Chương 24: First Battle Against the Chicago Bulls, Entering the Rotation!
During the off-season, Jiang Lin thought about visiting Yang Chao's village to chat with the villagers, visiting Chen Guo's school for some NBA superstar encounters, and even taking a trip to South Korea to experience the culture, accompanied by some friendly company. These were all within the realm of possibility.
However, Jiang Lin's ambitions weren't limited to these pursuits. Life needs to be colorful, but if you excel in any profession, you'll naturally find yourself among the best in your circle.
To put it simply, if he became an NBA star, with his looks and charm, what kind of woman wouldn't he attract?
His goal was to reach the pinnacle of basketball.
This was also what he told his parents before leaving. Thinking of them, he gave them a call to check in. His working-class parents reassured him that everything was fine at home and encouraged him to pursue his dreams without worry.
Their words carried a proud and happy tone.
Jiang Lin then posted a new update on Weibo: "Thank you to all the fans for your support. I will work hard to live up to your expectations. It's midnight here in the U.S., so I'm off to sleep. Good night, everyone."
His previous Weibo post was from a month ago: "NBA, I'm coming."
Before yesterday, it had around 1,000 comments. After today, it had over 40,000.
With this new post, many celebrities, industry figures, and official accounts liked it, bringing him closer to the fans. Everyone was eagerly anticipating tomorrow's game.
**Yang Mi:** "Thank you for your hard work, Jiang Lin!"
**Guli Nazha:** "We will all support you, you are the most handsome idol!"
…
The next day, Jiang Lin participated in his first team training session. Unlike the tryout, this was all team-based training. They started with shuttle runs, crab-walk defense drills, and then moved on to various defensive exercises.
Coach Hollins held nothing back, teaching Jiang Lin all his defensive tricks. Despite Jiang Lin training until 9 p.m. the previous night, Hollins was relentless, pushing him hard.
Seeing Hollins making Jiang Lin charge against a cushion repeatedly, Gay and the others felt a bit sorry for him.
But Jiang Lin didn't complain. Thanks to his strengthened ankle, as long as his foot didn't hurt, he could keep going. In this iron-clad Grizzlies team, he had to develop strong defense!
This was the team's ethos.
It also sent a clear signal: Jiang Lin would indeed be in Hollins' rotation.
Unfortunately, they couldn't have a 5-on-5 scrimmage because of the evening game. The team had a rule against playing scrimmages on game days to conserve energy.
This left the Grizzlies players disappointed. They were eager to see how Jiang Lin, this offensive genius, would perform in a full-court game with them.
"Don't worry, you'll see me in action tonight," Jiang Lin told Gay during lunch.
"Promise me you'll show the youngest MVP how it's done!" (In this story, Derrick Rose is healthy in the 12-13 season.)
"Haha, no problem. I predict a mutual explosion." Jiang Lin was confident in his offense, but stopping the Windy City Rose was another matter. Rose was the only superstar in the East who could compete with LeBron.
"Good. I'm tired of carrying the offense alone." Rudy Gay almost cried. He was leading the team in turnovers and fouls, struggling with frequent double teams and poor shooting from the perimeter. The Grizzlies' best three-point shooter was backup big man Marreese Speights.
"I understand." Jiang Lin had watched Grizzlies games. Gay wasn't a weak iso player; he just had too many difficult attempts, causing his shooting percentage to drop. This led to criticism from fans. Later in his career, when he joined the Spurs, he played much more as a team player.
"I can't wait to see you play point guard." The players who had seen Jiang Lin's one-on-one performance were itching with anticipation.
For some reason, Jiang Lin thought of the saying, "The emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuch is."
At 2 p.m., training ended. The players rested until 5 p.m. to prepare for the 7 p.m. game.
Some went home for a nap, others stayed on the treadmill listening to music. Jiang Lin couldn't sit still. Coach Hollins had given him a playbook with the Grizzlies' offensive and defensive strategies, asking him to learn them as quickly as possible.
Other players could afford not to remember everything, but as a point guard, Jiang Lin had to understand it all. He needed to know these plays, their signals, and terminology thoroughly.
The playbook included famous strategies like Triangle, Horns, Diamond, Spanish Pick-and-Roll, and Elevator. Defensive plays included modified zone defenses adapted for specific players.
Combining the content with video study helped Jiang Lin memorize everything in three hours.
He realized the coaching staff was fully integrating him into the team, unlike the Lakers, who only had him pass to Kobe and kept team secrets from him.
At 6 p.m., in the locker room, the players speculated about Jiang Lin's role without any practice. Jiang Lin himself was calm, trusting the process. Even if he didn't play a minute, it would be normal.
But he was always prepared, with his teammates' plays and positions memorized.
In the tunnel, as they waited to take the court, Hollins pulled Jiang Lin aside and said simply:
"You might get into the rotation tonight. Be ready at all times."
"No problem!"
Jiang Lin was ready.
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