Volume 1: The Road to the European Emperor Chapter 40 "First Step Master"
Sun Hao had already set the goal of going to the NBA to fulfill his five-year contract, and the NCAA was not within his consideration.
However, he did not make a clear statement. After all, even the Spurs have only given him a tryout opportunity.
An NBA team will invite many people to this kind of tryout before the draft every year.
If he really wants to enter the NBA, he needs to do more.
After giving a vague answer and exchanging contact information with both people, Sun Hao then threw himself into the competition.
However, in the next match against Messi, he suffered a Waterloo just like the real Napoleon.
He made only 1 of 6 shots from beyond the three-point line and scored 11 points only through free throws and fast breaks.
Just like James occasionally travels, no matter how great a shooter is, he can't hit the basket every night.
More importantly, after a week of crazy performance, opponents clearly began to study and target him.
It was difficult for him to receive the ball comfortably during the game, and even if he did receive the ball he would soon be double-teamed.
Because his backcourt partner Trinidad had no three-point shooting ability, the double-team lasted almost the entire night.
Sun Hao was tightly wrapped by two big men most of the time.
This was the first time that Jean received such "Super" defensive treatment in La Liga.
This also shows one thing, that he is now treated as a superstar.
It is definitely unrealistic to shout "I'm not a star, don't double-team me". What he needs to do is to figure out how to break this kind of defense.
There are two ways to break a double-team: one is to break through and complete the attack before the double-team is formed, which is simple and crude;
Another way is to pass the ball, allowing teammates to create a 4 vs. 3 opportunity.
There are many ways to break through, such as Irving's fancy dribbling, Antetokounmpo's physical confrontation, Doncic's rhythm change, Anthony's triple threat, etc.
Sun Hao had foreseen this situation last season and had already started training in the system.
He was practicing the first step in a breakthrough.
There are many players in the NBA who rely on the first step to break through. The most typical representatives are Rose, Wade, and McGrady.
The reason why Sun Hao chose this breakthrough method is because it can be combined with his three-point ability.
If you double-team me, I will break through you before you double-team me;
If you don't double-team me, I might just shoot from the outside.
This is equivalent to asking the defender to make a choice.
He has been persisting in his training in the system, and what he needs to do next is to use it more in competitions to trigger badges in this area.
As for passing, although it is not his strong point, he has no problem passing the ball with his ordinary basketball IQ.
The problem lies in the team configuration.
Trinidad, who partnered with him in the backcourt, had no outside shooting ability at all, which allowed opponents to double-team him unscrupulously.
Therefore, the best way to solve this problem with passing is to replace it with a guard who has shooting defense and will not be targeted.
Unfortunately, Real Madrid didn't.
But there is more than one way to solve the problem.
Even in the NBA, a player like Tony Allen who has no outside shooting skills can continue to be a starter for a strong team, and the same is true in La Liga.
Another way to solve this problem is to move Trinidad to the off-ball side.
Before the training session started the next day, Sun Hao took the initiative to find Lasso to discuss his ideas.
Lazo was also having a headache about this matter. When he saw Sun Hao coming to him, he was not too surprised. Instead, he was ready to listen.
After spending more than a year together, he also clearly knows that Sun Hao is a player with high basketball IQ.
Trinidad does not have the ability to shoot from outside, but that does not mean he has no offensive ability. On the contrary, he can play for Real Madrid not just by relying on defense, as fast breaks and baseline cuts are his specialties.
So after listening to Sun Hao's idea of adjusting to the off-ball side, Lazo fully agreed.
The so-called no-ball side means exactly what it says. The ball's half is divided into left and right sides. The side with the ball is called the ball side, and the no-ball side is the other side.
Adjust Trinidad to the off-ball side, because he and Sun Hao are not on the same side, the defensive player cannot let him go and then cross half court to double-team him.
Because that would mean letting Trinidad cut in, and then Sun Hao could just wait for the defensive player to pass the ball steadily while crossing half court.
In fact, no one would be stupid enough to cross half court to double-team. If Real Madrid makes such adjustments, the opponent will most likely substitute players to double-team.
It was still double-teaming, but the situation was completely different from before.
Because other players on the Real Madrid team have certain shooting abilities, including Gabayosa, who is also good at mid-range shooting.
Sun Hao's proposal gave Lazo a new idea, and Lazo quickly made targeted tactical arrangements.
In the training session that followed, a new team tactic was born.
Sun Hao and Gabayosa's pick-and-roll attack.
Sun Hao has excellent three-point shooting ability, and Gabayosa has a strong ability to cut into the basket. The technical characteristics of the two people determine that the opponent will suffer from choice difficulties.
Once they choose to double-team Sun Hao, Gabayosa will get the chance.
If they choose not to double-team or switch defense, Sun Hao can take advantage of the opponent's defensive time difference and directly shoot a three-pointer.
Even if the opponent does not double-team and chooses to switch defense, Sun Hao can still play against a bigger opponent.
In short, based on the suggestion given by Sun Hao, Lazo created a tactic that is most suitable for the team at this stage.
After two days of training, the two players started using the pick-and-roll tactics in the game against Andorra Riverside, and they used it right from the start.
Lasso also stood on the sidelines at the start of the game, looking a little nervous.
The reason why this tactic was thought of and put into use so quickly was not because of his strong coaching ability, but because Prigioni and Garbajosa often played pick-and-roll before this.
After all, in European basketball, pick-and-roll tactics are inevitable.
Now the pick-and-roll player has changed from Prigioni to Sun Hao, and Lazo is worried about Sun Hao's passing ability.
But after the game really started, he found that his worries were unnecessary.
When Prigioni and Gabayosa set pick-and-rolls, they often break inside, and at this time they will use more breakthrough points.
But Sun Hao and Gabayosa's pick-and-roll was just the opposite, he basically went out.
In contrast, Gabayosa basically cut inside.
In fact, the opponent did not dare to let Gabayosa cut like this.
You have to know that with Gabayosa's ability in La Liga, as long as Sun Hao passes the ball, scoring is a high probability event.
So in the end, what Lasso was worried about did not happen.
After not being double-teamed, Sun Hao's outside scoring ability was released again. He scored 19 points again and helped Real Madrid win the game.
After the game, all the worry and tension on Lazo's face disappeared, and he immediately went up to Sun Hao and high-fived him.
Facts have proved that his judgment was correct. Sun Hao is indeed a player with high basketball IQ!
In the following games, Sun Hao and Gabayosa continued to work on the pick-and-roll, and the opponent's defense was also changing.
They didn't double-team or switch defense at the beginning, but Sun Hao took advantage of the opponent's time difference to bypass the pick-and-roll.
When the opponent saw that this defense didn't work, they switched defense directly.
It was after this switch in defense that Sun Hao finally had the opportunity to use the first step more often in the game.
When playing against a bigger team, a smaller player can either break through or step back and shoot, but no matter which one, a first step that is threatening enough will achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Although his performance was up and down at the beginning, Sun Hao scored less than 15 points in several games, and even scored only single digits in one game.
But continuous experimentation leads to ever-improving technology.
Just halfway through the 22nd round of the league, Sun Hao finally succeeded in unlocking the badge he wanted.
First Step Master (Bronze): Slightly improves the first step speed when breaking through, as well as the ability to see through the opponent's defense!
It not only improves the speed of the first step, the key is the latter part, the ability to see through the defense!
This is amazing!
It's just like opening the Eye of God in "Kuroko's Basketball"!
Just two days after Sun Hao became the "First Step Master", Real Madrid played against Barcelona at home again. This was the second time the two sides met this season.
The last time they met, Real Madrid lost on the road, and Prigioni has been injured and has been out of action since then, so it is still unknown whether they can make it to the playoffs.
Facing their arch-rival and potential rival for the championship, this game is crucial for Real Madrid.
If Prigioni really can't play in the playoffs, this may very well be an early .
"Sun, fight more decisively when you are out of position."
After the pre-match tactical arrangements were completed, Lasso took Sun Hao aside to give him some instructions.
Although Sun Hao was not in good form in the past few games, Lasso still chose to believe in him.
Sun Hao was somewhat touched by this trust.
Players always reach their full potential when they meet the right coach.
Jordan met Dean Smith, Kobe met Phil Jackson, and Curry met Steve Kerr.
From this point of view, it was also a kind of luck for Sun Hao to meet Lazo.
During the pre-match warm-up, Sun Hao and Gasol were still chatting at the technical table.
I don’t know if it’s because of the change in his status in the team, but Gasol no longer talked about literature with Sun Hao, but started talking about the game.
"You swept us last season, this season it's my turn."
"Your playing style has been targeted now, and it's not realistic to score like before."
"Why don't you come to Barcelona next season? I can pass you the most comfortable ball. You won't win the championship if you stay in Real Madrid."
…
Listening to Gasol's words, Sun Hao couldn't help but sigh.
Life still makes people become what they hate the most.
Everyone in Real Madrid and Barcelona is destined to become enemies in the end.
After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony.
The scene was filled with cheers, with fans cheering for Real Madrid to their heart's content.
Although Real Madrid's performance has declined significantly compared to the beginning of the season, there is no other word but to fight when facing Barcelona.
However, on the sidelines, Lasso looked worried.
The last time the two teams met, Prigioni lost when he was with Real Madrid. This time Prigioni is not there, and Sun Hao's recent form is relatively average.
This game is going to be very dangerous.
It's just a home game, if they lose, you can imagine the external pressure the team will face.
After the entrance ceremony, the starting players of both teams came on the field one after another.
Gasol and Navarro lead the Barcelona team, while Sun Hao and Gabayosa are in charge of Real Madrid.
Gabayosa jumped high and pushed the ball back to the half court, officially opening the game.
Sun Hao dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and made a tactical gesture at the top of the arc, signaling Gabayosala to go to the high post for a screen.
"Change! Change!"
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique shouted from the sidelines.
In past games, Sun Hao's offense was not very effective after he switched to a big guy for defense. It seems that Barcelona did a lot of work before the game.
Gasol switched defense to Sun Hao, Gabayosa cut into the basket and took the defender away, and Sun Hao got a one-on-one opportunity at the top of the arc.
Two people who had a good relationship off the court eventually ended up killing each other.
Sun Hao did not dribble the ball immediately, but observed Gasol's defense first.
Gasol leaned his body weight back and raised his arms high.
The center of gravity is moved back to prevent Sun Hao from breaking through, and both hands are raised to prevent Sun Hao from shooting.
Although young, Gasol has already shown top basketball talent.
Just from this action, Sun Hao could vaguely feel that Gasol was mainly trying to defend his shooting.
The function of the first step master badge is to see through the defense!
Although the feeling was very vague, combined with Sun Hao's basketball IQ, he was sure that Gasol was mainly trying to defend his shooting.
Compared to breakthroughs, three-pointers are his forte.
Sun Hao opened his hand and made a shooting gesture.
Gasol rushed forward quickly, and his long arms interfered with the line of sight.
It has to be said that the saying "basketball is a sport for giants" has its reason. Gasol is so tall and his arms are so long that he blocks out the sun and Sun Hao can no longer see the basket.
However, Sun Hao made a feint, suddenly took the ball and accelerated to the right.
Gasol anticipated this and followed suit with the recovery move.
But at this moment, he found that it was completely too late!
There is originally an absolute gap in speed between the big guy and the small guy, and now Sun Hao has become even faster than before!
Amid the exclamations of the fans, Sun Hao faked a shot and then made a real breakthrough, directly passing Gasol.
This result was beyond Barcelona's expectations, because the other players were far away, and after Sun Hao passed Gasol, the area under the basket was already flat.
Sun Hao did not waste such an opportunity. Before the weak-side help defense arrived, he made a quick layup and put the ball steadily into the basket.
