On the other hand, other trainees also started chatting about Link during lunch.
Some were envious, some were jealous, and some even hated him.
The outside chatter naturally reached Link's ears.
To be fair, upon learning of others' discussions behind his back, uh... Link felt even more motivated and wanted to improve even more.
After all, only mediocre people are not envied.
After lunch, Link meditated in his dorm room, using the [Superstar (Jimmy Butler) sparring partner card].
In the Virtual Space, Jimmy Butler, wearing a Warriors jersey, appeared before Link.
Link stared at Jimmy Butler for a full 3 seconds, thinking to himself, "It's really short, huh!"
Jimmy Butler is 201cm tall with a wingspan of 202cm. Compared to Griffin, who is a Tyrannosaurus Rex, his height and wingspan are both lacking. Most crucially, Butler's hands are also small; Link's maximum palm length is 22.7cm, but Jimmy Butler's is only 21.6cm.
"Kid, what are you looking at?" Butler, being stared at by Link, said coldly.
"Just looking around!" Link said.
The Superstar sparring partner card also has the [Hundred-Point Battle] challenge, but unlike the star and All-Star sparring partner cards, the superstar's Stamina on the Superstar sparring partner card does not deplete.
Defeating a full-health Jimmy Butler is currently impossible.
Link could only train with Jimmy Butler.
Jimmy Butler grew from a bench player averaging 2.6 points to an All-Star, a superstar who led his team to create the 'Black Eight' miracle.
His fundamentals are top-notch, making him a 'ball-handling small core' who is adept at both offense and defense, with some hard-carry ability.
Butler honed Link's Ball Handling through defense.
Unlike the peak Draymond Green, Butler primarily defends the perimeter, while Draymond Green is more focused on the interior on defense.
Link was so stifled by Butler's defense that he dared not dribble easily. Furthermore, Butler's trash talk was incessant.
Every time Butler completed a Steal, he would say, "Kid, you really f***ing need my guidance!"
Six hours of training in the Virtual Space also gave Link's Ball Handling a huge boost.
The base attribute of [Ball Handling] increased by 4 points, reaching 63 (74).
The attribute ceiling for High School League players is 65, and Link's Ball Handling has already reached T1 level.
...
...
The opponent for the afternoon game was the Space Walkers.
Led by two five-star high school players in the nation.
They were Amare Stoudemire from the Class of 2002, and Desagana Diop, a five-star high school player from the Class of 2001.
Desagana Diop, also a future NBA player, was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the eighth pick in the first round in 2001.
Currently attending Oak Hill Academy, he is a high school alumnus of Josh Smith and Carmelo Anthony. With a height of 213cm, a wingspan of 229cm, and a weight of 127kg, Desagana Diop is an absolute behemoth in the High School League. In fact, even after entering the NBA, he didn't suffer in physical confrontation; even Yao Ming once commented that encountering him was like hitting a concrete wall.
The twin towers of Amare Stoudemire and Desagana Diop formed the strongest interior combination in the training camp. In the morning game, they defeated the team led by Brandon Roy, and like the Dream Chasing Warriors Team, they also remained undefeated.
Soon after the game began, Desagana Diop demonstrated the characteristics of a physical, blue-collar interior player. The slender Chris Bosh couldn't stand firm in the paint at all. Once off balance, no matter how tall you are or how long your wingspan, it's difficult to grab a rebound. For example, the 'Chopstick Brothers' of the small-ball era, Wembanyama and Holmgren, Wembanyama's static talent is absolutely epic, but his rebound count often fails to reach double digits.
Before grabbing a rebound, Desagana Diop would push Bosh or bump into him, causing Bosh to wobble, not only unable to jump but even deviating from the rebound position.
However, on offense, Desagana Diop also had a headache dealing with Bosh, who was fast, jumped well, and could drive and shoot.
Especially with Link's pick-and-roll cooperation.
Bosh would make a short roll, uh, meaning he'd appear to set a high screen but then suddenly turn and roll halfway. Desagana Diop hadn't even turned his body around before Bosh received Link's Pass and completed a dunk.
Desagana Diop also tried to drop back into the paint on defense, but this gave Link an opportunity for a Mid-range Shooting off the dribble.
Even if shooting off the dribble wasn't as accurate as a catch-and-shoot, it was still reasonably sharp.
The opponent's other star interior player, Amare Stoudemire, still in high school, had not yet developed a stable Mid-range Shooting or face-up game, and playmaking skills were even less developed.
Although the two interior players of the Dream Chasing Warriors Team struggled in one-on-one defense, their zone defense was particularly effective.
In a 2-3 zone defense, as soon as an interior player received the ball, they would immediately double-team. The simplest way to break a zone defense is to have the Center stand at the Free Throw line. Director Zhang from the Tianchao Sports broadcast studio often says, "someone standing at the Free Throw line," but the player standing there needs to have a Mid-range Shooting and be able to facilitate Passing.
The simplest way to break a zone defense is to have the Center stand at the Free Throw line. Director Zhang from the Tianchao Sports broadcast studio often says, "someone standing at the Free Throw line," but the player standing there needs to have a Mid-range Shooting and be able to facilitate Passing.
"Bang!" Desagana Diop received the ball in the low post, backing down Chris Bosh. Just as he put the ball down and leaned in for a post-up, Link cleverly used a sidestep to complete a Steal from behind.
Link demonstrated clear defensive Ideas and excellent double-teaming ability in the zone defense.
The first half ended with the Space Walkers trailing by 8 points, and by the second half, Link and his teammates adapted even more to their opponent's rhythm.
Although Bosh wasn't good at boxing out for rebounds, he simply used his jumping ability to tip the ball out, similar to a "tap-out" in basketball games.
Even if the Dream Chasing Warriors didn't ultimately grab it, it defused the crisis of an opponent's second-chance offensive rebound. What's more, Link was very good at picking up long rebounds.
The score gradually widened.
With 9 minutes left in the game, the Dream Chasing Warriors Team was already leading by 18 points.
"The weaknesses of the Amare Stoudemire and Desagana Diop interior combination were completely exposed in this game."
"Desagana Diop's Defensive Rebound and Stoudemire's off-ball quick cuts were their strongest weapons in past games, but the Dream Chasing Warriors effectively countered them tonight."
"The team's two big men seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, constantly giving the feeling of punching a sponge."
Coach Mike Krzyzewski from Duke University, also known as Coach K, commented.
The entire game ended.
91 to 70!
Link and his team defeated the interior combination of Amare Stoudemire and Desagana Diop with a 21-point lead.
Although Link only scored 19 points in this game.
He recorded a triple-double with 11 assists, 10 rebounds, and 5 Steals.
Hmm...
Although 9 of those were Defensive Rebounds.