CHAPTER 473: CHAPTER 385: TRAINING MATCH SHOWDOWN!

The training match started right away.

Team B attacked first.

Dejounte Murray dribbled cautiously, facing off directly against Zeng Xingyang, feeling a lot of pressure.

After reaching the frontcourt, he quickly passed the ball to Butler.

Butler dribbled facing Pope, and he opted for a pick-and-roll.

Zubac stepped up, fully aware of his role in the team, to set screens and finish simple plays.

Using the screen, Butler broke through to the right.

Butler’s breakthrough drew the defensive attention of Jokic and Pope.

Butler leapt and passed mid-air, smashing the ball to Zubac who rolled to the inside.

Zubac showcased his summer training gains, forcefully backing into Pope, causing a mismatch, and Pope was knocked aside.

Zubac smoothly made an easy layup under the basket.

Although Butler is not a point guard, he has an incredibly strong organizational ability to find fleeting offensive opportunities for his teammates.

Zubac also displayed a stronger physique than last season, clearly catching Pope off guard in their matchup.

After the collaboration, Zubac howled towards the sky.

Everyone knows that the Nuggets have a superstar center named Nikola Jokic, and this season he wants more people to know his name.

Soon, Zeng Xingyang struck a blow to Zubac’s confidence.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to the frontcourt and threw the ball to Jokic at the top of the arc.

Jokic signaled for everyone to spread out, and then asked Zeng Xingyang to come for a hand-off.

Zeng Xingyang ran over, received the hand-off pass, and Jokic rolled, taking Dejounte Murray away with him.

Zubac switched to defend Zeng Xingyang.

Zubac spread his arms, trying hard to stop Zeng Xingyang.

Many fans don’t have a real sense of Zeng Xingyang’s might, but the opponents know it best.

Zubac felt a tingle on his scalp at the sight of Zeng Xingyang.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Two rapid crossover dribbles combined with a direction change, followed by a step-back.

Zeng Xingyang easily shook off Zubac and seized an open opportunity, firing from beyond the three-point line.

"Swish!"

"Wow, that’s amazing," Xiao Ding admired the string of technical moves Zeng Xingyang displayed from the sidelines.

After scoring, Zeng Xingyang high-fived Jokic in celebration and playfully teased Butler, "Jimmy, if you win today, I’ll get a Rolex for everyone on your team."

Butler didn’t speak; his eyes were resolute. He knew Zeng Xingyang’s strength well and that his side didn’t have a great chance, but with only 20 minutes of play, anything was still possible.

Butler then dribbled up, called for the screen again, and Zubac stepped up; this time, Pope and Jokic’s defense was in place.

Butler threw the ball hard to Brogdon at the corner.

Brogdon used a fake move, directly shaking off Bradley.

Then raised his hand for a three-pointer, and it went in.

Bradley took a deep breath, feeling a lot of pressure playing with the Nuggets.

Even though he was grouped with Zeng Xingyang, it didn’t mean he would make it into the rotation, as he felt his competitors were strong and he could fall out of the rotation at any given moment.

Brogdon’s offensive moves were extremely concise and efficient, clearly indicating that his summer was spent crazily maintaining training instead of playing around.

Team A attacked again.

The two-man game of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic continued.

This time, Zeng Xingyang used a screen to break through on the right side, drawing the defense, and made a behind-the-back bounce pass to Jokic.

Jokic received Zeng Xingyang’s pass past the free-throw line and put up a floater in motion.

"Swish!"

Smooth and seamless.

Jokic was one of the few Nuggets players who noticeably gained weight this off-season, but his touch remained very agile.

He looked like a nimble big guy.

Mike Malone instructed Jokic to lose at least 10 kilograms after the season start.

Mike Malone did this for Jokic’s own good; otherwise, such weight would increase the risk of injuries.

Jokic wasn’t reluctant, dutifully losing weight every day.

Team B attacked again.

This time, after Butler reached the frontcourt, he handed the ball to Dejounte Murray.

Dejounte Murray didn’t have many opportunities last season and also hoped for more playtime this season, similar to Zubac.

However, he was being cultivated as a backup for Zeng Xingyang, facing a bigger challenge.

Siakam came up to block Zeng Xingyang, and Gordon switched to his defense, but Gordon’s defense wasn’t very tight, slightly lax.

This allowed Dejounte Murray to seize the opportunity; with a quick lateral move combined with a side step to collect the ball, he quickly created space and made a mid-range stop-and-pop.

"Swish!"

Unlike Brogdon, who favored an extreme analytical approach, Dejounte Murray loved mid-range shots, and his mid-range game was very reliable.

The only certain winner for the Nuggets over him was Zeng Xingyang, as neither Butler nor Siakam had as accurate a mid-range shot as this guy.

Team A attacked again.

Once more, it’s the pick-and-roll initiated by Zeng Xingyang and Jokic, drawing B team’s defense, and Gordon slipped along the baseline.

Zeng Xingyang casually threw the ball skyward, leading Gordon to take off.

Gordon leveraged both hands on the basketball, rotating 180 degrees for a reverse dunk!!

Gordon’s athletic talents are top-notch in the league, yet he willingly remains an average role player in the Nuggets.

This relates to his timely change in mindset.

He can see that the young duo of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic can lead the Nuggets to the peak.

Last season’s championship for the Nuggets also proved this point.

Gordon experienced being on losing teams and didn’t have the urge to be the alpha like Grant, hence he felt very at ease staying with the Nuggets.

Team B’s attack.

This time, Butler passed it to the corner to Siakam after a screen with Zubac.

Siakam took a three-point jump shot.

"Clang!"

This time, it missed, with the ball bouncing heavily off the rim.

Not everyone returns in great form; those without significant shooting talent need to find their rhythm.

Gordon snatched the rebound.

Gordon dribbled the ball past half-court.

Gordon then passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang.

Dejounte Murray attempted a steal, which involved a bit of risk-taking, but Zeng Xingyang evaded it.

Zeng Xingyang then found himself open, one meter beyond the three-point line, and decisively launched a shot.

The difficulty level of this shot was very high.

The ball traced a beautiful arc.

"Swish!"

Nailed it right through the heart!!

"Zeng’s shooting consistency has improved again," Mike Malone remarked with a smile to his assistant coach.

"Indeed, crossing half-court is already within shooting range, it’s terrifying," the assistant coach replied.

The 20-minute training match concluded quickly.

Without any surprise, Team A clinched the victory.

Butler, panting and bracing his knees, recognized the difficulty of leading the bench players to defeat the starters.

The preseason games would soon commence, with the Nuggets still focusing on experimenting with their lineup. Zeng Xingyang and Jokic would play for a mere ten or so minutes to warm up and maintain their condition.

Most of the game time would go to last year’s rookies to complete.

Their original playtime wasn’t much, and Mike Malone needed to provide them with more training.