Xingyang was so unique.

Jokic’s versatility seemed even better than he imagined, faintly sensing this is a potential new team tactic system to try.