Chapter 77: Milking a Sheep for All It’s Worth.
Time flew by, and it was already 2010.
Before you knew it, mid-January had arrived.
In the past half month, Han Sen gradually adapted to his new role with the Cavaliers.
Although he no longer received the same attention from the entire team, like when they were feeding him the ball in the Celtics game, he remained the top option for defending the opponent's offensive focal point.
However, he became the player responsible for leading the second unit and often became the team's second, or even first, option in clutch moments.
His shot attempts increased, and with that, so did his stats.
Before January, he was averaging 20.3 minutes per game, with 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, shooting 44.2% from the field and 38.5% from three.
His inconsistent playing time as a rookie, along with not being on the floor during crucial moments, caused his performance to fluctuate greatly.
However, in these past two weeks of January, his playing time jumped to 28.5 minutes per game, and he averaged 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 46.8% and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.9%.
He outscored O'Neal, trailing only behind LeBron James and Mo Williams.
With such performances, he became a strong contender for the Rookie of the Month award in January.
However, with his increased role in games, he also became more of a target for opponents.
Especially in the recent game against the Spurs, Coach Popovich specifically targeted him, resulting in Han Sen's worst performance since the start of January.
This made him urgently realize the need to improve his floater technique.
On this day, the Cavaliers were heading to Miami for an away game against the Heat.
Han Sen made a request to the coaching staff and, along with Cunningham, traveled to Miami half a day earlier to visit Barry University and catch up with his former teammates.
When his teammates saw him at the gym, they were beyond excited, nearly throwing him into the air with joy.
"I brought you guys gifts," Han Sen quickly signaled Cunningham to unpack the gifts.
Inside were more than ten boxes, each containing a pair of Beats headphones and an Xbox console.
The former was a gift from Beats, as Han Sen had recently signed an endorsement deal with them. He had asked for some extras, and the latter was something he had bought himself.
For students, nothing brings more happiness than headphones and gaming consoles.
As expected, when they saw the gifts, the entire gym erupted in excitement.
Han Sen then pulled out something he had promised earlier: tickets for tomorrow night's game at the Heat's home court.
Some of these were his own. Every NBA player is allocated tickets based on their status with the team, reserved for family members.
However, since this was an away game, Han Sen didn't have many tickets, so he had to buy the rest out of his own pocket.
The seats weren't too close to the court, but they were still on the first floor.
After giving out the gifts and catching up, Han Sen left Cunningham at the gym to hang out with the others, while he and Rondo took a stroll around campus.
Even though it had only been six months since he left, coming back still brought a rush of nostalgia.
As they walked to a bench and sat down, Han Sen pulled out two more tickets from his pocket.
"I told you I didn't need these," Rondo said, thinking Han Sen was wasting money.
"Just take the night off tomorrow. Are you really planning to wear a Heat staff uniform and then cheer for the Cavaliers?"
"Good point." Rondo accepted the tickets. In his rush to save Han Sen some money, he had forgotten that detail.
But once he had the tickets, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are there two?"
"You used to brag about being so smooth— don't tell me you still don't have a girlfriend?" Han Sen teased.
"You got one?" Rondo curiously eyed Han Sen.
Han Sen coughed awkwardly, "Never mind!"
"Tsk, figured." Rondo chuckled and quickly pocketed the tickets.
"How's law school going for you?" Han Sen shifted the conversation to a serious topic.
"I'm a natural lawyer," Rondo said confidently as he pulled out his phone and showed Han Sen a photo.
It was a picture of a law license with his name on it.
"You actually did it?" Han Sen was genuinely shocked.
Hadn't it only been half a year? And he already passed?
He studied Rondo's 5'9" frame closely.
Rondo sat up straight, even more dignified than the last time they parted.
Han Sen couldn't help but laugh.
What could he even say?
When one door closes, another opens?
At least this made things easier for Han Sen.
He certainly needed someone he could trust to handle his legal affairs. Hiring a stranger wouldn't give him peace of mind.
After all, too many NBA players had been scammed by so-called financial advisors— even agents had defrauded their players.
The most famous case being Tim Duncan, who was swindled out of over $20 million.
But with Rondo, after all their time together, Han Sen felt much more at ease.
Perhaps in the future, Rondo could even become his own "Rich Paul".
After leaving Barry University, Han Sen headed straight to the American Airlines Arena, where he had arranged to meet Wade at the practice facility.
"You're not planning to challenge me to a one-on-one before the game, are you?" Wade joked when he saw Han Sen.
If that was the case, Wade wouldn't mind at all.
After all, the guy who could only defend him back then had now grown enough to put up a real fight.
"Maybe later. But first, I want to ask you something."
"You're being humble?" Wade was used to Han Sen's cocky demeanor.
"Wasn't I always humble?" Han laughed. He wasn't about to act arrogant when asking for advice— he was doing it for the benefit of his [hater points].
There was no point in being prideful when seeking guidance.
Though Wade was a friend, he didn't owe Han Sen anything.
Wade chuckled. That was the funniest joke he'd heard recently.
"I want to talk to you about floaters," he cut straight to the point.
In the past half-month, he'd been practicing his floater technique on his own, but like when he trained his defense, the results had been less than ideal.
While foundational basketball skills can be self-taught, mastering the finer details requires experience, and having a good teacher can make all the difference.
As for why Wade? Well, he was available, and aside from his famous Eurostep, his floater was one of his signature moves.
It would be a waste not to learn from such a great teacher.
Wade looked at Han Sen with some surprise before nodding.
From bulking up during the offseason to improving his floater now, his career plan was meticulous.
Wade even started to wonder if Han Sen was more of a trainer than a player.
After learning about Han Sen's training routine, Wade shared some of his insights.
Just like when he taught the Eurostep, Wade didn't hold anything back.
Old-school players like him had a unique trait— they wanted to pass down their basketball techniques.
For example, Kobe Bryant's fadeaway was largely influenced by Jordan, and his footwork was inherited from Gary Payton.
And in turn, Kobe also passed on what he learned to others.
Wade shared his floater techniques, offering plenty of valuable advice.
For instance, he explained that you should never use your wrist to power the floater. Floaters rely heavily on touch, and using the wrist makes it difficult to control the ball and slows down the release. Instead, you should push the ball up to the highest point with a straight arm and release it with your fingertips.
He also emphasized the importance of body balance when executing floaters. Some players lean forward or even jump to create space, which seems to open up shooting opportunities but sacrifices stability and increases the chances of an offensive foul being called.
In addition to floaters on the move, Wade also shared techniques for jump-stop floaters, spin floaters, and more.
The common theme in all these floaters was the need to shake off defenders or prevent them from contesting your shot.
Of course, beyond technique, floaters also depend on natural talent— things like explosiveness, vertical leap, body control, and flexibility.
As with any basketball skill, talent determines your ceiling.
But talent is something Wade couldn't help with. That would require assistance from the [Hater System].
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