CHAPTER 1267: CHAPTER 512: NOT THE MOST IDEAL, BUT THE MOST SUITABLE

All the way to the 59th pick, the Lakers selected the Turkish Power Forward Aroglu, but no one picked that one.

At the final pick, the Bobcats decisively selected Marquette University’s senior graduate Wesley Matthews!

...

The most ideal draft outcome would have been Holliday, Casspi, Matthews. The final result was Collison, Cunningham, Matthews, which Zhang Yang felt was decent. At least they didn’t fall to the point of selecting Lawson; that would truly be a catastrophic start to the summer. At least now they’re starting steadily.

On the bright side, three mature older rookies can at least be assessed in training and the summer league, directly revealing how much they can achieve in the new season, unlike the Lakers who have Gasol but still have to bulk up Kwame Brown.

If Kwame Brown could maintain the defensive ability with rim protection and mobility he had in the 07-08 season, losing 4 to 1 would be impossible. Like in G2 and G5, they could lose, and maybe even have to play a tiebreaker.

Trading Rondo for Brad Miller, a first-round pick, after winning the championship wasn’t a loss. Rondo was meant to be the central figure, but their playing style didn’t accommodate this. Without Brad Miller’s help, their system would have struggled to perfect; developing Millsap’s playmaking ability would also have been harder. Selecting Collison with that first-round pick was purely a win...

The draft concluded, and Zhang Yang shifted his focus away from the rookies. It was no longer his concern.

Helping the rookies adapt to NBA rules and opposition is the coaching staff’s job, while fitting in new teammates is the responsibility of Boss Fat.

Zhang Yang was quite curious about what kind of spark Felton and Matthews could create together. One keen on showcasing the Boss identity by taking care of teammates, the other due to family issues had grown cold and slightly obsessive...

After sleeping, on the 29th, Zhang Yang resumed training: catch-and-shoot long shots, stop-and-pop jumpers, catch-and-dribble step-back shots... Focusing on these three.

By the morning of the 30th, after a session of step-back threes, finally, 140,000 shooting values were accumulated.

"Randomly received one Jumping Talent Point, Jumping Talent limit increased to 90, Jumping increased to 90."

"Jumping huh... It’s alright, at least the dunks or hang-time moves might look cooler."

Even though he’s gradually accepted that his jumping is only at a top-tier level, if it can look cooler, that’s fantastic.

Feeling inspired, the ’Gate’ content switched to tasks.

"1. Accumulate 100,000 shooting values to unlock the next practice, 2. Accumulate 100,000 shooting values, reward one random shooting talent point, 3. Accumulate 100,000 shooting values, randomly enhance an unmaxed practice reward level."

"Hmm?"

Zhang Yang counted. He added 7 points to three-point shooting, 7 points to stamina, 4 points to speed, 2 points to jumping, 5 points to mid-range shot, and 3 points to strength, totaling 28 points. The next task for acquiring talent points should have been 160,000, why did it drop to 100,000? However, a new task emerged at the 100,000 level, upgrading practice rewards... Overall, the difficulty of obtaining talent points has increased, each task cycle has been prolonged, but there’s an additional reward.

The practice reward he most wants to enhance is undoubtedly Coach Nash’s dribbling rhythm...

Feeling inspired again, the ’Gate’ content changed once more.

"Name: Zhang Yang.

Age: 21 years (Date of birth: June 6, 1988.)

Height: 196 cm, Wingspan: 216 cm.

Weight: 95 kilograms.

Ability assessment: Three-point: 94 (limit: 95), Mid-range shot: 92 (limit: 95), Layup: 94 (maxed out), Dribbling: 90, Passing: 87, Speed: 94, Strength: 87 (limit: 89), Jumping: 90, Stamina: 94 (limit: 96)...

In the past two months of the playoff journey, the biggest improvement in fundamentals was the three-point increase by 1 point. The finals had the most exaggerated shooting, with an average of 13 attempts per game, making 5.4 shots on average... The playoffs truly refine a player.

Progress in skills isn’t quantified, but he can sense the improvements during these playoffs.

Passing also increased by 1 point. That’s likely the limit, but it’s fine; at a top-tier level, it’s more than enough. Strength also increased by 1 point, naturally. Compared to when the playoffs began, his weight is slightly less than 96 kilograms, possibly due to not working out or consuming high-protein food much during the previous period, but it was a short break from exercise, so metabolism remains high.

After viewing the ability assessment, Zhang Yang’s summer goal became clear — focusing on mid-range shot as the priority, with three-point shooting second, along with refining skills!