As soon as the news came out the next day, the media collectively looked down on the Sonics and believed that they would have little success in the new season.

"George Karl intends to train Chinese player Yang Jian and praises him for his great potential. But don't forget that even if he is a lottery pick, he is only a rookie. He lacks game experience. How can he compete with stars from other teams in the playoffs?

"

"The SuperSonics used Kendall Gill as a bargaining chip to get an excellent shooting guard. In the summer, the Hornets were willing to send Hersey Hawkins, but the SuperSonics actually gave up this opportunity in exchange for P.J. Brown and Kevin Edwards

Hereby.”

"If the Sonics are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs again, George Karl must be fired. The failures in the first two seasons have proven that his tactics will not work. He only played well in the regular season."

"The most suitable shooting guard for the Sonics is Ricky Pierce. When he was there, he helped the Sonics reach the Western Conference Finals. After he had a conflict with Payton and was driven away, the Sonics lost more than just 14.5 points per game."

Some media are just telling lies with open eyes. Ricky Pierce does have conflicts with Payton, but his condition has seriously declined and his strength is no longer good.

Pierce, who was born in 1959, is best known as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice and was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star once. He averaged 20 points per game for three seasons in his career.

From a statistical point of view, it is difficult for people to think that Ricky Pierce is a player who has played almost all of his career as a substitute, with 969 games and 700 games as a substitute. Almost all of the games he started played were with the Sonics.

In 1994, Pierce was already 35 years old. His scoring efficiency was not high and he always suppressed Payton, unwilling to give up his position as the core outside line. It is strange that the two did not have conflicts.

Moreover, Pierce is a swingman who is 193cm tall and focuses on holding the ball and attacking. Tactically speaking, his shooting area overlaps with Payton. In 1993-94, he made 6 three-pointers throughout the season. How can we tell that he is suitable for Super League?

Speed ​​of sound?!

After reading the news, many Sonics fans expressed dissatisfaction. Some people went to the training facility to protest, hoping that the team would make a trade and find Payton a capable outside partner.

Before even a regular season game was played, George Karl and Yang Jian were thrust into the limelight by the media. The blame was already laid. If the SuperSonics did not perform well after the start of the regular season, they would definitely take the blame.

Today, George Karl is in a bit of a bad mood.

What made him angry was not that the media generally looked down on the Sonics, but that Sean Kemp was stupid again. After the interview yesterday, Kemp went to the management to borrow money, and the first request was two million US dollars.

He said that he borrowed the money to support his illegitimate child, and he would definitely not need so much. He probably wanted to use the rest of the money to support his group of poor relatives and gangsters. Ordinary people can spend $2 million in a lifetime, but Kemp can't use it.

It can be squandered in half a year.

This guy is a retard. George Karl can't change Kemp's character, and he can't be discarded. It's a huge headache.

The good news is that Kemp rarely goes to nightclubs during holidays because he has no money. He maintains a good weight and is said to have trained.

Entering the arena, George Karl was in a better mood. Yang Jian was practicing alley-oops with Payton, and Snow was watching.

George Karl doesn't like players to have too many fancy dunks on the court. It's also easy to anger opponents and cause conflicts by scoring two points. But Payton has always liked to show off and often passes alley balls to Kemp. Now there is Yang Jian...

...If two people can talk about this, it will help develop a tacit understanding.

George Karl didn't call them, and quietly watched as an audience. After a while, he was stunned.

This is not an ordinary alley-oop collaboration between the two. Payton ran in front and hit the backboard with both hands to rebound. Yang Jian followed up and jumped up to catch the ball with both hands. He turned around in a big windmill and dunked in with his right hand after lag in the air.

His head can be flat and his dunk action is extremely smooth. Kemp can't dunk so beautifully.

Payton was very excited. He stepped forward and bumped fists with Yang Jian. He smiled and said: "When you play a game, you can run as fast as you can on the fast break. I will pass the ball to you. If I steal the ball, you just follow."

I run."

Yang Jian also made some suggestions. "If you don't pass the alley-oop to me and Sean for follow-up dunks, it will be more handsome if you don't stop and run forward. Gently lift the ball behind your head with one hand, and then..."

As he spoke, he opened his hands. Wade and James did this together in the future, and it became a classic shot.

Payton was dumbfounded, this guy can pretend better than me.

George Karl came over and asked: "When did you come and how long have you been practicing?"

When Payton saw the coach, he immediately became more serious. "I just came here for a while and practiced with him... This kid should be the No. 1 pick this year!"

Payton and Yang simply played a few shots and concluded that he has a bright future. Because Yang Jian's physical fitness is so good, even he can hardly block the shot when he steps back or turns around and can only interfere.

Payton is 193cm tall, has a wingspan of 203cm, and weighs 86 kilograms. He is a shooting guard. Yang Jian is similar in stature to him, and his wingspan is better than him, reaching 210cm.

During the physical confrontation between the two, Yang Jian was stronger than Payton, which made him feel like he was defending Jordan and had to put up elbows. The most terrifying thing was Yang Jian's speed. If he didn't get close to him in time, he would be unable to do anything once he rushed up.

Followed.

Payton was the second overall pick in the first round of 1990, but Yang Jian was ahead of him in all aspects of physical fitness. He couldn't figure out how Yang Jian failed to be drafted. Scouts are really blind.

Payton praised Yang Jian fiercely, which greatly reduced the pressure on George Karl and made him more confident in the new season. "What do you think of him? Is he qualified to be a starter?"

"He must start. I think he can become the best rookie." Payton did not hesitate to praise him. He looked at Yang Jian and asked: "Why are you so fast? I have never seen anyone faster than you. You used to practice sprinting.

Right?"

Payton's explosive power is only average among point guards, but his advancement speed is very fast, just because he likes fast breaks. Of course, such a person likes fast teammates.

In the parallel world, Payton has a very good relationship with Wade. He won the only championship ring in his career with the Heat. After retiring, Payton and Wade also often contacted each other. Now that he has met Yang Jian, he can’t wait for the regular season tomorrow

Just start, then play fast break and alley-oop.

Who is the fastest person in NBA history? No one knows the standard answer. In the 1990s, there were not many fast players in the league. When talking about speed, in addition to Jordan, many people will also think of the "little bug" who is 160cm tall.

"Tini Boggs.

Payton has competed with these people. Bogues is mainly agile, short, has a low center of gravity, and can change direction quickly. Jordan was recognized as fast when he was young, but now he has reduced his breakthroughs and focuses on jump shots in singles with the ball.

Payton feels that Yang Jian is currently the fastest player in the league. This is indeed the case. Yang Jian's speed and jumping are compared with those of players in the 21st century. In the 1990s, Yang Jian had a huge advantage.

When the media selected the fastest players in NBA history, except for Iverson and Jordan, all players on the list entered the league in the 21st century.

A group of people who ranked high in NBA physical tests in the 1990s will look very ordinary after 2010. The overall physical fitness of new players in the league is constantly improving. Yang Jian was not selected because he is Chinese, but because the system sent him here

A bug, scouts automatically ignored him until an agent recommended him.

Yang Jian is not only good in quality, but can also shoot mid- and long-range shots. In terms of three-pointers, Payton feels inferior. How could he be dissatisfied with such a teammate?

After chatting for a few words, Yang Jian started practicing shooting again.

Payton asked curiously: "Yang, why do you want to practice shooting one meter from the three-point line? It's so far away from the basket, it's hard to guarantee a hit rate, right?"

"I think the difficulty of shooting from one meter away from the three-point line is about the same as that from close to the three-point line. When shooting a long-distance three-pointer, it is difficult for the opponent's inside players to defend when they encounter a screen, and the chasing defender may not jump to block the shot with all his strength. I

You will get a simple chance to make a move."

George Karl smiled: "Having said that, the difficulty of shooting has still increased. After the start of the season, you can't often shoot from this distance. Your mid-range shooting rate in the summer league is very high, so don't miss the mid-range practice."

"I have been practicing mid-range shots and three-pointers all summer. If there is an opening, I will definitely make them." Yang Jian assured, patting her chest.

In fact, he feels that the shooting distance is still a bit close. Now the three-point line in the NBA has been shortened. When the three-point line is changed back, the position of his shooting will be very close to the three-point line. He is practicing like this to prepare for the future.

After his three-point shooting rate stabilizes, he will continue to increase the distance outwards.

Payton was in a good mood, and he briefly challenged Yang for a while, giving him some pointers on defense.
Chapter completed!