Xiao Yang did not go to the stadium for the last Summer League game. He only chatted with Kobe for a while before the game, expressing his hope that he could control his desire to attack in the first half and use the passing to motivate the team to ensure the flow of the offense on the field.
Kobe, on the other hand, fulfilled Xiao Yang's request in the game. In the last summer league game, he used his personal ability to tear apart the defense at the beginning of the game. After attracting the defense, he used the pass to lead the attack of the Los Angeles team. The fans in the stadium shouted showtime, Magic II.
In the second half, Kobe showed them that even though he was a Laker guard, he had entered the league as Jordan's successor. A series of dazzling attacks, sudden stops from mid-range, back-to-back shots, dunks, and endless offensive methods made people deeply understand what an offensive kaleidoscope was.
This game became Kobe's personal stage. In 38 minutes, he made 9 of 22 shots and 17 of 21 free throws. He scored a career-high 36 points. In addition, he also sent out 5 assists to lead the Los Angeles team to victory. It was worth mentioning that all 5 assists were obtained by Kobe in the first half.
The summer league ended here. In the entire Summer Alliance, Kobe was average at 28.2 points, 6.3 rebounded, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
The other two players that Xiao Yang had his eye on, Fisher and Big Ben, also performed well. Fisher displayed the qualities of an excellent shooter. He could make two three-pointers per game, and his 42% three-point shooting rate was the best in the Xia Alliance. As a point guard, he had a little less assists, only 2.6. But considering that Kobe was basically the one who initiated the strategy of the Laker, this was not a problem.
Big Ben, on the other hand, was a little lost in the first few games. He couldn't find his position and made a lot of mistakes. However, ever since Xiao Yang showed David how to use Big Ben in the game, Big Ben felt much more comfortable on the court. He no longer had to play with his back and support his opponents. He only did two things on the court: help defend and rebound on the defensive end, and cover on the offensive end. In Xia United's last two games, Big Ben's points were not high, with an average of 10.4 points per game. However, he was able to grab 15 rebounding per game, including three in the front court. He could also contribute two blocked shots and one steal. He was a natural defender.
Xiao Yang was standing on the Staples Center training ground, surrounded by a few players who had just been signed by the Los Angeles Clippers this summer: Kobe, Fisher, Ben Benz, and Bowen. That's right, after the game against the Heat, West immediately found Bowen and handed him a five-year contract.
Bowen had been playing in the NBA and the French league. Now that he had an NBA team and a powerhouse like the Los Angeles Clippers willing to give him a long-term contract, he signed the contract without even thinking about it. He didn't care about the basic salary. He just wanted this opportunity.
Clapping his hands, Xiao Yang signaled for everyone to quiet down." Alright, the summer league is over. You will welcome the first NBA offseason of your career. You will not have a game until early October.”
"In these few months, even though the Alliance gave you a break, I hope you don't give yourselves a break.”Xiao Yang looked at them and said," You are all rookies. You don't have the fatigue of last season's NBA games. You don't need to relax during the off-season. While others are resting, you need to use this time to close the gap between you and those star players in the league.”
"The team will send a professional team to guide you on the specific training methods.”Xiao Yang paused." I hope that you can strictly follow their plan, including the diet. There will also be a professional nutritionist to make it for you. You are not allowed to eat extra meals without permission. Do not even touch junk food, understand?”
"Don't worry, Boss. We will train hard.”Fisher was the first to stand out. Kobe and the others nodded to show that they would strictly abide by the requirements.
"Yes, I'll give you some additional advice. You guys can refer to it and listen to it if you think it's useful.”Xiao Yang looked at them.
"Kobe, I'm sure you know that there has never been a high school guard who won the lottery. The reason why the Laker is willing to choose you is because Jerry and I think highly of you. We hope that you can grow into the core of the Laker team in the future.”
"That's why the management will have higher expectations of you. I hope you can grow up faster and take over the glory of being a Laker guard.”Xiao Yang said to Kobe.
Kobe did not say anything. He nodded with a serious expression. He had a strong and stubborn competitive spirit. In his later years, he became the star player of the league because of his masochistic training. Until Kobe retired, the legend of 4 am in the NBA was still circulating. For an ordinary person, Xiao Yang's words would undoubtedly bring about tremendous pressure, but for Kobe, he enjoyed the pressure. He would turn the pressure into motivation to spur himself on.
"I hope you can gain about 10 pounds this summer. Your body is a little thin now. Although your explosive power is strong, your resistance is still not enough.”Kobe weighed less than 80 kilograms. Compared to the current NBA, which emphasized physical confrontation, a thin figure would be a big disadvantage.
Xiao Yang's first suggestion to Kobe was to gain weight." Also, your shooting isn't stable enough. I hope you can practice more mid-range shooting in the summer. You can ignore the three-pointer for now, but a stable mid-range shooting can kill your opponent.”
"There's also the use of your low post footwork. You need to practice it too. Watch more videos of Jordan and Olajuwon's games. Good low post footwork can make it easier for you to shake off your opponents and gain space to shoot.”Xiao Yang patted Kobe." I only have these three suggestions. I hope you can work hard in this direction during the summer.”
Xiao Yang's three points could be summarized into one point. He hoped that Kobe would be able to practice his back-to-back technique in the summer. His strong body would allow Kobe to lean on his opponent more easily. He could use his footwork to dodge and easily score mid-range shots. Jordan was one of them. His opponent would be completely defenseless.
"Okay, Xiao. I will work hard in this direction with the trainer.”Kobe nodded. He felt that Xiao Yang's suggestion was indeed a good way to strengthen his skills.
"Derek, I only have one request for you, and that is your shooting ability. I hope that you can practice your open spot shooting in the next few months. The new season, the Los Angeles Clippers need a stable shooting point. I told Harris that as long as your shooting rate can satisfy him, he will give you satisfactory playing time.”
Xiao Yang's only requirement for Fisher was to hit open shots. He knew that with Shaq on the court in the new season, there would be plenty of open shots on the perimeter. Even if Kobe, Jones, and the other stars would take most of the perimeter shots, some would still be distributed to other role players.
Fisher was a player with a big heart. Strengthening his shooting skills would definitely help the Los Angeles team. Fisher understood this and nodded. It would be easier for him to practice shooting in the summer. After all, he already had a certain shooting ability. He just needed to practice it more steadily.
"Ben, I'm still very relieved about you. I only have one suggestion for you in the summer, and that is to make free throws.”Speaking of Big Ben's free throws, the corner of Xiao Yang's eyes began to twitch a few times. It was killing him. Big Ben's free throws were worse than Shark's. The Summer League only had a 35% free throw percentage. Xiao Yang felt that he could do better than that.
"With this requirement, if you can practice to 60% of your free throws, you will be considered qualified this summer.”Big Ben's strength was already enough, and it would not increase much if he continued to train. Xiao Yang did not expect Big Ben to be that good offensively, but he just hoped that he would not let anyone hack Shaq's defense in the future. Xiao Yang rolled his eyes at the thought. Oh my god, what kind of sin had he committed? The two centers with the worst free throws in the league were both on the Los Angeles team. If old Nelson met the Los Angeles team, he would probably lose a lot of rotation even if he hacked Shaq.
"Bruce, your request is the same as Derek's.”Bao Wen was on the verge of tears when he heard Xiao Yang's words. His current shooting ability was terrible. He only had a little over 60% of his free throws. It was too difficult for him to practice shooting in one summer.
"Of course, you only need to practice the two empty three-pointers in the bottom corner.”Xiao Yang looked at Bao Wen's bitter face and expressed that he was very happy.
"Alright, Boss." When Bao Wen heard that he only needed to practice the three-pointer from the bottom corner, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Although he was a terrible shooter, for some reason, it was as if the two corners were his G-spot. Every time he stood in the corner to shoot, he felt inexplicably stable. Perhaps this was his talent. Xiao Yang had asked him to practice the three-pointer from the bottom corner. He only needed Xia Tian to strengthen the stability of his shooting from the two corners.
"Alright, that's it. You guys rest for two days. After two days, the trainer will be waiting for you here.”Xiao Yang clapped his hands, indicating that everyone could disperse.
Ring, ring, ring. Xiao Yang's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it. It was a call from Charaz. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.
" Hello, Xiao? My movie is done. Do you want to go out tomorrow?" Charaz asked with a smile.
"Sure ~" Xiao Yang smiled so widely that even his teeth could be seen.
Everyone, give me a few flowers and add them to your collection.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]