And this scout also gave a lot of reasons why Lin Ying went to the Lakers:
The Lakers are a big city, and Chinese players like him have great market potential and can get a lot of endorsements;
He heard that Lin Ying and Durant were both training maniacs, and the Lakers happened to have one too, and he was an extremely training maniac;
The Lakers are very good at developing rookies, and a rookie like him with obvious strengths and weaknesses is the perfect fit;
And the most important point is that the University of Texas played the triangle tactics, and the Lakers also played the triangle tactics!
If Lin Ying goes to the Lakers, it will be a seamless transition and he will have a chance to get a chance to play right from the start!
Lin Ying was slightly moved after hearing this.
I mentioned before that entering the NBA is like taking the college entrance exam, so once you enter the NBA it’s just like going to college.
Do you think you will feel relaxed and liberated after entering university?
On the contrary, the challenge has just begun.
What you can achieve in the future and what class you can become are mostly determined during this period.
It’s just that most people are in it without realizing it, and by the time they realize it, it’s already too late.
The NBA only gets more brutal than that.
Putting aside the fact that second -round picks may not have contracts, the NBA has a minimum of 30 first-round picks every year.
Because the number of players in each team is fixed, that means at least 30 players will be eliminated every year!
So don’t think you are a rookie. You have four years to develop slowly.
The reality is that, except for those high-ranking rookies, most rookies have to fight for even the opportunity to play.
Can’t get it? You will most likely be one of the 30 people eliminated in a year!
So these words from the Lakers scout were still very tempting to Lin Ying.
Moreover, after Lin Ying agreed to enter the NBA with Durant this season, he also paid attention to the performance of NBA teams.
As it stands now, the Lakers will eventually rank 7th to 9th in the Western Conference.
In other words, unless the team's luck lasts for thirty years and it draws the top three picks, there is a high probability that the team will end up with a first-round pick around 20th and a second-round pick around 50th.
The teams that are looking for him now, including the Spurs who promised him a draft pick, will only use the second round if they really choose him.
But the crazy three-round draft has not ended yet and the tryout has not started yet, so he has a certain chance to fight for the Lakers' first-round pick.
There is still a huge difference between the first round and the second round.
At the very least, a contract is about the distinction between guarantees and non-guarantees.
What? Lin Ying got a triple-double and still couldn't make it to the first round?
Wake up!
In history, Draymond Green has achieved three triple-doubles in the NCAA, and completed two of them on the stage of the Crazy Three. He is the third person to do this after "Magic" Johnson and "Big O" Oscar Robertson.
He is also the first player in the NCAA Division I league after Duncan to get 15+10+3 and was selected to the All-American team.
It didn't matter, Green was only a second-round pick in the final draft.
You have to know that those were the 2012 drafts!
Although small ball had not yet become popular at that time, mobile inside players had already begun to become popular.
Being a first-round pick, especially in a big draft year, is very difficult.
Rather than relying on statistics, players who can showcase their characteristics on a higher stage like DiVincenzo will have a greater chance of making the first round.
Of course, compared to Green, Lin Ying’s biggest advantage is his age.
18 and 22 years old, there is a world of difference in the eyes of NBA teams.
Otherwise, scouts wouldn't have come to him so early.
Coupled with better physical conditions, he has a greater chance of entering the first round or even the lottery.
So in the end, Lin Ying accepted the Lakers' tryout invitation.
Of course, the premise is that he finally decides to participate in this year's draft.
Winning the championship is a dream, but who knows how far the University of Texas can go in the end?
The Lakers scout left with a smile. He was the only one who gained something substantial today.
After the scout left, Springman asked him about the situation and gave him a suggestion.
"You can sign up for the draft first, and then decide whether to withdraw based on the results of the tryout."
This suggestion actually reminded Lin Ying.
There are two important days related to the NBA and the draft. One is the draft registration day, and the other is the withdrawal deadline.
The draft registration date varies each year, but the withdrawal deadline is usually one week before the draft.
Therefore, every year in the NBA there are players who choose to withdraw from the draft due to poor draft prospects or other uncontrollable factors.
And as long as you withdraw before the deadline, it means that you did not participate in the draft, and you will still have normal draft qualifications next year.
This is like testing the waters.
What Springman said is not a bad approach.
Lin Ying nodded. He needed to think about it carefully.
…
The first two days of the "Mid-March" competition ended, and all 64 teams made their debut.
Then, half of the teams ended their "Mad Three" journey, which also meant that half of the players left the "Mad Three" stage.
At this time, draft websites such as NBAdraft and DraftExpress have launched new draft predictions.
This also attracted a considerable amount of attention from fans.
These websites started making predictions for this year's draft as early as last year. As time goes by, the list is constantly updated and its credibility is gradually increasing.
Take the most authoritative NBAdraft in the United States as an example. The final draft prediction is roughly like this:
1st pick, Grizzlies: Greg Oden
2nd pick, Boston Celtics: Kevin Durant
3. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandan Wright
4. Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
5. Mike Conley, Trail Blazers
6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Corey Brewer
7th pick, Seattle SuperSonics: Yi Jianlian
8. Charlotte Bobcats: Joakim Noah
9. Chicago Bulls (from New York): Spencer Hawes
10th pick, Kings: Jeff Green
11th pick, Atlanta Hawks (from Indiana Pacers): Javaris Crittenton
12th pick, Philadelphia 76ers: Julian Wright
13th pick, Hornets: Al Thornton
14th pick, Clippers: Nick Young
…
No. 40, Lakers (from Kings): Lin Ying
…
After finishing the first round of the game, the University of Texas rushed to the next game venue, St. Louis, that night.
Their 32-to-16 match against North Carolina will be held at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
The Edward Jones Dome is the home of the NFL Rams and is of the same size as the previous Georgia Dome.
There weren't many NFL stadiums used in the first round, but this will become the norm after the second round.
St. Louis is not far from Atlanta.
It was just after 9pm local time when they arrived.
St. Louis is the second largest city in Missouri after Kansas and is a river port city adjacent to the middle reaches of the Mississippi River.
The scenery here is very nice.
As an inland city, this city built along the river has the most pleasant climate.
The river has convenient transportation and a pleasant climate.
However, the weather in March was not suitable for going out to enjoy the northwest wind, so Durant and Lin Ying lay down to rest after arriving at the hotel.
Durant immediately took out his phone to check the news.
And he quickly sat up.
What made him stand out was, of course, the newly updated draft list.
His position did not change much from before, but it was the first time he saw Lin Ying on the list!
"Ying, if you play so well in the next game, can we confirm your candidacy in advance?"
Durant couldn't help but speak.
Their original plan was to win the championship and then enter the NBA together.
If he didn't win the championship, he would fight with Lin Ying for another year.
But now Lin Ying has received an invitation for a tryout and has made it onto the draft prediction list early on.
That’s not necessarily an option!
“That’s not impossible.”
Lin Ying continued.
The NCAA championship is a great honor for the players, and winning it is naturally the best.
But if you say that people like Hansbrough want to win the championship, and if one year fails, they will play again for another year, and keep playing for four years, they don’t have that kind of obsession.
And after Durant said that last time, Lin Ying actually felt a lot of pressure.
Because if they failed to win the championship and Durant had to play with him for another year, it would mean that because of him, Durant had wasted a year in college.
He has been with Durant for so long and knows Durant's character, and that is not just talk.
"No, no, we still have to fight for this championship and not let our university have any regrets."
Durant immediately shook his head again.
However, it can be felt from his words that the "winning" he said this time is different from the previous "winning".
Before, it was for Lin Ying to enter the NBA, but now it is fighting for honor.
Removing a psychological burden may not necessarily be a bad thing for them.
Moreover, the two of them tacitly agreed not to mention the game with North Carolina at this time.
They just want to enjoy the joy after the victory today, and leave the game against North Carolina until tomorrow.
"Ying, do you want to go to Los Angeles?"
Durant then asked.
The NBA is a place that all basketball players dream of, and now it is within their reach.
"Um."
Lin Ying did not object.
After talking with the Lakers scout before, he did have a strong inclination towards the Lakers.
And if only his butterfly wings weren't so big, the Lakers would trade for Gasol next season.
At that time, we could still win two championships, and even try hard to help the team win three consecutive championships, which would be great.
“I want to go to Boston, too.”
Durant continued.
In fact, he would rather go to New York and Los Angeles. Who doesn’t like big cities?
But the problem is that the Knicks don't have the draft pick this year, and the Lakers are likely outside the lottery, so neither of those two teams can select him.
In comparison, among the teams that could have selected him, the Celtics would be the best.
The Celtics have a long history and they know how to win.
As for Pierce's problem, he doesn't think there is any conflict.
Maybe his team philosophy is a little biased, but that also shows his understanding of the sport of basketball.
Basketball is ultimately a sport for five people. No matter how strong one person is, he cannot lead the team to victory.
Kobe last season and Jordan before Pippen came along are both vivid examples.
That kind of one-on-five situation only exists in crappy novels like "My Shooting is So Accurate".
"I think it's better to go to Memphis."
Lin Ying continued.
Durant was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then he couldn't help laughing.
He felt that although Lin Ying didn't talk much normally, what he said was quite humorous at times!
Well, you have the potential to become the king of bad jokes.
What, you didn’t get it?
According to current draft predictions, going to Memphis means Durant will squeeze out Oden and become this year's No. 1 pick!
But Durant could probably only guess what it meant.
The remaining ones are the second and third floors.
Secondly, Lin Ying did not interfere with the NBA lottery, so the Celtics should not be able to draw the top three picks.
As for him influencing Yao Ming, and then Yao Ming causing the Celtics to lose one more game, which then led to the Celtics luckily drawing the No. 1 or No. 2 pick, if this really happened, it would definitely be a plot in a novel.
Third, as a good friend, he doesn't want Durant to go to the Celtics.
It’s not that he has anything against the Celtics as a team, but because of the Celtics’ current general manager.
Danny Ainge's move of sending Isaiah Thomas away and Pat Riley's refusal to give Wade a big contract can be listed as "the two coldest moments in the NBA."
Maybe “business is just business” and as general managers they need to keep their sanity.
But in comparison, the Lakers are willing to pay Kobe a retirement contract, which is a clear difference.
Besides, Lin Ying is not that great. He would take care of the difficulties of the general managers without worrying about the future of his friends.
"Ying, do you think there's a chance we could be picked by the same team?"
After laughing, Durant turned around and looked at Lin Ying and said.
They played together in high school, then in college, and finally in the NBA.
This experience is comparable to a ten-year long-distance relationship!
Lin Ying originally wanted to say that it was difficult, but then he thought again and it didn't seem right.
His identity as a basketball data analyst is still very useful at times like this.
In history, the SuperSonics originally only had the No. 2 and No. 35 picks that year, but when they traded Ray Allen to the Celtics, they got the No. 5 and No. 31 picks.
Pick him at No. 5?
That sounds great!
It just takes a bit of imagination.
However, if there is a chance with the 31st pick, it is still very likely.
In history, they traded this pick to the Rockets, and then the Rockets picked up the future "Bird of God" Carl Landry.
But now that they have the chance to pick up Durant's college gold medal partner, can they not use it themselves?
And if you can’t select this question, it may not necessarily be a problem!
Why? Because it’s the Sonics management!
What do you mean you don't know them? You must be familiar with the Thunder!
The SuperSonics are the predecessor of the Thunder. They have produced three MVPs, the "Huangfu Military Academy" of the NBA, and have their own "Sky Eye". Are you kidding me?
Who can guarantee that they won’t trade for a mid-first-round pick or even a lottery pick to select Lin Ying?
Anyway, training one is training, and training two is also training!
Moreover, Lin Ying and Durant were teammates in high school and college, so they saved the time of running-in!
So you know what, if you think about it this way, there is indeed a high probability that he will continue to be teammates with Durant in the NBA?
Really a ten-year long run?