Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 199 New Challenge, Road to Evolution
Chen Fang came out of the first class cabin. He settled Wu Zi down and returned to his seat. Next to him was the head coach Andy. He smiled and said, "You're sitting in business class, and your girlfriend is sitting in first class?"

"I have no choice. Accompanying the head coach is the most important thing. If I don't get playing time, who can I cry to?" Chen Fang's Chinese-style English always gives Americans a special and novel feeling, just like taking an advanced English class, with all the words combined by intuition and association. "Who can I cry to?" With this sentence, people with slow brains will doubt whether they heard it wrong. Only when they react will they smile knowingly.

It's like watching a sitcom, you can always hear interesting lines, which is why many people like to talk to Chen Fang.

The plane is flying steadily in the stratosphere, but there are still more than ten long hours to go, so we must find something to do.

So Andy started a conversation he had been planning for a long time.

"Chen, do you know why there is the term "parallel imports"? " he asked.

"Unable to realize talent, failing to reach expected standards, and performing poorly?" Chen Fang replied.

"That's understandable, but I want to ask, why are there fake players? There are so many scouts, they are experienced and have a keen eye, but they still make mistakes. What's the reason?"

Chen Fang thought for a moment and shook his head: "It seems that you already have the answer, coach. I am all ears."

"Yes, I do have some answers. Well, I'm going to share this long journey with you, and I hope you can avoid falling into this pit."

This was the start of the story. Andy perked up and started to speak.

"First of all, from a technical perspective, what is the most stable technology?" he began to ask.

Chen Fang replied: "In my opinion, pull-up shots, post-up singles, and open shots are the most stable ways to score."

Andy nodded approvingly, "Yes, why not the others?"

“The other senses are affected a lot.”

"Ha, it seems like you have some knowledge about basketball. I'm surprised that this shouldn't come from an 18-year-old's mind."

"There are always exceptions. I really enjoy researching." Chen Fang replied calmly.

"In addition to what you mentioned before, we also need to add the half-court shot and the small hook shot. The quick stop doesn't actually count. The most stable scoring technique is just one principle."

“The closer the basket is, the more stable it is.”

"I have seen too many so-called geniuses who scored amazingly high in high school and continuously presented jaw-dropping highlights on both offense and defense. As a result, they were touted by some media and scouts as the next Kobe, James, and if they have a bit of nerve, George or Wade."

"But when they enter college, they average seven or eight points per game, or even five or six points per game. Why do you think that is?"

Chen Fang said without much thought: "I am not used to the intensity of the confrontation, the ball possession is occupied, the tactics are arranged in the wrong position, there are many factors. I used to have this worry, so I spent more time training and honing my skills."

"Yeah, you almost didn't hit the NCAA rookie wall. Did you know that you were the first USC to have a triple-double, and in the first game? Did you know that you had made history?"

It was Chen Fang's turn to be surprised. He had never thought that USC didn't have a triple-double. Then he heard head coach Andy say, "In fact, even double-doubles are rare. DeMar and Nick Young only had a few."

"I will talk about this topic later. Let's get back to the point. Why is it so difficult for so-called talented high school students to maintain their original data after entering the NCAA? They can't even do half of it. The core reason is that the opponents they have to face are no longer of that strength. Instead, they are replaced by players who have gone through several rounds of screening and have a fairly high level."

"Just like the NBA later, every screening means the difficulty is getting higher. You were 198cm tall in high school, and your opponent might be about the same height, but it's impossible for all five players on the court to be at this level. You can always find a chance to score."

"But unfortunately, as you rise in level, you reach a higher average physical strength. Even if you still have the ability to score, your scoring efficiency will be greatly weakened. Various strict defensive strategies will squeeze your scoring space, and there will be competition from the same position in the team. This requires you to improve yourself and keep getting stronger. If you rely on talent to make a living, you will eventually die."

Listening quietly to the coach's words, Chen Fang roughly figured out what he meant. It sounded like he was talking about science, but in fact, it was a reminder.

"I never took the All-American high school players selected by ESPN seriously. Although they always make some discoveries, most of them are disappointing when they reach the NCAA. The fake ones I just mentioned don't refer to the NBA, but the NCAA."

"Many players start to change when they come to the D1 league, because if they don't change, they will not get playing time. They must abandon some flashy skills that once dominated the high school arena and turn to find more reliable and stable scoring skills."

"But you are indeed a surprise. I never thought that someone could fully realize the skills from high school to D1. This made me reflect. When I talked to my colleagues, I asked them what Chen's shortcomings were."

"We have been thinking about this for a long time, and difficult expressions require more time to judge."

"This is very telling. Your shooting technique and high-frequency speed support all your skills, making it difficult for others to defeat you except for injuries."

"But what if it's really an injury?"

Looking at Andy's serious expression, Chen Fang recalled everything he had experienced and answered with deep emotion: "Yes, injuries."

"The only thing I want to avoid is injuries, not opponents."

"Sports require a precise whole, and your body is a whole. If there is a problem in any link, it means that this precise weapon has lost its qualification to play."

"From small things like fingers to large things like ligaments, do you know when I admired Kobe and even highly recognized him?" Andy asked.

Without waiting for Chen Fang to answer, he continued, "On April 13, 4, the Lakers faced the Warriors. It was a crucial game for the playoffs. Kobe ruptured his Achilles tendon. He then returned to the court from the bench with a blank face, made a few free throws, and fulfilled his last responsibility for the team on the court."

"A long time later, some players who experienced this game recalled that they didn't dare to look Kobe in the eye when he was shooting free throws, and even felt a sense of humiliation and shame just standing on the court."

"If anyone knew that their Achilles tendon was ruptured, they would be very strong not to collapse, but who could return to the court and shoot free throws? They admitted that at this moment, they were shocked."

"Why am I saying this? I just want to tell you that injuries will occur. They are like the vicious and scorching sun. They will appear sooner or later. But some people treat them as moonlight and face them calmly and bravely."

"It must be admitted that Kobe, who broke his Achilles tendon, can no longer return to his peak, but his scoring data is still good, and he can still dominate the outcome of some games. His post-up play, his pull-up jump shot, and his breakthrough after the pick-and-roll are still effective."

"That's the thing. Only when the tide goes out do you find out what you really have on the beach."

"That's why Kobe, Iverson, and a lot of the veteran stars, their respect comes from that."

"It's not the statistics, it's not the media, it's not the fans, it's the opponents."

"Only opponents know how valuable it is to be able to score when you are injured."

"So, when we interview some NBA stars, they will share some details about their games with these superstars and tell us their feelings and comments."

"If you hear your opponents praising you, especially in private, then you've done it."

"Don't ever think that you will not be respected, but more people will join the group of people who laugh at you."

"So, the reason why I said so much is to communicate your responsibilities in the team."

Chen Fang was also surprised. He smiled bitterly and said, "Coach, your preparation is too long."

"The journey is long, and you have to take care of the nagging of an old man like me." Andy smiled.

"Come on then." Chen Fang adjusted the backrest and half-lay down.

Seeing this, Andy quickly pulled him up: "You just listen instead of watching?"

Chen Fang, who was pulled up, was just pretending. When he sat up, he found that the head coach had taken out his Apple notebook. He perked up and agreed, "Understood, boss."

Andy used the video of the game as a sample and began to analyze it frame by frame, including Chen Fang's response and thinking. Finally, he said, "First of all, it's not that I don't want you to get a double-double or triple-double, but the entire team will not make wedding dresses for you."

“It’s about team cohesion.”

"Yes, I have no objection." Chen Fang was very calm. Because of the conflict in the first game and his own desire, it was not easy to get the triple-double, but it did sacrifice everyone's data.

"The first consideration for a team is results, but the source of stable results is the team. This is not the NBA. Everyone gets paid and has their own contracts."

"NCAA, without these, the players are playing on the court, what is the appeal?"

"It's happiness, it's data, it's respect, it's all aspects that are related to money but not money."

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Andy asked.

"I think I understand." Chen Fang was indeed aware of the coach's concerns. He occupied too much ball possession. This game could be seen as his revenge. If every game was like this, everyone would have objections.

By then, he will go to the draft, but for others, it means that the whole year has been wasted.

I believe Tatum is in an even worse situation now. Old K is too domineering and will suppress everyone's ball rights. The game must be played and distributed according to his will.

(In the first half of his year at Duke, Rex was kept on the bench by K. K. in order to hone his mind, to help him learn to read the game, improve his on-court efficiency, and become a member of the team. This is a common problem among NCAA coaches, which are highly centralized and authoritarian.)
Now it was his turn, but at least Andy still gave him face, laid the groundwork, and explained patiently, which was already very good.

At the same time, this is an opportunity to read the game more intuitively.

"Continue to play your third position, invisible ball-controlling forward, and do everything well." Andy saw that Chen Fang did not object, at least his expression was calm, and he was relieved. "You are not good enough in conversion and semi-conversion, this is where you need to improve." Andy saw Chen Fang's eyes widened, and knew he had to say a few more words: "You like to go to the middle when you hold the ball, why?"

“Because there are more distribution routes.”

"Wrong, this is the least efficient route choice."

"Only by following the wing can we open up the air and give teammates in the middle a better chance to attack the basket."

"Holding the ball means the strong side. If you are in the middle, there will be a large number of defenders in the middle. You can indeed cause damage, but may I ask, are your teammates who are on the fast break with you running back in vain?"

Chen Fang was speechless. He began to figure out what was going on.

"What is the underlying logic of the so-called offense-defense conversion and half-conversion?" Andy asked.

"Is it fast?" Chen Fang felt a little guilty.

Andy shook his head: "It's stable."

"Why do I say that? It depends on the logic of the entire game."

"In a game, what is the original standard for winning? It is to score more points than the opponent."

"How to score more points than the opponent has become the focus of coaching. Now let me ask you, if Team A has 20 offensive and defensive transitions, 20 semi-transitions, and 60 positional battles per 30 possessions, and Team B has 30 transitions, 40 semi-transitions, and positional battles, based on this data, who has a greater chance of winning?"

"Team B." Chen Fang said without hesitation.

"Yes, since you know that transition scoring is the most efficient, do you think offense and defense are the core pursuit of the team's operation?"

"Yes." Chen Fang could only say along with what was said.

"That's great. Now there's a new problem. How can we have more conversions and half-conversions?"

Chen Fang hesitated. He thought for a moment before answering, "Fewer passes, simpler shooting options?"

"Of course not. What is a ball possession transition? When Team A misses a shot, Team B grabs the rebound and initiates an offense. This moment is an offense-defense transition. How to pass the ball farther, faster, and more accurately turns it into a fast break. If you advance with the ball, it becomes a semi-conversion. Therefore, increasing offense and defense is based on the first person to grab the rebound and the second person who receives the ball and makes the choice."

"His choices determine the number of attacks and defenses."

"We are always switching between passive and active situations on the court. Why do we say that someone is the engine? The core logic is whether he can promote the rhythm of offense and defense conversion, increase fast breaks and semi-conversions, and improve 3 vs. 2 and 4 vs. 3 situations. This is his core job."

“So, now think about it, have you done it?”

Under the scrutinizing gaze, Chen Fang's face turned ugly.

His offensive and defensive thinking became pale under the analysis of the head coach. More often than not, he held the ball at high speed, but ignored that the underlying logic of the transition was not speed, but forming a specific passing idea.

"Your burst and speed can really make USC very comfortable, but as I mentioned before, when you are injured, when you have no physical strength, when you have a cold, but you have to continue to play, I would like to ask, at this time, have you made any contribution?"

Chen Fang immediately thought of the Olympic Games. If he had what Andy said, he would have a chance to win against Serbia.

"Take away your jumping ability, your speed, and weaken all your dynamic and static talent data. What else can you provide to the team?"

"If you are just a role player, I won't talk to you about this. If you are a starter, I just hope you stay healthy. But if you have lofty goals and the highest pursuits, you still lack a lot."

"Kobe lost Shaq in 04 and won another championship ring in 09. He is no longer the one who only scores points. He has to connect and lead the entire team, distribute the ball every second, and do a good job of every attack and defense."

"Duncan, who retired with Kobe, adapted to three eras, the 3s, 90s, and 00s, winning five championships. He constantly changed himself and adapted to new responsibilities. In these five championships, he played different roles, some as an offensive player, some as a defensive player, and some as a combination of offense and defense."

"You'll find that some of the Hall of Fame superstars have gone through this, and if you want to, you will definitely go through it too."

"So, kid, learning and feeling ahead of time will help you avoid many detours in the NBA."

"Yes, sir, I accept your teachings wholeheartedly." Chen Fang understood and lowered his head.

"I will suppress your playing time, gradually increasing it from 15 minutes. I will set a standard for you, to make your stats the same as the points ratio."

"That is, if you play for one minute, you will get one point. One assist counts as two minutes, and one rebound counts as one minute. And all of this is based on the assumption that you don't occupy one-third of the ball possession."

Chen Fang was stunned. He was a little confused, but he was thankful that this seemed like an epic quest. If he could accomplish it, the reward would be crazy generous.

"I will have someone record your data, every single piece of data, and turn it into advanced data. You have to review every game, and we will review it together."

"What data do we need to get in 15 minutes?"

"10 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, this is the standard."

"The total data is 20+, the sum of these three data must be maintained at 3+, but these three items cannot be missing. If you fail in any one of them, you will fail even if you get 20 points."

"The passing score is 3 assists and 3 rebounds, including at least one offensive rebound."

“Whether you find it difficult or not, I hope you will try your best to pursue it.”

"Because this is the only way for you to transform from an ordinary star player into a true team core and the boss."

"How do you understand the ball possession?" This is what Chen Fang is most worried about.

"It seems that you are a little panicked too. Didn't I say that just now?" Andy showed a cunning look.

"Position, half-transition, fast break. You don't want to think about how many times you touch the ball, dribble, you just need to remember every time you pass, what you instigated, what you helped, these three items actually correspond to rebounds, assists, and points respectively."

"I see!" Chen Fang suddenly realized and then fell into deep thought.

The old man gave him a difficult problem, which was also a new challenge and also a guide on the road of evolution.

Thank God for letting me meet such a sincere and good coach.

Watching Chen Fang thinking, Andy was completely relieved. He was afraid that the Chinese would think in the wrong direction, but now it seems that the reason he can get to this point is not only because of his talent, but also because of his cognition.

It has always been clear that talent, without basketball IQ and emotional intelligence, is like a sports car soaked in water; it looks good but cannot run.

(Zion is a typical example of this. He seems to be undisciplined, but in fact, he has no awareness. James has made plans for the future NBA since at least high school. These 20 years are actually just the process of realizing his plan. From this point, he calls himself GOAT, which shows that he must have had this pursuit very early.)
"We don't have much time to adjust. The regular season has already started, and we only have one day to adjust after landing."

"Yes, Coach."

"Then let's see how far you can go."

"I'll give you a surprise." Chen Fang did not show weakness, but was very confident.

"Very good, but I still have to remind you that your statistics will decline, external criticism will increase, and even your draft stock will drop. Are you ready for this?"

"Always prepared." Chen Fang smiled.

　There are a lot of dialogues in this chapter. I have been thinking about it for a long time and have always wanted to use this plot to talk about my understanding of basketball and the threshold for promotion.

　　Just like when I mentioned Kobe and Duncan, only fans who have watched the Lakers and Spurs for a long time will know what I am talking about.

　　In addition, I would also like to mention that there are many new Chinese players entering the NCAA. I have spent a lot of time paying attention to them, including analyzing their games, but I am sorry that none of them can reach the most basic threshold of the NBA, which is a two-way contract.

　　Take Dan Haoran as an example. He has enough dynamic and static talents, but because of this talent, he neglected a lot of basic basketball skills and awareness.

　　His performance in pick-and-roll, roll-ups, cuts, help defense, and rotations are all at a very low level.

　　The reason why he has playing time is because he is currently a scarce inside player in the team, and his scoring skills under the basket are also very rough, but optimistically speaking, he has a strong will to learn. If he can play in the NCAA for 3 years, he has a very good chance of joining the national team and retaining some qualifications for the NBA second-round pick.

　　In fact, don't feel disappointed. Every player has room for improvement because you can change responsibilities and directions. As long as you can stay in a highly competitive environment, you have the opportunity to transform.

　　Let's talk about Wang Junjie. In fact, he has more comprehensive skills and higher basketball IQ than Dan Haoran. He needs to optimize his offensive choices and improve his self-confidence, play some unreasonable but confidence-boosting shots, and score more by killing the basket, actively seeking confrontation, and looking for points in confrontation.

　　Finally, let’s talk about the Xun brothers. What can I say? I’m not optimistic about them. Their confrontation level is not high, but their talent is just okay.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)