mr. 100, Dajuan Wagner, who averaged 40+ points in the New Jersey High School League and once exploded for 100 points in a single game, has explosive power, an extremely fast first step, excellent finishing ability, and a pull-up mid-range jumper. But even the god of basketball has times when his touch is cold, and Wagner is naturally no exception; his shooting is currently very "clanky."
However, even so, Wagner can still open up the game for his team through breakthroughs.
"Too fast!"
"I can't guard him at all!"
Matt Babcock, a white player who has a good relationship with Link, was almost driven to tears by Wagner's breakthroughs.
The team coach, Grant, also promptly called a timeout.
"Sorry, I really can't guard him!" Matt Babcock said with a long face after returning to the bench.
This made the other teammates, who wanted to blame him, find it hard to say anything at this moment.
"His mid-range touch isn't good tonight. Don't stick too close when defending him. If I'm near you, I'll help you with help defense," Link said.
"Chris!"
"Josh!"
"If Dajuan Wagner can still break into the paint, wait for him to jump before you jump. Whatever you do, don't jump with him. This guy is especially good at drawing fouls."
Link, wearing jersey number 143, didn't rank very high in this Dream Chasing Warriors Team, but through his performance on the court just now, he had established "authority." As a high school teammate, Bosh naturally didn't need much to be said.
Even the talented high schooler Josh Smith, whom he had only known for a day, gradually became "Dragon Egg-ified" after receiving a brilliant pass from Link.
The teammates nodded in agreement with Link's arrangements.
This made Grant, acting as the temporary coach, feel much more relaxed, and at the same time, he looked at Link in a new light once again.
...
...
The timeout ended, and the game continued.
After the opposing white Point Guard dribbled the ball across half-court, he handed possession over to Wagner.
Matt Babcock, who was there through connections, already had a hint of fear in his eyes. He subconsciously glanced at Link beside him.
"Idiot!" Link couldn't help but curse inwardly.
In the next instant, Wagner seized the opportunity, directly lowering his center of gravity and kicking off the ground hard. With his first step, he broke through directly from Matt's right side. By the time the latter reacted, he was pushed aside by Wagner's shoulder. Link took a defensive step—a sprint step—and with large strides, came in front of Wagner.
At this point, Link had left his matchup, the Point Guard, open. If Wagner chose to pass, with Link's current athletic ability, there would be no way to recover. Link was gambling—gambling that Wagner wouldn't pass.
Not to mention American high school players, even American imports in the CBA would turn into lone wolves upon learning that scouts were there to evaluate them.
Fortunately, Link gambled correctly.
Wagner didn't pass. Facing Link, he first did a hesitation hang, followed by a crossover. Link cleverly used a slide step to Block the breakthrough path first. "Bang!" Wagner's breakthrough was hindered, but as a top high school talent, Wagner let Link experience what "explosive athletic talent" meant. With almost nowhere to go, he lowered his center of gravity, exerted force again, and used his explosive power to force his way through.
This is talent! lottery pick level talent!!!
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
Seeing Wagner blow past two people in a row, even the trainees on the Dream Chasing Warriors bench couldn't help but cheer for their opponent.
But Link's help defense wasn't "useless." Wagner, having broken to the basket, attempted a finger roll but was bothered by the suddenly appearing Bosh, resulting in a miss. Link acted as a "speed bump" in this defensive play, making Wagner's layup easier to predict. Conveniently, Chris Bosh was a top-tier presence in the High School League when it came to rim protection and help defense.
Josh Smith grabbed the rebound and gave it to Link, who pushed the ball forward. Although he wasn't fast, his wide vision allowed him to effectively organize a "transition."
The American High School League is like a "track and field meet"; everyone is constantly sprinting, but the Dream Chasing Warriors have two who can run and jump.
As Link helped defend Wagner at the free-throw line, acting as a "speed bump," Wagner's offense began to stall repeatedly. In the next 5 minutes, he only produced a 1-for-5 shooting performance.
The ABCD Training Camp is divided into two halves, with each half being 20 minutes. When the first half reached the 13th minute, Link, whose Stamina was gradually failing, was subbed out.
"Great job! Link!"
"Not bad!"
Link recorded 8 points, 6 assists, and 1 rebound, with the highest assist count in the game. Although he had no steals or Blocks, his defensive contribution was obvious to all. It could be said that he deserved 80% of the credit for stopping Wagner.
Such a performance, while not yet attracting the attention of NBA scouts, caught the eyes of several NCAA scouts.
"Performative personality," "mature playstyle," "good vision," "high basketball IQ," and "unique leadership qualities."
...
...
The first half ended with the Dream Chasing Warriors leading their opponent 43 to 30.
Link, who continued to start in the second half, showed his ability to switch on defense as a big Point Guard in the first 5 minutes. During an opponent's fast break, Link ended up in a random matchup against the opponent's Power Forward, a so-called "mismatch."
This was a black forward, 201 cm tall and weighing 96 kg.
In two consecutive fast-break mismatches, the first time he chose to drive face-up, but with shaky ball-handling, he was stripped by Link after physical contact. After all, Link's steal attribute was 55 and perimeter defense was 52.
The second time, this forward learned his lesson and tried a post-up. However, the gap in strength and weight between Link and his opponent wasn't that large. Although he was bumped back stumblingly, he still used his 211 cm wingspan to interfere with the shot.
Soon, the scouts added another comment to Link's evaluation—"Not afraid of contact, active defense, possesses a certain level of switching ability."
Link, whose physical stats seemed mediocre, became the biggest "trouble" in the opponent's eyes. To that end, during a fast break after an opponent's passing error, Link was pulled down directly from behind by the pursuing forward.
With a "thud," Link fell head over heels.
"Tweet!" The referee's whistle blew promptly.
The opposing forward was given a Technical Foul.
Lying on the ground, Link grimaced in pain. Noticing the indifferent, unapologetic look in the opposing Power Forward's eyes, an anonymous fire couldn't help but surge in his heart, and his expression instantly darkened.
Link ran a high pick-and-roll with Bosh. After breaking to the basket, Link passed back to Bosh, who took the shot.
Link boxed out for the rebound. The opposing Power Forward suddenly rushed over and gave Link a hidden elbow. Hit by the elbow, Link gasped in pain and was completely unable to jump for the rebound.
The opposing Power Forward grabbed the defensive rebound. Link tried to poke the ball away, but the opponent swung his shoulder and knocked Link aside.
As Link fell backward, his right foot naturally lifted, hitting the opponent's crotch squarely.
"Aow..."
The Power Forward, having been kicked in the balls, looked like his eyes were about to pop out.
The referee's whistle blew as well.
Link also received a Technical Foul.
The bench players of the opposing Iron Bull Team couldn't help but boo Link.
Link spread his hands with an innocent look, as if saying, "I really didn't do it on purpose!"
Grant, the temporary coach of the Dream Chasing Team, also hurriedly called a timeout.
And the moment Link was subbed out...
The system's mechanical, cold electronic voice rang in his mind again.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the hidden badge mission—First Successful Nut-Kick. Reward: Draymond Green (22-23) player badge—Double Team Master!"