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Chapter 602 - 260. Hill: Compared with Zhang San, it seems that I am not that talented either_2

Chapter 602: 260. Hill: Compared with Zhang San, it seems that I am not that talented either_2

Back on the wing, Felton was naturally willing. On the defensive end, he was only good at guarding shooters from the flank and blocking penetration. Asking him to defend an opposing ball handler at the top of the arc was indeed difficult for him. As for whether his little brother could guard well... he was full of confidence in his little bro’s talent!

After the timeout, the Bulls inbounded the ball from the frontcourt. Hinrich received the pass and saw Zhang Yang guarding him, which was somewhat unexpected—would this youngest FMVP in history be able to defend? Time to test it out!

Hinrich didn’t call for a pick and roll and went straight for a crossover dribble!

Zhang Yang’s defensive anticipation was accurate. The moment Hinrich truly started his drive, Zhang Yang slid laterally. Hinrich was blocked!

Though Zhang Yang’s physicality wasn’t as aggressive as Felton’s or Deron’s, compared to the 193 cm+, 86 kg Hinrich, he was still significantly stronger. Hinrich was like hitting a wall head-on and suddenly stumbled.

Luckily, Hinrich’s fundamentals were exceptionally solid. He protected the ball well, used the rebounding force to retreat a step backwards to the left, and, picking up the ball... was closely guarded! He couldn’t jump!

Zhang Yang had initially used his height and wingspan advantage to cover Hinrich’s shooting space. When Hinrich picked up the ball, Zhang Yang immediately pressed up.

On the left side of the free-throw line, Joe Smith quickly came up for the pass. Hill directly left Joe Smith and trapped the dead-ball Hinrich.

Hinrich turned his body, sticking out his butt to try and prevent Zhang Yang and Hill from stealing the ball. Joe Smith ran outside the three-point line, and Hinrich promptly passed the ball, which Zhang Yang quickly slapped down!

Hill cooperated very well, snagging the ball the first chance he got... only to be hugged by Hinrich as the referee’s whistle blew.

Hinrich used a tactical foul to stop Hill and Zhang Yang from starting a fast break. This defensive decision was very good, but what surprised him even more at the moment was Zhang Yang’s defense.

He had considered Zhang Yang’s mobility, height, wingspan, and defensive talents not bad, with possibly decent fundamentals too.

But this defense was exceptionally good, wasn’t it? He was only careless for a moment, and the opponent completely shut him down!

Hill was also surprised by this new teammate’s defensive performance.

During the training camp phase, he also saw Zhang Yang’s solid defensive fundamentals during individual practice and team scrimmages. Among players in their early 20s, he stood out but only among those who couldn’t drink alcohol. Compared to real defensive experts, the gap was still quite evident... Hill’s defensive footwork was superior to Zhang Yang’s.

Zhang Yang had good defensive awareness and strong offensive reading abilities, Hill was aware of this too. It was evident from the proper positioning Zhang Yang maintained when defending off the ball.

But Zhang Yang’s defensive habits were so good that they were unbelievable to Hill.

After sticking to Hinrich, Zhang Yang didn’t rashly reach in for the ball. Instead, he stayed close to restrict Hinrich’s lift-off, used his height to limit Hinrich’s vision, his wingspan to interfere with passes to the wings, and waited for Hill’s double-team to move in. Even then, Zhang Yang wasn’t impulsive, avoiding being fooled into a foul by Hinrich and only when he was sure he wouldn’t commit a foul, did Zhang Yang decisively strike for the steal... was that a coincidence?

The fast break was stopped by a foul, and the Bobcats settled into a half-court offense.

Felton took the inbound pass and advanced to the frontcourt, lobbing it to the high post for Zhang Yang, who was backing down Sefolosha.

Zhang Yang caught the ball and slammed it against Sefolosha, pushing back the still slightly slender 22-year-old, turned around, and made the jump shot... it went in!

Sefolosha’s defense was actually quite good. Although he was only in his second year in the NBA, he had been playing in professional leagues since ’01— one year in the Swiss League, three in the French League, one in the Italian League, and in his rookie season, he had shown mature defensive readiness.

But it just so happened that Zhang Yang "recently" faced Sefolosha for six games, knew his defensive strengths and weaknesses all too well. Against this kind of opponent with more than adequate but not strong enough defense, a straightforward approach worked just fine.

Zhang Yang’s high-post back-to-the-basket turnaround shot made Jordan watching from the sideline very pleased—the expensive monthly salary paid to Grove wasn’t in vain! Bad Boy Jack’s offense had become even cleaner and more efficient.

When the Bulls had the ball, after Hinrich advanced into the frontcourt, he tried some fake moves, but the opponent was steady as hell, just using height and wingspan to disrupt the shot.

Hinrich gave up continuing the isolation play; that wasn’t his forte anyway. He didn’t care if he looked bad not being able to beat the league’s youngest player on a one-on-one, so he gestured for Joe Smith to set a pick and roll.

Zhang Yang and Hill switched in defense, and although they couldn’t prevent Joe Smith from cutting in, they kept up with him and expertly executed a front cut-off, not giving Hinrich the chance to make a direct connection with Joe Smith.

On the other side, Ben Wallace stepped out to help Luol Deng by blocking Mike Miller while Hinrich and Joe Smith were running the pick-and-roll.

Okafor switched immediately to cut off Luol Deng’s receiving space but failed to stop Deng’s cut to the basket.

Hinrich’s sudden stop-and-shoot was covered by Hill, passing to the cutting Luol Deng.

When Luol Deng went under the basket, Zhang Yang was the first to step up for the defense... but couldn’t hold his ground, allowing Deng to power through him for two points.

Even though that play wasn’t stopped, Hill, who saw the image of Zhang Yang playing one-on-two defense inside, was still shocked... There really was such a genius! A player who had never officially taken on a defensive role before, yet had a defensive instinct that was no worse than his, after playing for more than a decade!

Always praised for top-level talent, Hill felt at that moment as if his own gifts weren’t so special...

Zhang Yang, on the other hand, didn’t hear the sound of the veteran’s heart breaking; he was immersed in the game, doing what he was supposed to do.

Even though the outcome of the game wasn’t crucial, once he was on the court he wanted to win, just like when playing "League of Legends," even against the computer he didn’t want to lose.

Moreover, in his view, the purpose of preseason games was to test tactics, so of course he had to give his all, letting the coach and teammates know what he could deliver, how they should arrange tactical roles for him, and how to coordinate with him!

...

At 9:58 PM, the final whistle blew, and the Bobcats won their first preseason game easily with a score of 98 to 86 against the Chicago Bulls.

Zhang Yang played for 29 minutes, made 9 out of 17 shots, including a perfect one from three-point range, plus 3 out of 4 free throws, scoring 22 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Sefolosha and Luol Deng defended well against his perimeter catch-and-shoots, especially beyond the three-point line, but not so well at mid-range. Sefolosha was quick on his feet but lacked strength, while Deng had a clear strength advantage but couldn’t defend against his sudden stops and jump shots.

The main issue was still that Ben Wallace didn’t dare to extend his defense too far out, giving Zhang Yang good shooting conditions within a step inside the free throw line.

In fact, during the second and third unit phases, the Bulls didn’t perform much worse than the Bobcats. They just lacked an isolation scorer like Zhang Yang. Okafor or Felton could handle the main offense, with Hinrich and Deng being enough to deal with the opposition.

The biggest difference was still in the starting lineup... Yao Ming only played for a few minutes at the beginning and didn’t play again. If it hadn’t been for Carlisle already starting to practice plays focused on Mike Miller’s long-distance movement and passing in the last quarter, the Bobcats’ score might have floated past 110.

Without Yao Ming, the Bulls were greatly affected, and since it was only a preseason game, both the Bobcats’ coaching staff and players didn’t make much of the victory. They were more concerned with the individual performances of the players.

After the game, back at the hotel, the Bobcats’ management and coaching staff held a meeting to review the game, discussing player performance, tactical coordination, and preparing for the next preseason game.

Not just Hill was amazed by Zhang Yang’s defensive talents. Carlisle, Bickerstaff, Little Bickerstaff, Randy Brown... and others couldn’t stop praising his performance in the preseason opener when analyzing it.

Even Jordan grumbled about the defensive habits Zhang Yang displayed that evening...

But they weren’t as surprised as Hill. Entering the NBA at 17 with an average of 15+ points, not yet 19 years and one month old and already an FMVP, Zhang Yang’s talent for offense was maxed out, and now he had a touch of defensive talent too—any problem with that? None whatsoever, they were used to it by now.

What truly pleased them was Hill’s performance in actual combat; he could shoot, take on some ball-handling responsibilities, defend positions 2-4, and playmaking... The key point was that he played 25 minutes without a notable decline in performance, and they estimated he could keep it up for an additional seven or eight minutes. That might weaken a bit in the regular season, but so what? Those two million were well worth it!

Besides, they now had an additional, delightful problem...

Carlisle, "I didn’t expect Paul’s playmaking talent to be that good..."