Chapter 43: What should I do if my talent is higher than expected?
The apartment is pretty good. It is located across the block from a 6-story building with a total of 24 units. Each unit is quite large. The landlord said that the building was only repaired 8 years ago and was renovated a year ago.
Zhang Hao could also see that the furniture was very new.
There are disadvantages as well. There is no such thing as residential communities in the United States, and there is no such thing as green space. The property management company does public sanitation cleaning once a week, and temporary cleaning requires additional charges. After some estimation, it is not as good as the property management companies in China that provide good services. The labor costs are sky-high... Fortunately, he doesn't mind the dozen or twenty dollars of temporary cleaning each time.
The biggest advantage is that this apartment is equipped with security, which is not available in most apartments in the United States.
Housekeeping companies, laundromats, supermarkets and stadiums are all nearby, which is very convenient.
Overall, Zhang Hao is very satisfied with his new home. It has three rooms, a living room and two bathrooms. The largest room is the bedroom, the smallest is the study, and the medium-sized room is empty. He plans to buy some simple fitness equipment and exercise in the morning.
The landlord is also very happy about players like Zhang Hao renting a house and is not afraid of rent arrears.
The thing that landlords in the United States fear most is overdue rent. Due to the regulations on renting in the United States, if someone maliciously refuses to pay rent, they have no way to evict the tenant and can only sue. Although they can eventually get the house back and the overdue rent back, the litigation takes too long, and basically all the money recovered is attorney fees, which means they are giving the tenant a place to live for free. Many people have no way to deal with this kind of thing and can only hope that the other party will make money and have a change of heart and pay the rent they owe.
With the help of the team staff, a large pile of luggage was moved to the living room. Zhang Hao brought all the bedding and other things. After Zhang Hao made the bed, he lay down on it and didn't want to move. The rest of the things would be done slowly...
At this moment, he once again felt the loneliness he had when he first came to the United States.
It is inevitable to feel this emotion when jumping from a familiar environment to an unfamiliar one.
After a dull rest for the whole night, Zhang Hao woke up the next morning and saw that he had 294 days left to live, so he regained his spirits.
"Train well, play hard, and strive to become a starter! Have a long career!"
The pressure to survive made Zhang Hao’s goals simple and pure, and it was easier for him to find direction.
Breakfast is time to read the newspaper. Zhang Hao knows that information is very important in any era.
Since the end of the lockout, the popularity of the NBA has remained high in the sports circle. Topics such as whether Jordan is still the best player, who is Jordan's best successor, whether Olajuwon can complete three consecutive championships and surpass Jordan to become the greatest active player... etc. are all very popular.
Another thing is how the rookies of the 1995 draft who seemed mediocre compared to the talents of the past few years will perform in their rookie season.
There is no authoritative player strength ranking list these days, but all major media outlets will make their own star grade classifications. In addition, there is a debate about who is the best player in the league.
Today, the hottest topic in the basketball world is the Chicago Daily News' rookie grading system.
T1 rookies, Stackhouse and Damon Stoudemire.
T2 rookies: Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace, and Garnett.
Zhang Hao saw that he was not included in the top two tiers of rookies.
Although it was quite unpleasant, which player doesn't want to be well-received? However, from a rational point of view, Zhang Hao hoped that he would not be taken too seriously by his opponents.
It seems that the team values him very much, otherwise they would not have selected a high school student like him at the 9th pick. The team also needs players with his playing style, and with his playing style, in the current team that is relatively lacking in shooting ability, he estimates that when he has the opportunity to show his shooting ability at the beginning, he must seize the opportunity. In this way, his opponents will underestimate him and he will have a better chance.
Slow development is the way to go!
Zhang Hao felt that he should adjust the way he does things. Before the draft, he was naturally as high-profile as possible, wanting to be in the spotlight and let others know of his existence. But after being selected, he thought that because of his humble development, he would not be targeted by those superstars these days...
One advantage of living near a stadium is that you can apply for the team’s nutritious breakfast. Although it doesn’t taste good, it is indeed good for the athletes’ health.
When Zhang Hao requested a nutritious breakfast, the trainer had a strange expression on his face.
The trainer felt that Zhang Hao, who was of the average height of a power forward but weighed only 95 kilograms, needed to gain some weight.
But his strength is so wild, and he is strong in static confrontation, not explosive power, so it seems that he does not need to gain weight... So it is still a troublesome thing to prepare nutritious meals for Zhang Hao. More things need to be considered, and it has to be discussed with the players and coaches.
For trainers who are responsible for nutritious meal matching, their biggest headache is not players like Kenny Anderson who have fattened themselves up or players who are as thin as bones. For such players, it is actually very simple to arrange diet.
On the contrary, the more self-disciplined and physically fit the players are, the more troublesome it is to arrange these things.
This is also a headache for the coaching staff. At 8:30 in the morning, after Zhang Hao arrived at the stadium, Butch Baird and his chief assistant coach Randy Whitman were both worried about how to arrange Zhang Hao's training.
Zhang Hao's basic mid-range shooting skills are almost perfect. At Zhang Hao's level of mid-range shooting, it is no longer possible to become more accurate by relying on the guidance of others. It is time for him to conduct team training or even rely on competitions to find the possibility of improvement. Perhaps, at this point, there is no room for improvement.
A skill will not get better by practicing it continuously. Most people will not get better after reaching their limit, and the upper limit of most people is not high.
But now all the players have not returned to the team, and it is impossible to ask all of them to return for a rookie. According to the rules, before the start of training camp, it is the players' vacation time. The team has no right to ask the players to return early, unless they are a team with strict discipline or the team's city is very comfortable to live in, which can bring deterrence. Otherwise, if they don't return early, the coaching staff will have no way to deal with it. For example, Coleman can only be traded, there is no other way.
Originally, there was no need to think so much about it. Butch Baird's original plan was to start strength training for Zhang Hao after he returned. Who knew that Zhang Hao's strength would have improved to such a level in just one summer.
There are no conditions for practicing team play, and practicing strength seems redundant. Zhang Hao seems to have his own way in this regard and has a strong control over his body...
After Randy Whitman received the task assigned by Butch Baird yesterday, which was to formulate a training plan based on Zhang Hao's current situation, he racked his brain for a whole night, but still couldn't come up with a good solution. He could only ask tentatively: "Butch, how about letting Axe widen his shooting distance? Or let Vaughn teach him how to run?
In fact, I think actual combat is the best way for Aix to find a direction for improvement.
We know too little about his game. We only have some video clips shot by the high school team cameraman, and the only complete game is the Adidas Classic, but few of our players have the talent of those kids in high school. "
This is exactly what is worrying Butch Baird. Zhang Hao is much more mature than he expected.
Fortunately, in just half a month, Butch Baird said: "Let Vaughn teach Axe how to run..."
…
In the afternoon, after lunch, Butch Baird returned to the office and looked at the list and information of players who might participate in the draft next year sent back by the scouts. Things like the draft require preparation in advance. From the beginning, you have to predict which geniuses will participate in the draft, and then pay attention to and observe them. Some teams even plan to draft three or four years in advance.
In this kind of thing, we are not afraid of wasting effort, but we are afraid of not being well prepared.
As he watched, Butch Baird felt the urge to smoke and was about to go to the smoking area of the stadium to see if there was anyone who would smoke with him. Smoking was allowed in the office, but he had a habit of giving one of his cigarettes to others before sharing it with them.
When I arrived at the smoking area, I saw a player who was supposed to be on the training ground.
Vaughan Fleming was smoking a cigarette with a look of doubt on his face...
Butch Baird asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Vaughn? Is Axe difficult to teach? Or is he unwilling to learn?"
Vaughan Fleming shook his head: "Aix loves to learn, and he respects me very much and learns from me very humbly."
"ah?"
"But I can't teach him! This kid works too hard. He seems to be constantly studying off-ball movement. He knows more ways of moving than I do!"
"What kind of moves does he know?"
"That's not what I mean. I mean, if he draws a route map, he probably knows how to run for an off-ball shooter in any play. I can't imagine how much time he spent memorizing these."
"Maybe he was born with a good memory?" Butch Baird suddenly realized, but then felt something was wrong: "But this doesn't seem to be a good thing at this time..."
Vaughan Fleming nodded. "Yes, he memorized too many ways of running. When it comes to learning our team's tactical running, he may think more than others. For example, I rely more on instinct. There is not so much time to think about how to find the best running route during the game. It is even more difficult for players with the ball.
What the off-ball shooter and the ball-handling player need more is tacit understanding. Often the shooting opportunity that the ball-handling player and the shooter have in cooperation is not the best opportunity in theory, but the timing of the ball-handling player passing the ball coincides with the timing of the running player appearing in a good position..."
Butch Baird was once a player, and an outstanding player who was selected to the All-Star Game along with Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes. He was very clear about the difficulties Vaughn Fleming encountered...or the difficulties Zhang Hao was about to encounter.
But this cannot be blamed on Zhang Hao for working too hard. There is certainly nothing wrong with working hard, but it has really affected some things now .
…
After listening to the explanations from the head coach and the team's veterans, Zhang Hao was speechless and helpless.
When it came time to learn how to run in actual combat with experienced people, he also discovered this problem - he always thought too much !
That 's not a good thing in a game.
To use Butch Baird's words - being a coach is about making simple things complicated and racking your brains to come up with the best running tactics;
But as a player, you have to simplify things, combine the best running tactics planned by the coaching staff with the actual situation, and find the simplest way to score.
And Zhang Hao is actually learning the knowledge of off-ball movement according to how to become a coach!
This made Zhang Hao want to vomit blood, thinking about how many nights he hadn't had a sweet dream, how he had been trying hard to remember the running route map, and how he had been studying... "So, I'm making a mistake by working too hard?"
Zhang Hao's thoughts were clearly written on his face.
Butch Baird smiled and said, "Axl, your efforts are definitely worthwhile. What you have learned is the wealth of your basketball career. Learning a lot is not a mistake. What you need to do is to distinguish between theory and practical application, use theoretical knowledge as a reference, and find a more suitable exercise method for yourself..."
It’s easy to say, but hard to do!
But this is the only way to go.
Besides, understanding is always better than not understanding.
Unknowingly, Vaughn Fleming, Butch Baird, and even Zhang Hao himself, were all demanding too much of him.
In fact, even if Zhang Hao didn't remember any tactical positioning, and had to learn tactics directly without transitioning to college, and directly play in the NBA, the world's highest level basketball league, it would still be difficult to learn positioning, and it would not be easier than it is now.
It's just because he is far better than himself, the coaching staff and teammates expected, and the requirements have become higher, so he has such troubles.
None of them noticed the changes in their consciousness, but whether it was Zhang Hao, Butch Baird or Vaughn Fleming, they all knew that what they had to do now was to calm down and not be anxious.
Zhang Hao patiently devoted himself to learning positioning. This afternoon, he mainly learned how to move according to the movements of the trainer who was holding the ball. There is still a big difference between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Although it is inevitable that he will hesitate among multiple choices, it is always good to start training.
The next day, four teammates returned to the team, including the team's starting center PJ Brown, a 211-centimeter bamboo-shaped inside swingman with excellent help defense. He was almost selected for the second defense as a sophomore last season.
Almon Gilliam, the second pick in the 1987 draft, is 31 years old. In theory, he is the team's strongest scoring player, able to play from the 3rd to the 5th position. He is extremely strong and weighs 109 kilograms, which is heavier than most of the team's inside players.
Inka Dell, the 14th pick center in 1994, is 213 cm tall, 120 kg in weight, and a former All-American first team collegiate player. He is a perfect traditional center. His skills were very mature when he entered the NBA, but he was a glass man. He suffered constant injuries in college, so his ranking fell out of the lottery zone. He is a lottery ticket that the Nets did not scratch out.
Chris Childs, an undrafted player in 1988, spent many years overseas and returned to the NBA last year to look for a job. The Nets signed him and unexpectedly found a treasure. Last season, he averaged 19 minutes per game and had 4.1 assists. He is a very good positional organizing point guard and has a pretty good long-range shot.
When he first got to know the Nets, Pelinka analyzed the Nets' draft situation in recent years to Zhang Hao and found that the Nets like to bet on the one who is theoretically the most talented.
For example, P.J. Brown was the Nets' lottery winner in 1993, in the second round. At that time, the extremely thin P.J. Brown was predicted to be a failure in the draft.
Every time a senior returned to the team, Zhang Hao would take the initiative to get to know them. He didn't make friends with them as he did in the beginning, but he couldn't be impolite and would always take the initiative to get to know them.
During this period, Zhang Hao discovered something. The attitudes of the people in the team towards him were clearly divided into three categories.
There are those who are particularly enthusiastic about him, like core point guard Kenny Anderson and backup point guards Chris Childs and Vaughn Fleming.
The first two are point guards who hold the ball. Players who hold the ball prefer off-ball shooters the most, even 20 years later.
Vaughan Fleming is about to retire. His next goal is to become an assistant coach and help him train. It is a good opportunity for Vaughan Fleming to learn how to be an assistant coach.
There are also people who have a normal attitude towards him, mostly young teammates and players in different positions. Young players don't have so many ideas, and there is no competition since they are not in the same position. Moreover, because he is an off-ball shooter, if he can create space, it will help players in other positions.
However, his teammates who had played in the same position for some years were not very nice to him.
Originally, everyone was just an ordinary role player, but then a genius came, and he was a high school student! A high school student took away his playing time...
Zhang Hao was helpless about this situation, but he knew that only if he played well and put in an outstanding performance, everything would go smoothly.
At this time, all he has to do is to be a good lackey... No, hold on to the thigh! Life forces him...
After training every afternoon, I would walk out with Kenny Anderson, and he would carry the bag very skillfully.
Zhang Hao doesn't have the energy to deal with trivial matters, the less trouble the better.
God knows which of these players can stay on the team and which can become the main players.
In this case, those disputes are totally unnecessary...
Kenny Anderson has been with the troubled Nets for several years. Even when they made the playoffs, the team was still in dire straits. To be more precise , wherever Derrick Coleman, the top power forward, went, there was trouble.
Kenny Anderson understood Zhang Hao's little thoughts but did not point them out. He had originally intended to protect Zhang Hao, a talented pitcher with the potential to become a hit. Also, his vision was much better than that of most players. He saw how much the team valued Zhang Hao. The coaching staff attached much more importance to Zhang Hao, a lottery ticket that was waiting to be scratched and had a high probability of winning, than to those role players who had already been established.
With Kenny Anderson's care, no one directly stood up to embarrass Zhang Hao.
As time goes by, everyone who returns to the team has their own things to do.
While Kenny Anderson was struggling to lose weight, Zhang Hao continued with his formal running training.
As for Zhang Hao, the team did not force him to practice in any certain way. It was obvious that Zhang Hao's knowledge of positioning was so sufficient that even the coach could not match him. So the coaching staff simply invited some basketball fans back to Jersey City to help Zhang Hao practice positioning.
You can find basketball fans to help you practice. You don’t even have to pay them salary. Just give them jerseys. As an NBA team, the last thing they lack is jerseys.
How to practice was decided by Zhang Hao himself, with Vaughn Fleming guiding the details. Zhang Hao drew the tactical roadmap, and they trained one tactic and one route at a time.
Originally, Zhang Hao only knew in his mind how to move based on the positions of his teammates and opponents. Through training, he realized that it was not that simple. Whether the passer can pass the ball to the right position will also affect the threat of the running shooter and the running efficiency of the running player.
So, after a day of practice, Kenny Anderson and Charles were also called in. Zhang Hao was responsible for drawing up the tactics, and the seemingly cold-hearted assistant coach Randy Whitman selected players from the invited fans to pair up with Zhang Hao as sparring partners for positioning training.
With Kenny Anderson or Charles responsible for passing and controlling the ball, Zhang Hao's training progress suddenly improved.
All Zhang Hao practiced was catching the ball and shooting. He didn't practice anything else. He just practiced how to get rid of the pursuit and defense of those sparring partners and how to find better scoring opportunities.
Originally, Zhang Hao was very good at catching the ball and shooting... he was very good at shooting after catching the ball. He had a good talent for positioning and a good awareness. With sufficient theoretical knowledge, he made rapid progress in simply finding personal opportunities to catch the ball and shoot. He made great progress in finding shooting opportunities by circling around the positions of other people on the court, moving short distances at an accelerated pace, and so on.
Of course, this is also inseparable from the help of Randy Whitman, Vaughn Fleming and two point guard teammates.
The "running route reverse tactics" that Zhang Hao memorized was actually very rough. The more detailed training content was prepared by Randy Whitman.
Vaughan Fleming helps guide us on how to better implement the roadmap we have memorized in our minds, which is "looking for opportunities based on the positions of the players on the field, and predicting the movements of opponents and teammates to look for opportunities" on the field.
There is also help from his two point guard teammates, who can pass the ball to the right place!
Just through training, Zhang Hao can feel the reliance of a player who plays without the ball on passes from the ball holder.
Zhang Hao was very happy with this progress. Although this was just training with a group of amateur basketball enthusiasts, it was not an easy task to transform what he remembered in his mind into ability on the court!
But even happier was Kenny Anderson!
Zhang Hao's hard work, his dedication to basketball, his learning ability... are all outstanding!
What surprised Kenny Anderson the most was Zhang Hao’s memory!
This guy, if he just draws a tactical route map, it seems that no matter what position appears, this rookie can draw a running route!
