Chapter 2 2 Summer League

Author: Ti Sanye

Chapter 2 2. Summer League

The weather in New Jersey in July is a bit hot. The temperature difference between day and night is almost the same, and people are enveloped in hot and humid air from morning to night.

This season has the heaviest rainfall in New Jersey. It usually rains 20 days a month. The humid and hot weather combined with lightning and thunder makes people reluctant to stay on the streets too much.

There have not been many top stars in the history of the Nets. The current scoring record in the history of the team is still held by Buck Williams, who can only contribute 12.8 points and 10 rebounds in his career. He has scored a total of 10,440 points for the Nets in eight seasons.

The scoring efficiency is so-so, not amazing.

However, the addition of the league's top point guard Jason Kidd this year has made the outside world generally optimistic about the Nets, making them one of the biggest favorites in the Eastern Conference.

Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards in NBA history. Although he is not good at offense, he is top in organizing passes and defense.

Prior to this, Kidd had led the league in assists for three consecutive years and was selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. He is the most leading star on the league's back line.

Last season, Jason Kidd averaged 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He used a near-triple-double to lead the Suns to a record of 51 wins and 31 losses, and entered the playoffs for many consecutive years.

Although the Suns led by Jason Kidd were sent home by the Kings with a score of 3:1 in the first round of the playoffs, Kidd's performance of 13.3 assists per game in the series was still impeccable, which perfectly explained what the team's brain is.

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Unfortunately, the Suns do not have a top scorer. Clifford Robinson, who averaged the highest score in the series, can only contribute 15 points. This kind of offensive firepower is difficult to achieve in the playoffs. The Kings, who scored 20+ points by two stars in the team, can only contribute 15 points.

Being eliminated is not an upset at all.

The team's starting power forward Kenyon Martin is the second Beastial No. 1 pick in the league after "The Beast" Coleman.

Kenyon Martin has great physical fitness and amazing athletic ability. As early as his sophomore year, he completed the first junior triple in school history in the past 31 years with 24 points, 23 rebounds and 10 blocks. In his senior year, Martin averaged 18.9 points per game.

He averaged 9.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks. He was successfully selected to the All-American First Team, the Player of the Year, and the NCAA Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years.

Kenyon Martin, who entered the league for the first time last season, averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. He is a true inside thug, he can run and jump, and he dunks a lot.

Playing ball is full of passion and enthusiasm, and it is very enjoyable to watch.

Kenyon Martin is very good at bullying power forwards who are weaker than him. Although he usually gets beaten badly when he encounters opponents who are tougher than him, he never flinches and fights to the end like a real man.

In addition, the Nets also have many outstanding players such as Keith Van Horn, Kidders and Richard Jefferson in the new season. This is why the outside world is optimistic about the Nets becoming the favorite to win the Eastern Conference in the new season.

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The weakest position of the Nets, which has an extremely deep lineup, is the swingman. Wei Xu was spotted by the Nets management after the draft. In addition to his strong physical fitness and good fast break style, he is suitable for Jason Base.

The main reason for playing with Germany next to him is that the Nets are relatively short of players at the swingman position.

In addition to veteran player Kidders, Wei Xu's main competitor in the new season is Kenny Marshall, who was just recruited to the team during the offseason.

Kenny Marshall is 2.01 meters tall and weighs 104 kilograms. He is similar in stature to Wei Xu. He also plays the position of a forward and a swingman on the court. Soon he will participate in the summer league with Wei Xu in July. It is Wei Xu.

The opponent that needs to be eliminated first.

Nets head coach Byron Scott was impressed by Wei Xu's explosive physical fitness during the team's trial training. He is optimistic about Wei Xu's future and believes that Wei Xu has the potential to become an outstanding defensive sharpener.

Act as a counterattack engine around you.

However, whether Wei Xu can get stable playing time in the new season depends on whether Wei Xu's performance in the summer league and the integration of the team are better than Kenny Marshall.

The Nets don't need him to realize his talent and become a star in a short time. As long as he can contribute on the defensive end and on the counterattack, and hit three-pointers in open opportunities, it will be considered a huge help to the team.

In the next few days, after reporting to the team, Wei Xu has been training with his teammates to make final sprint preparations for the upcoming summer league.

Wei Xu chose No. 50, which was no one in the team, and took the first step in his career.

Wearing the No. 50 jersey is to tell myself at all times that knowing yourself on the court is the first step in your career and starting from scratch.

On July 6, Wei Xu and other players and coaching staff flew to the Utah Rockies to participate in the annual summer league.

The Rocky Mountain Summer League began in 1984. The original purpose was just to promote the Jazz in the Utah area, and the participating teams were also formed by alumni of various universities.

Since 1990, the Jazz have invited the Trail Blazers, Suns and Kings to participate in the event. Until this year, more than half of the league's teams have participated.

Summer League is a competition participated by many NBA teams during the offseason. NBA teams will try a summer league lineup that is different from the regular season at this time. Most of the league players are rookies and sophomores, and the teams have to inspect.

Unsigned free agents.

Generally, the main players and main substitutes of each team will not participate in the summer league. They will seize all the time to rest and recuperate.

The main players participating in the summer league are still the team's fringe players, free agents, and NBDL players. These people have only one goal, which is to use the summer league to gain trust, avoid being laid off, and strive to perform well next season.

For example, some high school or college players with very promising prospects sometimes use the summer league to prove their strength, which is very beneficial to their future draft.

The personnel mobility in the summer league is very high. Players can immediately go to another place to represent other teams after participating in this team's game.

The team's head coach generally does not participate, and the team is often led by an assistant coach. This year, the Nets are led by assistant coach Lawrence Frank, a fat white man who is unexpectedly bald at a young age.

In addition, the summer league is also a testing ground for adapting to the new NBA rules. Here the league can test new rules, and referees will also get a chance to warm up. Many NBA referees will be selected through the summer league.

Rookies can use the summer league as a buffer zone to enter the NBA. Wang Zhizhi and Nowitzki were drafted into the NBA together. Nowitzki's performance was average in the first two seasons, but he performed well after playing in the summer league in the third season.

There has been improvement and he has gradually become the main force of the Mavericks.

Wang Zhizhi missed the summer league after the draft because he had to play on behalf of the Chinese men's basketball team. After joining the Mavericks, he simply could not adapt to the NBA quickly.

The next year, Wang Zhizhi fell out with the Chinese Basketball Association precisely because he wanted to play in the summer league to improve his skills. Unfortunately, Wang Zhizhi did not seize the opportunity of the summer league to improve his level like Nowitzki did.

Players participating in the summer league do not receive a salary, they only strive to win and prove their strength. Although the players receive some subsidies during the process, no one will participate in the annual summer league for money.

Fourteen players representing the Nets checked into a hotel not far from the arena. Wei Xu was assigned to a room with Brandon Armstrong. The coaching staff deliberately arranged this because the two were in the same year.

Rookies who enter the league have no pressure to live in the same room, and they can have more common topics.

The players practiced together the next morning, and it ended in an hour. The summer league schedule was very tight, and the players needed time to rest. The practice together was more about explaining some details, much like a meeting at work.

At six o'clock in the evening, the Nets ushered in their first opponent in the summer league, the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies have many rookies coming to compete, the biggest one being the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, Pau Gasol.

Gasol does not have any NCAA experience. He has been playing in European leagues over the years and is an international rookie selected directly from the Spanish league by an NBA team.

Gasol is a well-known talent in the European basketball world. He averaged less than 24 minutes per game, but contributed 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, and won the La Liga championship with the team.

Not only that, the 20-year-old Gasol can already use his seven-foot height to completely overwhelm the opponent's inside players, and scouts from the NBA have already coveted his talent.

During the three seasons he played for Barcelona, ​​he became the top all-around player in the Spanish league, and his team-oriented playing style and selfless style of play made him the type of overseas player that NBA teams most desire.

Many people compare Gasol with Toni Kukoc, the famous Chicago Bulls player of the year. The latter is also a big player who combines ball control and shooting, but Gasol's physical condition is obviously better than Cuco.

Qi is even more superior.

Another thing the two have in common is that they both invited Herbert Ludoy as their agent. His first task is to help Gasol get out of the Barcelona contract. After all, the 2.5 million buyout condition is very important for any player.

Each NBA team has a large sum of money. Therefore, Ludoy is actively looking for teams willing to invest in Gasol, or at least ensure that he can become a high draft pick and can afford the buyout himself.

Billy Knight, who serves as the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies, can be said to be Gasol's noble man. He believes that this young man has incredible potential for improvement and is even expected to become an All-Star. Therefore, the Atlanta Hawks selected Gasol with the third overall pick.

After adding Gasol, Knight immediately traded him to the lineup.

In a parallel world, Gasol is a recognized international star.

He played for a total of 18 years in his career, won two championship rings with the team, was selected to the All-Star 6 times in his career, and was selected to the All-NBA Team 4 times. After retiring, he was nominated for the Hall of Fame. He is the best international player in NBA history.

One of the players.

Wei Xu was very excited. The opponent in the first game of his career was a big player like Pau Gasol. Defeating Gasol would definitely be something worth remembering.

The Nets players stayed in the locker room for a while, and when they changed their jerseys and went out, the stands were already filled with dense fans.

Because it is a summer league, there are no advertisements placed on both sides of the stands. The arena looks very clean and full of people's love for basketball.

Looking at the huge crowd around him, Wei Xu, who was on the NBA court for the first time, was a little nervous, but he was more excited.

He was nervous because he had never played in the NBA. Although the French Second Division was also a registered professional basketball league, it was nothing compared to the NBA.

He was excited because he finally realized his original dream and stood on the NBA court sweating in his lifetime.

More importantly, he now has the strength of an NBA player. With the help of the system, he has made rapid progress. His physical talent is among the best in history, and he is not inferior to any star.

Ten minutes later, players from both sides came out to warm up. Wei Xu saw Pau Gasol with long golden brown hair.

In the locker room, coach Frank said that we should pay attention to the defense of Pau Gasol. If necessary, we can even flank him. Don't underestimate his ability just because he is an international player. Gasol's footwork is extremely mobile.

Strong, ranked among the best among big men, and an inside man who can play as a guard.

Gasol is 213cm tall and weighed only 104kg when he first entered the league. His overall body shape is thin, which makes him look taller.

Gasol is the same height as the Nets' starting center Jason Collins today, but Collins is a full circle thicker than Gasol. He is also 2.13 meters tall, but weighs 116 kilograms.

Fortunately, Gasol is playing the power forward position tonight and will not be facing off against Jason Collins. Otherwise, the Grizzlies coach will definitely be scared to death, fearing that Gasol will be knocked out by his opponents in the summer league.

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There are not many European players selected with the top three picks in the first round, especially those without any NCAA experience. This is rare in this period. There are almost no outside media who are optimistic about Gasol's career prospects.

Before him, the league had many high-ranking international players entering the league, but their success rates were generally low, and their draft picks were rarely so high. Usually, being selected by a team in the lottery was considered high.

It's a rookie.

The Grizzlies management is optimistic about Gasol because of his soft shooting touch and basketball skills. This is probably a unique training system for European insiders. The shooting and skills of inside players are very good, but in terms of physical confrontation, they are not as good as those in the United States.

Local insider.
To be continued...