Capítulo 30: Chapter 30 [I will be your good teammate]
What Steve Oldman told Yang Jian is not difficult to do, and can be summed up in one word: "low-key."
He doesn't need to deliberately please anyone, nor does he need to be talkative in the team. In the final analysis, the NBA is about strength. A newcomer who is good at everything in the locker room but performs poorly on the court will not be popular.
Yang Jian's worries were unnecessary. Coach George Karl had already told Gary Payton to take care of Yang Jian in the team and teach him some game experience.
Except for a few bad teams, the NBA has a tradition of veterans leading newcomers. Their job is to help newcomers integrate into the team as quickly as possible.
The core veterans will lead the new players who have the potential to become stars. This not only imparts experience, but also cultivates the relationship between the two players and helps them find a tacit understanding faster.
Payton has long heard that Yang Jian has amazing physical fitness and is good at catching and shooting. His offense is never sloppy and the ball is released within three seconds. He likes to be teammates with this type of player, because for two consecutive seasons, the Sonics have lost in the shooting guard's poor catching and shooting.
When the Nuggets and Lakers faced the SuperSonics in the playoffs, their players huddled near the penalty area. Payton and Kemp would be double-teamed when they hit the basket. There are no secrets between teams in the playoffs. Coaches know that the two of them can show their strength better in the penalty area.
In the 1994 series, Mutombo averaged 6.6 blocks per game, turning the Nuggets' interior into an impregnable no-fly zone. Kemp's field goal percentage of 37.1% per game well confirmed this.
The next year, the Lakers followed the same pattern in the first round, but the Sonics had no good solution and were eliminated 1-3.
Payton attracted double teams and separated from the outside. Except for Schrempf and Perkins, the shooting percentage of his teammates was not high.
After the Sonics were eliminated, many people said that Payton was overrated and too alone. From the data point of view, he has the highest number of shots on the team, has few free throws, and has only 5.3 assists per game. In fact, he also wanted to be selfless, but his teammates couldn't catch the ball and make shots, so he had to make more shots himself.
Payton knows that the coach asking them to communicate more means that Yang Jian will be the team's starter from the beginning of the new season. Payton has very high expectations for Yang Jian, hoping that he is really capable and can help the team win the championship.
NBA Media Day can be said to be a warm-up ceremony for the new season. Each team appears with its complete lineup, takes makeup photos and then accepts interviews with the media. After the media day, training camp will begin, followed by preseason tactical run-in, and the regular season will officially begin at the end of October!
Yang Jian and Snow arrived at the training arena half an hour early. The coaching staff informed them that they must arrive early so that they could greet the senior players on the team.
Other new players have also arrived, including PJ Brown, Kevin Edwards, and Bo Outlaw. Veteran Nate McMillan also arrived a little early and was responsible for helping new teammates identify themselves.
McMillan is the veteran of the Sonics, the big brother in the locker room, and is known as "Mr. Sonics."
He is an enthusiastic, honest-looking black defender with a round face. After being drafted by the SuperSonics in the second round in 1986, he has been playing for the SuperSonics. This is his tenth season.
"You don't have to be nervous, you can treat the team as your home." McMillan introduced with a smile: "Every time a new player is reported, I am a little nervous. I know the news often says that Gary is the best trash talker in the league. Sean is very Cruelty and all that...but they're friendly to their own people and that's how they are on the field."
"Thank you, I feel much more relaxed." Yang Jian smiled and shook MacMillan's hand.
McMillan has a transcendent status in the team because of his good-natured character and good relations with everyone, including the management.
He has no scoring talent and has never averaged double figures in points per game in his career, but he is an excellent organizer and averaged 9.3 assists per game in his peak season. And he is very good on the defensive end. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice and won the NBA steals title in 1994.
McMillan gave Payton a lot of help as a rookie. He didn't mind that Payton stole his starting spot, and he also passed on his defensive experience. The two were both teachers and friends.
In the parallel world, McMillan was not only outstanding as a player, but also later became an excellent NBA coach. And he started his coaching career with the SuperSonics, and will join the coaching staff after retiring.
"Is there anything we should pay attention to? I heard that each team has some special team culture and locker room rules." Yang Jian asked knowingly.
"Our culture is unity and friendship, training hard, and going all out in the game. As long as we do these things well, winning is the most important thing." McMillan said with a smile.
Snow asked: "Isn't there such a thing as playing tricks on newcomers?"
"No, the coach will be angry if he finds out." McMillan answered firmly.
Sonics players don't like playing tricks on newcomers and don't dare to do so. George Karl will be angry if he finds out. He can't stand this kind of thing. He is the boss here.
McMillan will not introduce the team's situation in detail, and everything will have to be discovered by the newcomers themselves.
The Sonics are still a team that "doesn't like to play" and rarely organizes group activities. This not only has to do with coach George Karl, but also the character of the core players.
Payton usually goes home to spend time with his wife and children after training, and has his own black brothers when he goes out to play; Kemp, who is known as a "bachelor", will go to nightclubs to find women and create illegitimate children during holidays; Schrempf is a German with a low-key and rigorous personality. Communicating with teammates is basically in the gym.
None of the three stars like to organize group activities. If the stars don't organize, they won't be able to organize it.
Players arrived one after another, and McMillan fist bumped with his teammates one by one and made introductions. This alleviates the awkwardness of newcomers coming up to talk. If everyone bumps fists, they already know each other.
As soon as Payton entered the stadium, he immediately attracted everyone's attention. He walked towards Yang Jian and kept looking at him with his eyes.
In terms of eye-catching, Yang Jian is no less impressive. The NBA is mostly made up of black players, with a few white players. This is the first time for everyone to see Chinese players.
Payton looked at Yang Jian and said carelessly: "I heard that you dunked a lot in the summer league and made good jump shots. I want to test your level during the practice match. Don't let me down."
"I promise you will only be pleasantly surprised." Yang Jian smiled.
"He's very confident, I like him." Payton looked at McMillan and said with a big smile.
Only if Yang Jian dares to speak, Peyton will look up to him. Because Payton himself is famous for being outspoken. As soon as he entered the league, he provoked Jordan and was beaten. Five years into the league, he trash-talked outside stars all over the place.
Payton went to say hello to others, and Schrempf asked him: "How do you feel about Yang?"
"He is very confident, but his strength is hard to say. I heard that his physical fitness is at the level of a dunk king, and he can also shoot... As long as the defense is not a colander, he should have a future." Payton asked: "What do you think?"
"Similar to your opinion, he spoke very politely to me, but his eyes were very unusual." Schrempf sighed.
"Oh? Why is it unusual?"
"I think his look was 'I will be a good teammate of yours' rather than 'I admire you and it would be an honor to play with you.'" Schrempf is good at both on and off the court. observe.
The other newcomers stood together with Yang Jian, all lacking confidence, forming a sharp contrast.
In particular, Snow practiced ball with Yang Jian all day long and was hit hard. He often suspected that he had chosen the wrong sport. He didn't realize that he had become stronger. Fighting against Yang Jian and practicing long-range shots made him much stronger than himself at the same time in the parallel world.
Kemp was the last player to arrive, looking scowling and depressed.
After meeting his new teammates, Kemp replied absentmindedly, giving the impression that he didn't care about these newcomers at all.
McMillan whispered: "Did you go out to play last night? Don't be interviewed in this state for a while. The reporter doesn't know what he will say, and the coach will be angry."
"I haven't gone out to play. I've been having some financial trouble lately..." Kemp smiled awkwardly.
"Don't bring your emotions into the interview. The trouble will be solved." McMillan knew immediately that Kemp had no money and money was a little tight.
They chatted without shying away from newcomers and became teammates. Sooner or later, they will know what kind of person Kemp is.
This is a magical star. In addition to his playing salary, he also has income from advertising and endorsements, but he has always been short of money. Not only did he spend money lavishly, but the alimony for his illegitimate child was also too high.
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