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Chapter 679 - 286. Is he missing a screw or is he really smart?

Chapter 679: 286. Is he missing a screw or is he really smart?

"Saying ’just a little,’ but spreading his arms to their full length, Zhang Yang wanted to see Durant grit his teeth in frustration, but instead..."

"Durant stepped forward, spread his arms, and compared them to Zhang Yang’s, saying, ’My wingspan is longer.’

Zhang Yang: ’...’

The two onlooking teammates: ’...’

For a moment, the court fell silent. Elson, who was picking up the ball to inbound, forgot to step out of bounds, and the referee, worried about bad boy Jack starting another conflict, also forgot the five-second rule on inbounds.

It was Durant who, after comparing wingspans, jogged back to the frontcourt, breaking the awkwardness, with those inbounding doing so and those on defense retreating...

Ray Allen arrived in the frontcourt and, seeing Durant tightly marked by Zhang Yang, wondered: Is this kid really so dense that he can’t understand the opponent’s trash talk, or is he cleverly using this method to manage his emotions and relieve pressure?

Regardless of which it was, Ray Allen admired this rookie set to take over his role... His relationship with the SuperSonics’ management was tense, to say the least, but that didn’t conflict with his admiration for Durant.

The overall performance of the 2007 class hasn’t been great from the start, with only three players averaging double figures in points—Durant with 17.8, Yi Jianlian with 11.3, and Al Thornton with 11.4.

At the moment, the ’07 class seems worse than ’06, which at least had five rookies averaging double figures in scoring.

Yi Jianlian’s 11 points per game are highly praised domestically mainly because most of his draft class is underperforming, virtually guaranteeing him a spot on the All-Rookie Team. The Chinese obsession with ’rankings’ manifests in all aspects.

The ’07 draft is still rated higher than the ’06 mainly because of Conley, Noah, and Thaddeus Young—role players on their respective teams but showing promising immediate impact and potential—as well as Oden, whom the media hyped to the skies, and who still fills people with hope...

The rest of their class is pretty weak, and Durant, who scored 27 in his debut against the Suns, naturally became this year’s sole rookie focal point, nearly every elite, top-tier perimeter star enjoyed picking on him when facing the SuperSonics—or targeting him.

Yet Durant, faced with this targeting and mocking, remained cool-headed, playing his game, swinging hard, and seizing every offensive opportunity to improve himself—all of which Ray Allen noticed and greatly appreciated.

There, as Ridnour advanced to the frontcourt with Elson and initiated a pick-and-roll, Durant, pursued by Zhang Yang, actively positioned himself looking for the pass.

Ray Allen drifted to the baseline corner, in no rush to attack; the first scoring opportunity didn’t matter to him anyway... With the entire team’s scoring options being so scarce, Durant had only about a dozen chances to shoot in a game, so Ray Allen wasn’t worried about getting his shots, only concerned that there might be too many for even him to handle.

Ridnour and Elson set up the pick-and-roll... After Ridnour peeled off, he passed the ball to Durant, who was cutting out—so much for the lonely pick-and-roll.

As Elson peeled off, looking to cut inside, he was firmly held back by the fat student who had backed up to mid-range; Ridnour, after peeling off, was hesitant to shoot or drive against Okafor, who had slimmed down and improved not only his attacking the basket and transition play but also his mobility, returning to his NBA debut form. His ability to guard smaller players had also returned—not exceptionally well, but with a center backing him up, handling the defense against the offensively challenged Ridnour was no problem.

Durant received the ball and wanted to turn and shoot immediately, but Zhang Yang blocked his lower body, making it hard for Durant to jump when he turned around, prompting him to halt his move, grip the ball with one hand, and extend it backward to protect it.

Durant, standing 206 centimeters and weighing only 97 kilograms, was clearly at a disadvantage in physical confrontations compared to the 196 centimeters, 93 kilograms barefoot Zhang Yang.

Although just a rookie, Durant had an extraordinary talent for reading defenses. From that brief physical encounter, he knew he might struggle to overpower Zhang Yang.

But he didn’t pass the ball away. He couldn’t overpower him, yet he would still try to play on!

He bent his body and engaged in a clash with Zhang Yang. Without dribbling, he sneakily slid back half a step, creating a sliver of space.

The referee saw this little move but let it go.

As the rookie face of the league, the best-performing newcomer each year enjoyed certain privileges. The league couldn’t let Durant look too weak. Even in a year as feeble as the 2000 class, where someone like Mike Miller could win Rookie of the Year with an average of 11.9 points per game, the top-performing rookie Kenyon Martin had his liberties. In his rookie year, Martin often moved while setting screens and wasn’t clean in defensive scuffles, but referees generally turned a blind eye... Martin was actually the best performer of the 2000 rookie class; he lost Rookie of the Year to Mike Miller because of injuries that sidelined him for over a dozen games. Apart from appearances and three-point percentage, Martin outperformed Miller in all other stats.

Having stolen half a step to lift the ball, Durant feinted once, then again... Zhang Yang kept his left hand at his waist and his right hand near his head, ready to disrupt any shot, completely ignoring Durant’s fakes.

Durant glanced at Perkins under the basket, Felton holding off Al outside the three-second zone, then had no choice but to dribble back, snatch up the ball, and jump... but he couldn’t get enough lift!

Zhang Yang had pressed up against Durant at the very moment he dribbled, leaning into Durant’s lower body before he could jump, leading to Durant’s shot being undermined. Though not blocked and successfully releasing the ball, Durant didn’t even know where it would end up... "Clang..."