I was a top student in America.

Chapter 100 Agility 120, unlocked entry (Please subscribe)

Basketball training in the American high school system is completely different from that of outdoor basketball courts.

On a basketball court, what matters is physical fitness, touch, and on-the-spot performance, but high school teams train a different set of things.

Tactical positioning, defensive footwork, and vision in reading the game—all of these need to be honed little by little.

Newcomers with poor foundations will definitely struggle when they first join the team, but as long as they can get through the initial growing pains, their progress is often very noticeable.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Li Ao pushed open the door of the gymnasium and arrived on time to participate in the Eagles team's summer training camp.

Since being appointed as the new captain by Coach Durant, he has shouldered a lot more responsibility.

In addition to completing his own daily training, he is now also responsible for the team's basic training.

He had to lead the way in everything from pre-game warm-ups and full-body stretching to spot shooting practice.

At first, the team members were used to calling him Leo. Later, a few younger new members took the lead in calling him "Captain," and the name gradually spread and became impossible to change back.

Fortunately, Li Ao established his authority with several tough games last season, and the team was convinced of his abilities, so there were no power struggles or other troubles.

"Today we'll mainly practice one-on-one offense and defense."

At center circle, Coach Durant stood with his hands on his hips, shouting at the crowd.

After a summer of toil, his protruding belly looked smaller than before.

"You'll take turns going up there later to practice one-on-one ball handling and defense with your captain."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight commotion arose among the team members who were stretching on the sidelines. Many of them exchanged glances, clearly eager to try.

Everyone on the team knows that Li Ao has a strong ability to read the game and his three-point shot is incredibly accurate, but physical confrontation is not his forte.

This made many people uneasy, thinking that if it were a one-on-one fight, they might have a chance.

In particular, the veteran players who played key rotation roles last season are eager to take this opportunity to impress the coach.

After all, with TySean and the others graduating and leaving, several starting positions have become available, and everyone wants to compete for them.

Li Ao ignored the commotion around him.

He had just finished two sets of high-intensity shuttle runs and was now straddling a bench with one leg, stretching with his head down.

After practicing day by day, just now, the moment he finished the last set of shuttle runs, his agility attribute on the panel broke through.

A system notification then appeared.

[Under intense training — Agility +1]

[Agility: 120.0]

[Unlock entry: Lightning Speed]

[Affix Effect: Your absolute speed is greatly increased, and you can complete body movements faster and maintain sufficient stability during high-speed starts, changes of direction, and sprint transitions. This ability is enhanced as your agility attribute increases.]

"Does this indirectly increase the speed of the first step in a breakthrough and the rotation speed on defense?"

After quickly scanning the effect description, Li Ao had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Last season's games have proven that his shooting touch and passing ability are more than enough for high school basketball, and he can hold his own against any of the top basketball schools in the North District.

But his real weakness is his most basic physical fitness.

Compared to those naturally gifted Black players with amazing running and jumping abilities, he still suffers in terms of strength and explosive endurance, which is why his ball-handling breakthroughs have never been particularly sharp.

Although the panel has the "Explosive Power" attribute, it's more like a one-off thing to save the day. His stamina simply can't support him flying around and dodging like that for the entire match.

Last season, with the help of strong players like Tayshaun and Darryl to set screens and keep defenders in place, he was able to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.

However, with the team undergoing a major overhaul in the new season, if he really takes on the responsibility of being the core of the perimeter offense, and with the quality of the interior screens declining, if his first step with the ball is not fast enough, he will easily be closely guarded by the opponent and have his weaknesses exploited.

The newly unlocked entry has inadvertently filled the most fatal gap.

He was pondering the practical application of the new term when Coach Durant suddenly called out his name from the center circle.

"Leo, you're the captain, come up here and practice one-on-one with the rest of us."

Without hesitation, Li Ao stood up from the bench decisively.

"They're here."

Having experienced several tough battles and game-winning shots last season, he now holds a prominent position in the team.

Especially in the eyes of those substitutes who sit on the bench all day, he is simply a living example of a comeback.

Who wouldn't want to be like him, working their way up from the bottom of the bench to eventually become an indispensable core player for the team?

Li Ao was already used to these looks, whether admiring or resentful.

He took a few steps to stand outside the three-point line on the right, turned his head to look at the coach, and waited for the coach to give instructions to his opponent.

Coach Durant looked at him and grinned.

"Everyone knows Leo is accurate from three-point range. When the new season starts, other schools will definitely assign someone to guard him closely. So today we're adding a rule for him: no three-pointers allowed, only drives to the basket, to practice his physicality more."

At this point, Coach Durant glanced at the substitutes on the sidelines.

"This is kind of giving you guys a break. If he really lets you hit a three-pointer every time, you two simply can't defend it one-on-one." He turned his gaze back to Li Ao, "Giving you some pressure beforehand. Is that alright, Leo?"

Without waiting for Li Ao to speak, he waved to the sidelines: "Jaylen, you go first."

When Jay Chou heard his name called, he immediately ran into the venue excitedly.

Li Ao's outside shooting is strong, and everyone on the team admires him.

But since the coach had said not to shoot three-pointers, Jaylen felt a little more confident.

As long as I provide close-quarters contact and sufficient physical contact, I might not be unable to prevent him from breaking through.

He tossed the basketball to Li Ao, quickly bent his knees to lower his center of gravity, and spread his arms in a defensive stance:

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Captain, you go first.

Li Ao received the ball, dribbled it twice in place to get a feel for it, then held the ball at his waist and softly replied, "Then be careful."

Before he finished speaking, he took a step to the left with his right foot as a test.

Immediately afterwards, he swayed his shoulder and used an extremely crisp crossover to pull the basketball back to his right hand.

Just as Jaylen was about to slide sideways to block, Li Ao, taking advantage of his suddenly increased starting speed, slipped in through the gap in the defense.

He dribbled the ball to the vicinity of the free throw line.

He stopped abruptly, pushed off the ground to retreat, and then jumped up for a shot.

The basketball was flicked from the fingertips, drawing a clean arc in the air before falling swirlily into the net.

Coach Durant, standing on the sidelines, watched the entire offensive sequence and instinctively paused for a second.

Given Li Ao's shooting consistency, it wasn't surprising at all that he made the shot from that spot.

What truly surprised him was the sudden, unexpected burst of energy that triggered his breakthrough.

The movements were too clean.

It was crisp and efficient, without a single unnecessary pause.

This is a technical maneuver that can't be accomplished simply by being good-natured.

The team's guards who specialize in breaking through defenses practice their first step every day, but when faced with high-intensity competition, they still inevitably lose the ball or become unbalanced.

If they run into those physically strong teams in the North Division in the new season, this weakness will only be magnified.

Durant originally arranged this one-on-one match just to test Li Ao's basketball skills and stamina after spending the entire summer at the math summer camp.

Unexpectedly, a pleasant surprise occurred.

He remained silent, suppressing his excitement, and blew his whistle to signal that the confrontation should continue.

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