Kapitel 40: Summer League, First Meeting with Dazhi
Guys there is already content on patreon if you want to go mount 6 chapters counted this, if anyone wants to become a genin or chunin ;)
I will start editing the new novel Warriors Godfather, in which I will change the name and nationality of the MC, I will change parts of the story.
Currently I have translated up to more than chapter 60 but they are not uploaded so keep that in mind.
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"Boys, the game is about to begin. Here are the starting lineups. Everyone, follow the tactics we have decided on and play your best," said the Lakers assistant coach in charge of leading the team for the summer league.
Wang Chong looked around at his teammates... Great, he didn't recognize any of them.
It's the summer league, after all. It would be surprising to see any well-known players.
The Lakers have a total of twelve players, just enough for a full roster.
Among them, only Wang Chong has a guaranteed contract.
The other players are all free agents temporarily signed by the Lakers and undrafted rookies from this year. Many players are here just for a chance to get a short ten-day contract.
Such a hastily assembled team, formed in less than three days, has no real combat effectiveness.
Fortunately, other teams are in a similar situation.
Summer league teams typically consist of first-year rookies like Wang Chong, along with fringe players who've barely played in the league and perpetual benchwarmers.
For rookies selected in the early first round like Wang Chong, they usually become the absolute stars in the summer league, with coaches focusing a lot of their tactics around them.
The Lakers' first summer league game was against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers have a few notable players participating in the summer league. In addition to Chris Kaman, who was selected with the sixth pick in this year's first round, there is also power forward Chris Wilcox, picked eighth in last year's first round, and center Melvin Ely, picked twelfth in the same draft.
It must be admitted that the Clippers have had relatively high lottery picks for a long time since joining the league, but their periods of real success have been brief.
In the current Clippers lineup, the most eye-catching player is, of course, this year's sixth overall pick, Chris Kaman. As the best center in the 2003 class, Kaman is highly anticipated.
But Wang Chong's only real interest was a lesser-known player on the Clippers.
Chinese player Wang Zhizhi, also known as Dazhi.
That's right, Dazhi played for the Clippers from 2002 to 2004, including two summer leagues with them, such as this one in 2003.
Wang Chong spotted Dazhi from a distance on the sidelines.
On an American basketball court, someone with black hair and yellow skin truly stands out. There are so few of them.
When Wang Chong saw Dazhi, Dazhi also saw Wang Chong.
Unlike Dazhi, who was relatively unknown in the NBA and had to sit on the bench year-round, Wang Chong, despite just entering the league, had the status of a 13th overall pick in the first round and carried the aura of the storied Los Angeles Lakers. This made him quite well-known. Furthermore, with his Chinese American identity, it was hard for Dazhi not to know who Wang Chong was.
The two looked at each other. Wang Chong hesitated briefly, then took the initiative to walk over and greet him.
"Hey, hello Dazhi."
Dazhi, born in 1977, is seven years older than Wang Chong and entered the league earlier. There was nothing wrong with Wang Chong taking the initiative to say hello.
Moreover, Wang Chong knew Dazhi's current predicament of being banned in China and drifting in a foreign land. Familiar with Dazhi's story, Wang Chong felt quite sympathetic toward him.
Wang Chong's initiative to greet him stunned Dazhi. He looked at Wang Chong and asked, "Do you know me?"
"Of course," Wang Chong said without hesitation. "You're the first Chinese player to enter the NBA, even earlier than Yao Ming and Mengke Bateer. You're also one of the best players in the country. I've known your name for a long time."
"No, no, you're much better than me. I saw your performance in the NCAA finals. You played so well without any specialized, systematic training. You're really amazing!"
Wang Chong spoke fluent Chinese, making Dazhi feel a sense of familiarity, and he immediately praised him in return.
However, they only had time for a few polite exchanges as the game was about to start.
Wang Chong was a starter for the Lakers and the team's clear focal point, but Dazhi was not.
Chris Kaman, another center, was much more crucial to the Clippers than Dazhi. Even Melvin Ely, the center who was picked twelfth in the first round last year, was much more strategically important than Dazhi.
Therefore, when the starting players of both teams took the court, Dazhi could only sit on the bench, looking at the players on the court with envy.
With the referee's whistle, the game officially began.
Kaman easily beat the Lakers' temporary center in the jump ball, then moved into the paint and raised his hand to ask for the ball.
With Kaman's skills, he could dominate the summer league.
Backing down his opponent, Kaman took a low step, turned around, came to the basket, and laid it in with ease.
The Clippers scored successfully, and it was the Lakers' turn to attack.
After the Lakers' point guard dribbled across half court, he immediately passed the ball to Wang Chong.
The team's coach had instructed him to do this earlier. Although the point guard was eager to run the offense himself and prove his value to the coaching staff to fight for a long-term contract, he knew that disobeying would mean no playing time at all.
That's just how it is for players on short-term contracts.
Wang Chong received the ball and stood at the top of the arc, dribbling slowly and steadily.
After the third accelerated template fusion, when his overall ability rating reached 82, Wang Chong's dribbling ability increased to 81. This was not particularly low for a forward, more than enough to handle the ball in the NBA—let alone in the summer league.
Clippers forward Matt Barnes stared at Wang Chong in bewilderment.
He couldn't help but feel confused.
Barnes, who is only 2.01 meters tall, faced Wang Chong, who stands 2.09 meters tall with a 2.26-meter wingspan.
This physique was not much different from that of the Clippers' Kaman. You're telling me this guy is a small forward?
Barnes is actually quite good at defense, even though he is just a sophomore who has never played in an NBA regular-season game since joining the league last year. He was selected by the Grizzlies in the second round, then traded to the Cavaliers, and eventually cut. However, with his tenacity, Barnes would eventually carve out a role for himself in the league.
But at this moment, facing Wang Chong, he really had no idea where to start. How could he defend against someone so tall?
"If a guy this tall is playing small forward, his dribbling must not be great, so let's just focus on defending his shot!"
After hesitating for a moment, Barnes made his decision and moved closer to Wang Chong, not giving him any easy opportunity to shoot.
End of this chapter
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