The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 4 His Appearance
"Your defense is too strong, and your strength is not well distributed. In this way, there will be a lot of fouls and insufficient physical strength. You need to be more skilled."

Zhang Xiaotian tried his best when facing Leonard, and I have to say that the Spurs' main force at the third position is strong.

What he understands most is the opponent's defense, and he is also meticulous in facing an unknown pawn like him.

Throughout the game, Zhang Xiaotian only relied on free throws to score two points.

The four groups played in rounds. When facing the other two groups, Zhang Xiaotian scored in double figures. Compared with Leonard, the defense of the other two groups was almost at the level of elementary school students.

After the first day of training, several people chose to practice extra, including Zhang Xiaotian, who was eager to officially join the Spurs, and Leonard, who was already the main force of the Spurs.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Xiaocai had a few words with the quiet guy Leonard.

The next day was still a group confrontation. The group broke up several times, and Zhang Xiaotian faced Leonard twice.

It was very painful to play against Leonard, but so was the opponent. It was not easy to face Zhang Xiaotian three times in two days.

Zhang Xiaotian clearly felt the gap, because it was an internal practice, and there was no upper limit for fouls, so he could entangle with the opponent until the end.

However, he was not discouraged at all. Leonard's serious attitude made him feel a little closer to the NBA.

On the third day, the Spurs announced the summer league roster, which only had 18 players.

Two athletes left with their bags on their backs after only two days of subsidies. This is the cruelty of professional basketball.

When Zhang Xiaotian heard his name on the list, he secretly clenched his fists.

In the first step of many checkpoints, he was finally not stopped.

Before the official start of the summer league, the teams were fixedly divided into two groups against each other.

Jacques Vaughan gave Zhang Xiaotian the task of marking Leonard with all his strength, which made him the worst abused person in the internal training game.

James Anderson and the others were overjoyed. They thought the other group was the substitute team, and the summer league substitute team was the soy sauce, and Zhang Xiaotian, who had poor statistics, was the soy sauce among the soy sauce.

Zhang Xiaotian himself was not bothered by this matter at all. During the matchup with Leonard, he felt that his defensive skills had improved, and the same was true for offense.

He considers it an honor to play against the best player on the team.

On July 7th, the Spurs' summer league finally officially started, and their first opponent was the Eagles.

In the auditorium of the arena, Zhang Xiaotian saw the figure of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

Although Mr. Popovich came here mainly to observe Leonard's state, everyone in the team understood that the time to perform was now.

The Spurs' starting lineup is guards Corey Joseph and James Anderson, forwards Kawhi Leonard and Eric Dawson, and center Luke Zeller.

The core player of the Eagles is this year's rookie John Jenkins. Compared with Leonard, who is both offensive and defensive, he is purely a shooter.

As the game began, the other nine on the court seemed to be foiling Leonard.

At the intensity of the summer league, Leonard is almost omnipotent.

It's just that the scores of the two teams haven't been stretched, and the five players on the Spurs have only been working together for a few days, and everyone wants to perform in front of the head coach. among.

Halfway through the first quarter, the two teams began to rotate.

The Spurs' first rotation position is the fifth position, followed by the second position and the third position. Corey Joseph at the first position, like Leonard, has played for a long time.

Zhang Xiaotian can be regarded as a swingman with comprehensive skills. He can play in the [-]nd and [-]rd positions. If the requirements are not so strict, he can also play in the [-]st and [-]th positions.

This style once made him the core of the team, and it also made him lose further opportunities.

The team has replaced three people, and the coach has not called his name yet, so he is a little anxious.

There are ten people who are as anxious as him. Among the 18 people participating in the summer league, except for a few who have already received contracts, it would be good if one or two of them are picked up by the Spurs.

With so few opportunities, everyone can't wait to perform.

Halfway through the second quarter, Zhang Xiaotian finally heard Jacques Vaughn calling his name, and two other players were replaced.

He took a deep breath, and decisively used the hot status card.

He knew very well that for non-focused players like them, one game could determine life and death, and if they were not used, they would be discarded.

The summer league is either a rookie or a fringe player. The starting players may still be able to play two or three sets of tactics. When it comes to the rotation period, it is purely a matter of personal ability.

Both sides wanted to take advantage of this moment to show off their power. Eagles substitute forward Elijah Millsap saw that the opposing player was replaced by a yellow man, and suddenly felt that the opportunity had come.

The opponent rushed over aggressively, as if he was going to eat people, Zhang Xiaotian was not afraid, and followed steadily, without giving Elijah Millsap any chance to hit the basket.

Elijah Millsap was very unconvinced. He felt that Zhang Xiaotian could be beaten, and he would force Zhang Xiaotian with his shoulders.

Hey, Elijah Millsap used all his strength to fight. After the start, he had no strength in his hands, and his shot was severely blocked by Zhang Xiaotian.

It's really refreshing, Zhang Xiaotian has already felt the strength of the hot situation card, although he is not afraid of confrontation like this before, but he can only make the opponent hit the iron, and cannot immediately jump up the big hat opponent.

Now his physical fitness, basketball skills, and even his judgment of the game have all improved, and every cell in his body is eager to fight.

Zhang Xiaotian successfully defended, and the Spurs immediately launched a counterattack. This year's rookie Marcus Danmon chased him from the three-point line.

The ball was still in the air, and Zhang Xiaotian judged that the ball was slightly off.

He directly accelerated and rushed into the opponent's penalty area, and jumped high at the moment the basketball popped out.

With a clatter, the basket was vibrated by his enhanced strength, and Zhang Xiaotian scored the first point with a tip-up dunk.

Slam dunks are very common in the summer league. The Eagles did not hesitate to serve from the baseline immediately. In order to prove themselves, players on both sides wanted to play dozens of rounds.

To stand out from this group of people, you must be more eager to perform than them, be better at performing, dare to fight, and must show a certain golf quotient.

Zhang Xiaotian quickly retreated to his own position to defend. The opponent made a simple pick-and-roll. Guard Brad Wanamaker drove in with the ball. Zhang Xiaotian actively defended and stepped forward to intercept.

With the impression of the big cap just now, Brad Wanamaker didn't force it. He raised his hand and was about to pass the ball to the bottom line for three points.

Zhang Xiaotian had already sensed the opponent's movement keenly, and he directly broke the ball with a stretch of his arm.

He stepped forward with a big dribble, rushed to an emergency stop near the three-point line, and let the defender who was desperately chasing him rush to the air.

With a knife in his hand and a three-pointer in the net, the entire stadium immediately remembered his appearance clearly.

(End of this chapter)