"Rose, tell me what you think."
Back in the office, Barnes was still furious.
We started the season with 1 win and 2 losses, and we just experienced a game where the score difference didn't seem big but we had no chance. It doesn't feel good.
"Kevin isn't very good at the 4 position."
Springman began .
If Barnes' temper could be described as fire, then he is water.
Water and fire are incompatible, but water can suppress fire, which is why the two of them can work well together.
Barnes nodded, he noticed that too.
"Also, we don't have enough organizational skills on the field. Randy's abilities are still a little lacking."
Springman continued.
The team's main point guard last season was Daniel Gibson.
Gibson was an Associated Press All-American and a candidate for the Bob Cousy Award.
Compared with Gibson, Williams is a bit inferior in both talent and ability.
Barnes continued to nod, his hands not idle, he opened the drawer and took out a bag.
The bag contains dried kiwi fruit, which can lower blood pressure.
He took out a piece and put it in his mouth to chew, then handed it to Springman, and when the other party refused, he put it on the table.
"You mean you want Lin to start?"
Barnes chewed twice before speaking.
Due to the lack of organization, the first reaction should be to change the point guard.
But Augustine is strong in personal offense, and his organization is only about the same as Randy Williams.
So the implication of Springman's words could only be that Lin Ying would start.
But letting a power forward play organization is not common in the NCAA.
Now is not the small ball era with blurred positions. Although there is the concept of an organizing forward, that is a small forward, and everyone still has their own duties on the court.
"He's proven he can start."
Springman nodded.
In the match between new and old students, Lin Ying had already demonstrated good organizational skills, and this was also recognized by the coaching staff during the subsequent team training.
Moreover, Lin Ying's performance on the bench continued to improve, especially in tonight's game. If it weren't for Lin Ying, they would have lost even more miserably.
In other words, even if we don't consider it from the perspective of organization, Lin Ying has already proved tonight that he has the ability to start.
"Can Kevin's speed keep up with the No. 3 position?"
Barnes thought for a moment, took another piece of kiwi fruit and put it in his mouth, then asked.
Wendel has performed well, has good physical condition and game experience. It seems that he is the most suitable player to play the five position at the moment.
Therefore, if Lin Ying starts, he can only play the power forward position.
James has the body type of a forward-guard swingman, so he will have no problem playing the No. 2 position.
In this case, Durant has to play the three position.
So the biggest question is what he asked: Can Durant's speed keep up with the power forward position?
Especially on the defensive end.
Durant's current defensive habits and awareness are too poor.
This may be because his high school coach did not pay much attention to this aspect.
After all, the high school league emphasizes more on offense and the display of players' personal abilities.
Poor defensive habits are a common problem among many freshmen.
"I will train him later."
Springman also knew Barnes' concerns and spoke directly.
Barnes said nothing after hearing this.
He is still a little worried about letting the power forward organize the game.
"Georgetown University's Princeton tactics were initiated by the center, and the effect was very good, and we are also trying it now."
Seeing Barnes' reaction, Springman continued.
Barnes thought about it and finally nodded.
Although he was angry, he was actually very clear that the season had just begun.
Especially since the team has gone through such a big personnel change, it will definitely take time to adjust.
Springman's last words hit the nail on the head.
They also talked about letting Lin Ying and Durant play together during the game.
By letting Lin Ying start, this problem would also be solved.
The two men finished their conversation and Springman stood up to leave.
"Rose, go comfort Kevin."
Barnes suddenly spoke up.
After hearing this, Springman nodded, then turned and left.
…
Not long after Lin Ying and Durant returned to the dormitory, someone came to visit.
It's Abrams next door.
Yes, that guy named AJ.
Because of this name, other people on the team like to call him AJ, and they also tease him about when he can really wear a pair of AJ.
Then Abrams didn't care about it at all, and even joked that he would definitely buy a pair when the team wins the championship one day.
His generous character made him the most popular person in the team.
Although, he is indeed the person in the team who is scolded the most by Barnes.
"Kevin, are you okay?"
Abrams came in and walked towards Durant with a smile.
Durant nodded to indicate that he was OK. After chatting with Lin Ying, he was in a much better mood.
“Actually, Coach Barnes is a pretty good coach.”
Abrams spoke after he sat down.
When Durant heard this, he looked at Abrams in surprise, and even Lin Ying felt strange.
If someone else said this, they wouldn't think it was a big deal, but it was very strange when it came from Abrams' mouth.
He is the one who gets scolded the most!
Could it be that this guy is a masochist?
"You know, if an experienced elder is willing to scold you, and scold you very specifically, it means he wants you to become a better person."
But Abrams' next words stunned them.
"If one day he no longer scolds you or even ignores you, that means he is really disappointed in you."
Abrams finally looked at Durant and said.
After saying this, Lin Ying and Durant were both stunned.
After waiting for a long time, the two of them nodded one after another.
This makes sense!
As they were chatting, Springman came over.
Abrams quickly stood up after seeing this, said hello to Springman and walked out.
"Kevin, are you okay?"
Slightly familiar words came out of Springman's mouth.
Springman also came to comfort Durant.
But what he said was different from Abrams. He was more asking Durant to get used to this kind of thing.
After all, no one knows whether they will encounter a coach with this kind of personality again in the NBA.
Adapting in advance is like getting a vaccination.
Then, he focused on the upcoming games.
"Rick has agreed to let Lin start, but the prerequisite is that your defense can meet the requirements of the third position."
Springman said, looking at Durant.
He knew the relationship between Lin Ying and Durant, which was another key reason why he suggested to Barnes that Lin Ying start.
He hopes this will motivate Durant to train his defense.
"Great, Ross, I was just thinking of asking you to help me improve my defense."
Durant's reaction took Springman a little bit by surprise.
Are they... in sync?
"Let's get started now!"
What he didn't expect was that Durant stood up the next second.
He was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing.
He indicated that Duran was particularly anxious because he had to go back and study a new training plan.
Scientific training will achieve twice the result with half the effort.
…
"We can play together again!"
After Springman left, Durant looked at Lin Ying with excitement.
He didn't play well in the previous few games. In addition to his personal condition, another very important factor was that Lin Ying did not start.
Not to mention that the two's technical characteristics are very compatible, even the level of tacit understanding between the two as high school teammates is the highest.
Lin Ying also nodded excitedly.
If he starts, he will get more opportunities to perform, and maybe he will have a chance to enter the NBA with Durant!
…
TNT headquarters, Los Angeles.
TNT's most popular basketball show is called "NBA Insider".
This is a show that "Big Mouth" Charles Barkley took over and made popular after joining TNT.
There are three hosts for this show, namely Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.
The content of the program is just like the title, sharing some NBA insider news and interesting stories that fans don't know.
For example, when Yao Ming first entered the NBA, Barkley's famous "kissing the donkey's butt" incident came from this show.
Another big reason why this show is so popular with the audience is its authenticity.
There will be no detailed script prepared for this program. Basically, the theme content will be determined, and then the three famous talk show hosts will perform freely.
So many times, wild ideas can create unexpected program effects.
At this time, the new NBA season has been underway for more than a month, and they have a lot to talk about.
For example, the Mavericks have been stronger than ever this season, and Avery Johnson's approach of having Nowitzki play the five position is unique, but the effect is remarkable.
For example, the defending champion Heat suffered bad news at the beginning of the season. Wade was absent due to injury, and "The Big Shark" O'Neal could only lead the team alone and move forward with difficulty.
Of course, these were not the main points of their conversation tonight.
They were talking about the big fight that had just happened in Madison, New York.
All ten people on the field participated in this fight, and the basketball court was turned into a gladiatorial arena. The intensity of the fight was comparable to the "Palace of Auburn Hills Fight" that year.
The impact of this incident is also very bad, because since the Palace of Auburn Hills, league commissioner Stern has been committed to eliminating this violent impression in the league.
It can also be predicted that this fight will definitely be severely punished by the league.
Barkley and others are now analyzing the causes and consequences of this incident, and it's very interesting.
After analyzing this, Kenny Smith brought up another interesting thing.
But this interesting thing does not come from the NBA, but the NCAA.
"Kevin Durant and his team lost again."
Kenny Smith was the one who brought up the topic.
Although the NCAA season has just begun, the performance of some players is still attracting attention from the outside world.
Oden and Durant are undoubtedly the two that receive the most attention.
As for Oden, he had surgery at the beginning of the season and has not returned yet.
But Ohio State has won them all.
In comparison, Durant's side is at the other extreme. The University of Texas lost, but Durant's statistics and scoring ability were very eye-catching.
“Is that news?”
Buckley asked back with a smile.
This reaction also shows that they are actually paying attention to the NCAA.
Next year is generally recognized as a big year for talent shows. Knowing more about these popular rookies will be helpful for their future programs.
"Yeah, that's not news."
Smith nodded, but immediately changed the subject.
"But what was incredible about this game was that just a few minutes into the second quarter, Texas went on a five-up-five run, and then right after that, their opponent, Kansas, went on a five-up-five run."
"Interesting, but that's all?"
Buckley took over.
The most likely reason for both sides' actions is that the score on the field was too big and the University of Texas conceded defeat early.
But even if we admit defeat, it is a bit too early at this point . This is the interesting point he made.
"No, the excitement came after that. The substitutes of the University of Texas launched a counterattack after being substituted in. If there was not so little time, they might even have reversed the game."
"Um?"
Barkley felt that what Smith said was becoming more and more interesting.
"The most interesting thing is that even though the score was getting closer, neither side substituted a single main player until the end of the game!"
Smith said finally.
"From what I've heard, it looks like Kansas has a very strong roster this year?"
Barkley was already very curious at this time and turned to look at Ernie Johnson.
Johnson nodded as a tool.
"It was the substitutes of the University of Texas who played so well. Among them, a Chinese player named Lin led the team to this comeback."
"Another Chinese player?"
Buckley asked, frowning.
Because of the "kissing the donkey's butt" incident, he is now very sensitive to Chinese players.
This year, the media has reported that a talented Chinese player named "Yi" has emerged in China.
I didn’t expect there is one in the NCAA, and he’s doing pretty well too?
Is the NBA going to have a wave of "China fever"?
"This player's style of play is very interesting. I think you should go and watch him. Maybe you will like him."
Kenny Smith continued.
"I hope you're not fooling me. I'm very strict."
Buckley said seriously.
This reaction immediately caused Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith to burst into laughter.
…
The next morning, Springman got up at 5:30 to train again and began defensive training.
The training targets not only Durant, but also Lin Ying.
Lin Ying has excellent physique, but there is much room for improvement in his defensive ability and experience.
It was during this process that Lin Ying discovered that Springman had a lot of private goods.
During the team's daily training, there is also defensive training in the basic training, but it is more focused on the team level, such as zone defense training.
But Springman trained them on their individual abilities, with an emphasis on footwork.
"Attitude and enthusiasm determine the lower limit of defense, while defensive skills and physical talent determine the upper limit of defense."
This was Springman's opening statement to them.
Of course, Springman is not a "sweeping monk" type of person. The defensive steps he teaches are relatively basic.
For example, sliding.
Sliding is the most basic part of all defensive steps. It means using the left or right foot to drive the other foot to slide on the floor.
This is the basic move that keeps you in position on defense, whether you are facing an offensive player with or without the ball.
Another example is the backward defensive step, which means putting your hands behind your back and moving backward in a zigzag shape.
The purpose of training this kind of pace is to enable players to always stay on the opponent's offensive route when facing an attack from a player with the ball.
As a data analyst, Lin Ying has some basic knowledge of basketball, but it is limited.
Because what he usually comes into contact with are some cold data.
Although what Springman taught was relatively basic, it was something completely new to Lin Ying.
It felt like a door to a new world had opened.
The same goes for Durant. Ever since Lin Ying convinced him in high school, his desire for basketball knowledge has become extremely strong.
Of course, nothing can be achieved overnight, and training also requires a process.
…
“Look!”
After training, when he returned to the dormitory to rest, Durant came to him with his cell phone.
Both of them are typical stay-at-home guys. Apart from training, they spend most of their time in the dormitory.
The only difference is that Lin Ying likes to daydream and think, while Durant likes to play on social media.
Well, this guy’s favorite thing to do is to say hello to those women with good-looking profile pictures, but no one pays attention to him.
Then, there are some websites that are only for adults, like the romantic action movie I showed him that day.
"Again?"
Lin Ying was thinking about some details of the previous game against Kansas, and thought that Durant was showing him that kind of thing again, so he couldn't help but frowned.
But this time, what Durant showed him was something serious, the latest episode of TNT's "NBA Insider".
The two of them watched it together leaning against the wall.
"Cameron is so cruel."
Durant felt inexplicably excited when he saw Anthony knocking Collins down with one punch.
Fighting on the basketball court is not a good thing, but it feels great to watch others fight.
Lin Ying nodded.
It is rumored that Anthony has a gangster background.
If I play on the same team with him, I'll feel safe, if nothing else.
Of course, the main reason why Durant took the phone was not this, but the part where the three famous mouths mentioned Lin Ying.
Lin Ying was noticed by TNT in advance.
When seeing that, Lin Ying was in a very good mood.
This program has attracted a lot of attention, and although he was only mentioned in passing, many people knew of his existence.
In this way, it is equivalent to increasing his exposure for free in advance.
Don’t think that this kind of exposure is useless. The NBA draft considers strength, but often also fame.
Especially in this era when information openness is not that high, many players with a mysterious aura will have higher rankings.
Even some players who don't have the ability to enter the NBA will be picked in the second round.
So this is definitely a good thing for him.
…