Link could organize through Passing, allowing his teammates to be more involved in the offense and boosting their proactivity on both ends of the court.
But the chaos within the Wizards was also real...
The players' defensive rotations lacked communication and chemistry, often resulting in two players guarding the same spot while an opponent slipped to the basket for an easy score.
Then there was the issue of "team talent."
As a Point Guard, Link's talent was hard to define—his strengths were exceptional, but his weaknesses were equally glaring.
With Michael Jordan as the starting shooting guard, you really couldn't expect a thirty-eight or thirty-nine-year-old veteran to be flying all over the court.
The regular starting small forward, Richard Hamilton, despite having incredible Stamina and being known as "the man who never tires," didn't have top-tier Speed or explosiveness. Additionally, his frame was on the smaller side for a forward.
The regular season starting power forward, Christian Laettner, was a ground-bound interior player even in his youth; now at the end of his career, one shouldn't expect him to be "flying through the air." However, generally speaking, the power forward on most teams was a "blue-collar tool player." Although there were talks of the "Four Great Power Forwards" or "Five Great Power Forwards" during this era, more than half of the NBA's starting power forwards were "utility roles."
The Wizards' starting Center... this was the team's weak link. Although Buffalo White had a low-post offense and decent defensive rebounding ability, at only 206cm tall, how could he protect the rim in an era where the interior was king?
Popeye Jones could run and jump when he was young, but he was old now.
Meanwhile, the rookie Brendan Haywood was too slow and his interior offense was a mess. However, what the Wizards lacked most right now wasn't "offense," but "defense."
With a height of 7 feet, an excellent wingspan, and good interior defensive awareness and sense of space, as long as he didn't run into someone who could fly to the rim in a flash, he could protect the paint well.
To this end...
The Washington Wizards planned to build their defensive system around "Link + Haywood."
Link would still play the 1 on offense, but he would play the 3 on defense. That's right—the small forwards of this era weren't exactly explosive playmakers. Link's Speed could match them, and his physical tools were full-sized. Furthermore, this would allow Link's help defense capabilities to shine.
After all, Link was a player whose help defense far exceeded his individual on-ball defense.
Hamilton would be the primary defender on the ball-handler, while Link would provide help defense to force the ball-handler to slow down, luring them into Haywood's rim-protection zone to create a defensive deterrent of "wolves in front and tigers behind."
Additionally, Link could help his teammate Laettner with help defense, preventing powerful opposing interior players from eating him alive.
Michael Jordan, nearly 39, just needed to handle his individual defense; during regular stretches, his energy would be focused on the "offensive end," especially in "bail-out situations."
As for...
Although Hamilton never tired, he wasn't exceptionally fast either, making it hard for him to guard Speed-based "explosive Point Guards." However... Link was even less capable of guarding them.
As for switching everything, Link, Michael Jordan, and Hamilton were qualified, but the Wizards' interior players truly weren't.
If they wanted to build a "switch-everything" lineup, the team would either have to adjust the current roster through trades;
Or they would just have to wait.
However, Michael Jordan revealed a small team secret to Link: if the team could be ranked in the top eight of the Eastern Conference before the Christmas Day Games, the Wizards' majority owner would definitely make some reinforcements and do everything possible to help the team push for the playoffs.
Conversely, the team owner might wait for Link to develop further. After all, if the team didn't make the playoffs, they could get a lottery pick and select players with better talent.
Meanwhile...
The cold, mechanical electronic voice of the system rang out in Link's mind again.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for triggering the Main Quest — Cornerstone Potential!"
"Quest Description: Further prove your worth. Have the team's record in the top eight of the Eastern Conference before the Christmas Day Games, making the team management willing to build the roster entirely around you."
"Quest Reward: To be determined based on specific performance."
Determined by specific performance?
Doesn't that mean...
The better the team's record, the more generous the rewards he could obtain.
...
...
The day after the four of them reached an agreement, they notified the Washington Wizards' players of this "decision."
Upon hearing the news, naturally, some were happy while others were worried.
Brendan Haywood, the 7-foot Center, felt like bowing down to Link in gratitude.
A hint of a smile also appeared beneath Hamilton's mask. The team was letting him guard the Point Guard position; for one, they trusted his defense, and for another, his size was small for a small forward, and he was constantly getting bullied physically by stronger opponents.
Well...
Being bullied by Speed and being bullied by strength might both look like being bullied, but the mental toll was different.
As for Buffalo Jarred Vanderbilt and Popeye Jones, they sighed inwardly. With this decision, there was no doubt their playing time would be drastically reduced.
Of course...
A team's defensive system couldn't be refined in a single day; it required hundreds or thousands of practice drills.
After Link swung to the small forward spot on defense, he indeed felt much more comfortable during the drills. The forwards of this era mostly just caught the ball and drove in a straight line; their offense was very simple. As long as the Speed, stride, and strength matched up, it was fine. Clearly... Link had plenty to spare.
...
...
The time came to November 11, 2001, the first day of the third week of the 2001-2002 NBA regular season.
"Link... you're not going to be glued to the TV again today, are you?" Jordan, who wanted to invite Link to play golf, teased again.
Last week, they went 2-1, and his personal stats were in the "top tier" among rookies—no, they could even be called "in a league of their own." But compared to other stars, they weren't particularly outstanding.
If Link could win the NBA player of the week, the main reason would be the "novelty factor."
In terms of creating stars, David Stern was a professional.
Shortly after...
ESPN reported that Link had won the Eastern Conference player of the week for the previous week.
As soon as this news came out...
Even Michael Jordan was dumbfounded.
One had to know that last week, Vince Carter averaged 36.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. Although his team's record was also 2-1, he was significantly better than Link in every way.