boyutpedia Chapter 2: This powerful figure, we still need to curry favor with him.
Chapter 2: This powerful figure, we still need to curry favor with him.
At that moment, Du Ze felt as if a whip was lashing him from behind, and his mind immediately started racing, as if it had been put into overclocking mode.
He quickly went through the basic information of the five people in his mind.
First up is Antoine Jamison, who is LeBron James's primary key player, and Duze is quite familiar with him.
Standing at 203cm barefoot with a wingspan of 217cm and a standing reach of 272cm, Jamison's physical attributes are indeed impressive; otherwise, he wouldn't have been the fourth overall pick in the 98 NBA draft.
Although the Raptors selected him at this position to optimize their salary structure, the fact that he was picked at this position at least shows that Jamison's physical attributes are definitely not bad.
Because in the NBA draft, especially with high lottery picks, teams never prioritize how impressive your stats are in college or other leagues; they prioritize your physical gifts.
That's right.
The primary consideration is a player's potential. The better their physical talent, the higher their ceiling and the greater their chances of becoming a cornerstone player in the future.
This is another fascinating aspect of the NBA.
The draft is like scratching a lottery ticket. Before you scratch it, nobody knows how far a player will go. But once you draft a cornerstone player, you're basically set for life for the next ten years.
If you scratch off a "Thank you for your patronage" message, then you just have to accept the loss. You gamble, you lose, and you can try again next year...
Jamison's inclusion as the fourth overall pick speaks volumes.
However, Jamison's success is largely due to his soft touch, high release point, all-around scoring methods, and solid fundamentals.
His lateral speed, upper and lower limb strength, and physical strength are not particularly outstanding.
In other words, Jamison's dynamic talent isn't at the top level.
So of these five people, Jamison was the first one that Duze eliminated.
Yeah, if I don't want it, I don't want it either.
Next up is Al Horford, the ceiling of functional big men, LeBron James's little toy, and Durant is no stranger to him either.
Barefoot, he is 203cm tall, with a wingspan of 215cm, a standing reach of 272cm, a standing vertical jump of 78cm, a running vertical jump of 90cm, and he has done 21 reps of 85kg bench press. His static and dynamic talents are both very impressive.
Moreover, Horford is a well-rounded player. He can defend, protect the rim, switch onto smaller players, set screens and facilitate, protect the boards, has a decent mid-range shot, good passing vision, and can play off-ball. He is a true all-rounder.
This is probably why he was able to be selected as the third-ranked player in 07, because he was just too well-rounded.
However, Horford has the same problem as Jamison: his athletic ability is relatively mediocre and he doesn't have top-tier physical talent.
Yeah, they've all become my LeBron's little toys...
So, cross that out too.
Then there's Randall, the legacy Kobe left before his retirement, whom Duze is also quite familiar with.
He is 202cm tall barefoot, with a wingspan of 213cm, a standing reach of 268cm, a weight of 112kg, a standing vertical jump of 73.6cm, and a running vertical jump of 90cm. He is a heavy-duty ball-handling forward who plays like a bull charging into the paint. He has excellent explosiveness and athleticism.
The fact that Randle was selected seventh overall by the Lakers in 14 speaks volumes about his potential.
However, Randle's jumping ability is still lacking, and his physique is rather bulky, making it difficult for him to switch on defense. At 202cm tall, he is also a bit too heavy to handle traditional low-post power forwards.
In terms of physical talent alone, he's not top-tier, so goodbye.
Just like how Randle waved goodbye before LeBron James came to the Lakers, Durant crossed him off very decisively.
Now only Aaron Gordon and Josh Smith remain as candidates.
Aaron Gordon, a 9-point ace and the uncrowned king of the Slam Dunk Contest, needs no introduction regarding his explosive athleticism.
He is 202cm tall barefoot, with a wingspan of 212cm, a standing reach of 267cm, and a weight of 100kg. His standing vertical jump is 82.5cm, his running vertical jump is 99cm, and he can bench press 85kg 21 times. He has top-tier dynamic talent among forwards, with his jumping ability being particularly outstanding. He is an excellent player both in terms of dynamic and static abilities.
However, the downside is that the arm span is a bit short, and the coordination and flexibility seem to be lacking. When jumping, there is only a feeling of height and floating, lacking that instantaneous explosiveness and the momentum of splitting a mountain.
Well... Wade's rating is never wrong; Aaron Gordon really only deserves a 9.
Duze decided to trust Wade.
In the end, only Josh Smith remained.
Barefoot, he is 203cm tall, has a wingspan of 213cm, a standing reach of 271cm, weighs 102kg, can sprint 3/4 of a court in 3.24 seconds, and has a running vertical jump of 100cm.
How so?
He has the physique of a forward but the speed of a defender. His jumping ability and speed are top-notch, his athleticism and explosiveness are historic, and his coordination and flexibility are also good. Most importantly, the sense of power he exudes when he charges is extremely strong.
He's a total prodigy with incredible talent.
Before the draft, a scout said that if Josh Smith had chosen his shots a little better, his jump shot a little more reliable, or had some basic post-up game, solid fundamentals, and a little higher basketball IQ, he would definitely have had the potential to become a top-three pick and a cornerstone for a team.
Josh Smith has none of the things mentioned above, and has never owned any of them.
Even so, thanks to his top-notch physical talent, he was still picked by the Hawks in the first round, seventeenth overall, as a high school student.
So there's absolutely no need to hesitate.
Since we're choosing a body type, it can only be Josh Smith.
In just ten seconds, Duze made his decision, silently chanting in his mind, "Josh Smith."
The thought had barely formed when the voice in my head immediately rang out.
[Successfully bonded with Josh Smith; from now on, he will be your body template, and you will possess all his physical attributes.]
[Now we will forcibly match you with the four essential skills for your playing field]
Du Ze felt a blur before his eyes, and a screen suddenly appeared.
The display shows the four court elements: [Offense], [Defense], [Rebound], and [Organization].
First, the "Attack" page flashed, and then a line of text popped up.
[Guaranteed 1 Goal]: When you play in an official match, as long as you activate the skill, you will score a goal 100% of the time, no matter where you are on the field. You can only use this skill once per match.
[Upgrading to the next level requires 10000 points. After successfully upgrading, you are guaranteed to score 2 goals in every match.]
Upon seeing this comment, Du Ze was completely stunned.
That's simply an amazing skill.
Does he score at least one goal in every game?
Wouldn't his influence on the field be omnipresent?
And it can be upgraded?
After the upgrade, it's guaranteed to score two goals, which will completely overwhelm the opposing team.
A surge of emotion welled up in Du Ze's heart. If he could continue to upgrade in the future, wouldn't he have the appearance of the Jade Emperor?
Even elementary school students should step aside, right?
At this moment, the [Defense] page also started flashing, and soon another line of text popped up.
[Rim Protector King]: As long as you are defending in the paint, you can anticipate the offensive ball handler by 0.1 seconds, and at the same time, all physical dynamic abilities are increased by 2 (including running and jumping ability, explosiveness, coordination, agility, reaction and endurance).
[Upgrading to the next level requires 5000 points. Upon successful upgrade, you will have a 0.2-second advance warning.]
Foresight?
Dynamic talent buff?
This is amazing too.
Although it was only 0.1 seconds, it was absolutely precious.
Because in the fleeting moments of match-up battles, that extra second of judgment can give you a significant advantage on the defensive end.
Furthermore, it can comprehensively enhance his athletic ability, and his overall explosive power will reach a new level, making his already strong physique even more terrifying.
Unfortunately, it only works in painted areas.
But that's enough; his top-tier rim protection is enough to make him completely overshadow the rest of the team.
Then, the [Rebound] page started flashing, and a moment later a message popped up.
【Rebounding Iron Claw】: In rebounding battles, as long as you can touch the ball, you can increase the offset, increasing your probability of grabbing the rebound by 10%.
[Upgrading to the next level requires 5000 points. After a successful upgrade, the probability of getting the ball increases to 15%.]
Compared to the previous two amazing skills, this one seems rather ordinary, with its delicate features.
Literally, it means having a higher probability of getting the rebound during a scramble, which is equivalent to having an extra advantage.
After the "Rebound" page went dark, the "Organization" page also started flashing, and soon another message popped up.
【Mind Control of the Entire Field】: When you are attacking with the ball, the walking animation of everyone on the field will appear in your mind. The image lasts for 3 seconds and has a 24-second cooldown.
[Upgrading to the next level requires 5000 points. After a successful upgrade, the screen time increases to 5 seconds, and the cooldown time is reduced to 22 seconds.]
That's really impressive.
Literally, it means a superhuman level of reading competition ability.
He can see offensive opportunities that others cannot, which can not only be used to assist teammates and deliver brilliant passes, but also instantly determine the best attack route and shot selection under this defensive formation.
However, there is a prerequisite: the ball must be in your own hands, and three seconds is indeed a bit too short.
[The four essential skills for playing on the court have been matched. To unlock new skills, you will need 1000 points.]
[To earn points, you must appear in an official NBA game.]
[Points Acquisition Method 1: During the regular season, as long as you appear in a game, regardless of the length of time, it counts as a check-in and you will receive 5 check-in points. If your team wins, you will receive an additional 5 points.]
[Points Acquisition Method 2: Statistical data obtained during the game, such as points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, can all be converted into points on a one-to-one basis.]
[Points Acquisition Method 3: As long as the team makes the playoffs, the points earned for each game played are doubled to 10 points, and if the team wins, the points are doubled again to 20 points.]
[Points Acquisition Method 4: Honors can be exchanged for points, including All-Star, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA Team, All-Defensive Team, Most Improved Player Award, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP, NBA Championship, Finals MVP, and first place in various mainstream statistical categories]
After the broadcast ended, Du Ze remained unsettled for a long time.
Is the real journey only beginning after entering the NBA?
He suddenly stopped and looked at Lawrence: "Matt, I've thought about it, and we'd better not go to the school infirmary."
Playing ball is indeed tiring, but without money, living is even more tiring.
As a sports student, even if he manages to graduate, he won't have many better options. Now that there's such a powerful patron to rely on, he should take advantage of it and not be coy.
So, between being very tired and being even more tired, he chose the former.
Lawrence turned around in surprise: "What if it's a concussion? How can we not get it checked out?"
Duze didn't waste any words: "I want to play in the tournament, I want to help Missouri win the championship."
Whether or not you win the championship is secondary.
The main point is that every game in the tournament is a stage to showcase yourself. If you want to get into the NBA, physical talent alone is far from enough.
With averages of 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, he didn't even make the mock draft list, let alone qualify for the draft.
Only by putting on a crazy performance during March Madness will a player truly catch the eye of scouts from various teams.
This is a tremendous opportunity that cannot be missed.
Once you get into the NBA and sign a big contract, you can follow in the footsteps of handsome Parsons and offseason GOAT Ben Simmons. Look at those two, how carefree they are! That's what it means to be a winner in life.