Chapter 21 A Mature Career Perspective
"Maiga maiga maiga, oho-oho-oho... Aix, you stole the limelight!
Why didn't I think of talking about myself? Oh my god, you are so brave!
Do you think you will offend Kobe, Mike, Kevin, and all three of those guys who are so competitive..."
"I'm going to do simulated running training, do you want to come with me?"
"We are rivals!"
"Then do me a favor and pass the ball to me."
“…”
Marbury admires Zhang Hao's courage very much.
He really never thought of saying that he is the best. He is very good in the New York street basketball world, and in high school games, it cannot be said that he is bad, but in the New York State high school basketball world, his fame is far behind Odom. The local media in New York are promoting that Odom, who will be 16 years old and a sophomore in high school next year, may become the best high school student in the United States.
In fact, at the beginning, Marbury had the mentality of a street player and looked down on others, but on the test day, he was stunned. He felt that few people were weaker than him! He knew that the world was far from being as big as the streets where he was shining. He could brag to the sky on the streets and look down on those who played professionally, but after seeing the strength of Garnett, who was just a quasi-NBA rookie, he knew that any player with NBA strength might be invincible on the streets.
Marbury was a bit hit...
But Zhang Hao's appearance gave Marbury a very special feeling.
To this day, Zhang Hao said in a group interview that he was the strongest one, which shocked Marbury.
Marbury really wished that he was the one who said this at the time, but not only did he not have the courage to say it, he didn't even think about saying it.
However, some of the things Marbury said after he turned on his chatterbox mode showed his genuine concerns.
He was worried that Zhang Hao had offended Garnett and Bibby because Zhang Hao was in a group with these two people. But Rahim didn't have to worry because this legendary genius who was as good as Garnett didn't have much of a fighting spirit.
In the past few days, Marbury has also learned about Zhang Hao's current situation through some means. He knows that Zhang Hao needs to rely on this elite competition to overcome the obstacles to entering the NCAA Division I college basketball team. However, Zhang Hao's playing style is without the ball, and he needs someone to feed the ball to him. Zhang Hao's fame at this time is only the fame for training and one-on-one duels. If there is no subsequent game consolidation, it will be equivalent to nothing.
Unlike Marbury, other people's reactions were either admiration or they thought Zhang Hao was arrogant...
Zhang Hao's current temporary teammate, Corey Benjamin, also felt worried.
Originally, Corey Benjamin was the one who disliked Zhang Hao the most, but at this time he became worried. What if Zhang Hao was isolated by Garnett and Bibby in the game, had no chance to perform, and failed to enter the NCAA?
Corey Benjamin felt like he was crazy for having such an idea!
Thinking that the purpose of his participation in the training camp was to confront Zhang Hao, and now his mentality has changed so much, and it is a change he never thought of, Corey Benjamin had an idea... "I shouldn't have come to this crappy training camp, why bother..."
…
However, their worries were unnecessary. At around 2:00 p.m., Bibby and Garnett returned to the training ground one after another. Where there are people, there are more gossips, and anything that happens spreads quickly. Not long after the two returned to the training ground, someone told them the last word Zhang Hao said in the interview - ME.
When Zhang Hao finished practicing three sets of shooting and returned to the training ground where most people gathered, everyone's attention was focused on Zhang Hao, Bibby and Garnett.
Bibby and Garnett had already gathered their teammates when Zhang Hao was training. The atmosphere in their team was a bit subtle, while the other group was just watching the fun.
Human beings are creatures that, once divided into groups, will naturally become opposed to each other.
At this time, Garnett said to Zhang Hao who was walking into the training ground: "Do you want to come and train with me? Don't hold me back in tomorrow's game..."
"Don't let your hands slip and pass the ball crooked. If you don't have confidence, pass the ball to Mike or Chauncey."
"You think I'm you? I won't dribble and kick my feet when I break through!"
“…”
“…”
"Eh?" Marbury was surprised. Garnett was...
Bibby walked in front to lead the way, and Zhang Hao and Garnett started to argue with each other again. As long as Zhang Hao was not criticized for making mistakes during training, he would definitely fight back.
It seems that the two of them are not getting along, but in this situation, it is obvious that the trio of Bibby, Garnett and Zhang Hao did not have any conflicts because of the interview!
Corey Benjamin, who was following the three leading people, was also a little confused. Is this possible?
When Rahim heard about this, he was relieved. He didn't care about it, but he also wanted to win! If there was an internal conflict, it would be difficult to win. The opponents, Kobe and Odom, were two monsters, two years younger than them, and their strength was not inferior to theirs at all.
The “person involved” in the eyes of the two teammates and opponents had a very simple thought after learning about this incident – if they don’t even have the confidence to think that they are the strongest, how dare they say that they are the top high school student in the United States?
Who is better will be proven through games and performance on the court.
The key is that they have to win!
Among them, Garnett was the one who wanted to win the most. He was predicted to have a chance to be selected in the lottery. If he lost in a game among high school students, in his opinion, that would be a real loss of face!
…
…
"Remaining lifespan 402 days, usable lifespan 401 days."
Every morning when he wakes up, he sees this subtitle, and Zhang Hao really doesn’t want to wake up.
Remind him every day - you only have a little more than a year to live.
But after washing up, Zhang Hao chose to turn it into motivation to work hard and stay alive. Nothing is more motivated than this goal.
Moreover, basketball is his hobby. If he can turn it into a career and keep himself alive... multiple motivations add up...
"Today is another energetic day, \(^o^)/..."
Bibby, who had just changed his clothes and was about to wash up, saw Zhang Hao's lively side... After more than a week, he got used to it, but before seeing this side of Zhang Hao, Bibby really didn't expect Zhang Hao to have such a side.
In Bibi's eyes, Zhang Hao's personality is too complicated. Sometimes he is very social, sometimes he seems to be a loner, but there are also times when he is a bit immature.
Today, the two of them did not have the morning exercise appointment with the Philadelphia duo next door. They had a game in the afternoon, a peak showdown between high school geniuses!
After washing up, the two went to the restaurant for breakfast. They arrived at the restaurant at 7 o'clock, as agreed with their teammates. The teammates were all there and were getting their favorite breakfast.
But this time when Team B gathered together, Zhang Hao's subtitle prompt came!
"The day of the Adidas Basketball Training Camp Elite Competition that the special contract player Zhang Hao is participating in has arrived. The player detection system has been activated. The host can analyze the ability evaluation of Zhang Hao's teammates and opponents and draw conclusions to provide Zhang Hao with game suggestions."
finally come!
Zhang Hao has always wanted to see how the abilities of these talented high school students are evaluated. The most important thing is to compare the strength of the 10 future basketball stars in his impression with his own in high school.
But at this time, another subtitle prompt came.
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao will play his first match after signing today. If Zhang Hao participates in this match, the host will receive a lifespan bonus of one day. If he wins the match, the host will receive an additional two days of lifespan bonus.
Note: When the host coaches a game or a specially signed player participates in a game, if the comprehensive conditions of the game meet the requirements, the host can get rewards. The rewards vary depending on the game. "
Zhang Hao's eyes widened and he quickly got some food and sat down with his teammates. While eating, he read the new prompts again.
"You can survive by playing the game!"
Zhang Hao calculated that if he could play 40 games a year in college according to this reward standard... he should be able to live about a hundred days longer?
The standard for college competitions should be higher than this...but the players in this competition are strong. If these two teams really train and play like college teams for a season, Zhang Hao estimates that they will have no problem challenging the top college teams because the difference in talent is too obvious.
However, taking both into consideration, the comprehensive conditions for university competitions should meet the requirements and the rewards should also be at this level.
This alone is not enough to ensure that he can live to graduate from college... He should still do as he originally thought and participate in amateur competitions, but he should find formal competitions with complete rules and facilities. Random competitions on the street probably won't work.
"If I add some missions, I should be able to survive two or three years of college, right? Then... I can make a push for the NBA!"
Zhang Hao felt his heart beating so fast!
Moreover, it is not because playing the game can gain longer time, but the final goal.
It is too difficult to become a coach of a team when you graduate from college in your early 20s. It is difficult to coach in junior high school and high school. It is easy to be a physical education teacher in China, but there is no such thing as a coach in those competitions, let alone junior high school and high school competitions. The level of domestic university competitions is not that good. The MVP of the university league does not even have the qualifications to enter the CBA and is worse than marginal people.
As for the provincial teams... China is a place where relationships and interests are everything. The level of chaos in the domestic sports world with regard to coaches and other aspects is even beyond the reach of the entertainment industry.
With this reminder, Zhang Hao's future plans became clearer and more determined.
After calming down his restlessness, another thing that interested Zhang Hao came up. He wanted to see the ability evaluation of these teammates and opponents!
Zhang Hao glanced at Garnett, and his mind moved, and the subtitles immediately switched.
"Kevin Garnett, 19 years old (May 19, 1976), height 211 cm, weight 104 kg, ability rating 72, offense 65, defense 80, rebounds 78, three-pointers 37, mid-range shots 75, layups 87, speed 86, strength 79..."
70+ ability evaluations!
Zhang Hao's words "shit" were stuck in his throat .
This is definitely the strength of an NBA rotation player, and he is still a high school student! And he will only turn 19 tomorrow!
Zhang Hao was really shocked that Garnett, who had never played an NBA game, already had the strength of an NBA rotation player.
He originally thought that Garnett would only have the ability to play in the NBA after being selected by the NBA and receiving more professional basketball training.
"No wonder this guy signed the largest contract in history at the end of his rookie contract, which eventually triggered a chain reaction that made all rookies want big contracts, leading to the 1998 NBA lockout..."
This talent is simply amazing!
Zhang Hao took a closer look at Garnett's overall abilities and found them to be very comprehensive and not bad in any respect. He truly met the highest standards among high school students in terms of all his abilities, including ball control, shooting, passing, speed, jumping... all top-notch!
"Mike Bibby, ability rating 67... speed 86..."
Zhang Hao immediately looked at Bibby and found that Bibby's speed was almost the same as Garnett's.
Garnett's physical condition is simply too strong.
Moreover, Garnett is only 19 years old. Zhang Hao remembers that when Garnett and O'Neal were partners in the 2009-2010 season in the original time and space, the two were almost the same height, which means they could still grow taller.
Bibby's strength is about the same as Zhang Hao expected. He is at the same level as Pierce, and both are technical players.
"Sharif Rahim, ability rating 65..."
"Corey Benjamin, ability rating 60..."
"Chauncey Billups, ability rating 63..."
"Rodney Buford, ability rating 53..."
"Taylor Wheeler, ability rating 50..."
"Calvin Booth, ability rating 51..."
After reading his teammates' ability evaluations, Zhang Hao finally confirmed his thoughts two days before the training camp began - "Am I going to be the best with just one trick? Damn! A 90% mid-range shot directly makes me the top high school student!"
From the beginning of the training camp, when Zhang Hao went to watch those people's tests and saw the occasional one-on-one duels, he felt very strange.
He always thought at the beginning how powerful those future stars would be... maybe they would be very powerful in the future, but at this stage, Zhang Hao really felt how strong those people were.
In the subsequent training, Zhang Hao became more convinced of this point - he was not inferior to this group of people at this stage!
Now it seems to be true. Except for Garnett whose strength is beyond expectations, the others are not stronger than him.
In their team, apart from Garnett, only Bibby is slightly stronger than Pierce, the strongest player in California. The ability ratings of the players finally selected are mostly below 65, but the gap is not very large. Only four players have reached an ability rating of 65: Zhang Hao, Rahim, Bibby, and Garnett.
Zhang Hao felt very strange when he thought that he had an ability rating of over 65 just by shooting mid-range shots...
"Antoine Jamison, ability rating 66..."
"Stephen Marbury, ability rating 64..."
"Tim Booth, ability rating 52..."
"Richard Hamilton, ability rating 63..."
"Quincy Lewis, ability rating 49..."
"Jermaine O'Neal, ability rating 59..."
"Lamar Odom, ability rating 66..."
"Scott Padgett, ability rating 46..."
After looking at the 8 players of the other team, Zhang Hao discovered another characteristic. It seems that in high school, the ability evaluation of outside players is generally higher than that of inside players.
The capable inside players are those who have comprehensive skills like Garnett, Odom, and Jamison, and their playing style tends to be outside.
The strongest tall player besides Garnett, who is 210 cm tall, is Calvin Booth. Other big inside players who are not as tall as Calvin Booth have been eliminated.
The future NBA stars that Zhang Hao has an impression of have a huge gap in strength compared to others!
Finally, Zhang Hao had an idea and prepared to look at the ability evaluation of the last player he stayed to see.
"Kobe Bryant, 16 years old (August 23, 1978), height 193 cm, weight 86 kg, ability rating 68, offense 79, defense 59.
Physical quality: speed 91, strength 72, jumping 93...
Shooting: 3-pointer 62, mid-range 78, layup 81…
Skills: Ball control 86, passing 61…”
Sure enough, apart from Garnett, Kobe is the strongest!
In Zhang Hao's future memory, he has seen Kobe's high school information. When this guy was 16 years old, he participated in a competition and defeated those talented high school students who were two years older than him to win the MVP. Then his confidence exploded. After finishing his senior year of high school, he directly participated in the NBA draft at the age of 17.
It is true that Garnett is stronger now, but Zhang Hao estimates that Garnett's performance on the court may not be better than Kobe's.
Garnett has comprehensive skills, but they are too diverse. Although he is not weak, he cannot defeat his opponents by scoring. He does not have much ability to ensure the lower limit of the team's strength, nor is he capable of raising the upper limit. He is strong in connecting the team, but it is difficult for his high school teammates to bring out Garnett's strength.
Moreover, the opposing team has Odom and Jamison, two inside players with powerful offensive firepower that is not inferior to theirs.
The key is Kobe. Zhang Hao feels that the media's evaluation of Kobe being able to play five or five positions in high school is bullshit! This guy is the type who will do anything with the ball.
With the high school players not being very good at defense, Kobe's offense looks like a bug!
However, they are really evenly matched!
Zhang Hao felt that Adidas's team division was quite professional. Both sides had top outside scorers. Kobe and Bibby were all-around players. Odom and Garnett were inside players who could play wide. Jamison and Rahim were off-ball shooters. Hamilton and him, Zhang Hao...
