"He’s too skinny."
Chen Yu turned and whispered to Jabbar beside him.
"He’s six-foot-eight—203 centimeters—but only weighs 84 kilograms. For comparison, TJ Ford is 20 centimeters shorter and still weighs 75 kilograms."
And even at that weight, in the NBA, Ford was often overpowered physically by opposing guards. He was criticized for being a defensive liability, forced to rely on his speed and rhythm to play.
So if someone with Durant’s build entered the NBA, it would be even harder for him to find his footing.
Jabbar nodded in agreement.
But unexpectedly, Chen Yu had more to say.
"However, he does have some outstanding qualities." Chen Yu watched Durant intently.
’Is being underweight really a problem?’
’Is his mouth sewn shut? Does he have indigestion? If he’s underweight, he just needs to bulk up, that’s all.’
Besides, Durant’s and Clark’s situations were even more unique. They had both hit a sudden growth spurt the previous year and hadn’t had time to add weight yet.
As for whether bulking up would affect his flexibility and agility, that was something to worry about after he gained the weight.
For now, it really wasn’t a problem, and it wasn’t what the seven of them were focused on.
In the NBA, things that could be fixed weren’t problems. The real problems were the ones that couldn’t be fixed, no matter what.
Those were the things the seven judges were truly looking at, the key factors that would determine if he passed the initial screening.
And Durant had some exceptional traits.
For example, his wingspan was terrifying.
Then there were his body proportions: broad, high shoulders and a short neck, which gave him a high effective height.
These were advantages in his static physical attributes.
As for his dynamic abilities, although Durant kept clanking shots under Ford’s physical pressure, he never lost the ball. This wasn’t just because of his good handles and solid fundamentals. More importantly, his ability to adjust his body after contact was excellent.
Simply put, his core control was outstanding.
For a big man of his height, being unable to hold onto the ball and making turnovers on the court wasn’t just about a lack of leaping ability. It was more often due to poor core strength, being unable to control one’s body under contact.
And those were the things you couldn’t improve no matter what you did. That’s where talent lay.
On the court, after having his offense thwarted three consecutive times, Durant was trying hard to control his emotions and calm himself down.
The strength of an active NBA player was beyond his imagination, but Durant knew he couldn’t panic. If he panicked, it would really be over.
He held the ball at his waist. Ford kept one hand raised in front of him, maintaining a one-step distance.
Being shorter, he needed to leave enough space to use his explosive jump to contest Durant’s shot.
Now calm, Durant knew that if he wanted to score, he had to play to his strengths.
His height and wingspan.
But he needed space to shoot, even if just for an instant.
With a slight twitch of his body, Durant made his move. He jab-stepped right, did a simple in-and-out crossover, took one step left, and pulled up for the shot.
A pull-up jumper. A two-step jump shot.
Starting at age 10, Durant met Taras Brown, the coach who truly put him on the path to basketball. For several years, under Brown’s guidance, he trained his body and fundamentals with an almost insane intensity, along with these moves.
They were what he did best.
CLANK. The ball hit the rim and bounced out again.
Durant landed and glanced nervously at Ford.
Ford had been faked out by the crossover for a split second, but he recovered his balance extremely quickly, stayed with him, and ultimately used his outstanding leaping ability to contest the shot.
The frustration of giving it his all and still being unable to beat his opponent made Durant secretly clench his fists.
What Durant didn’t know, however, was that Ford had been startled as well.
He hadn’t been completely faked out, but the sheer range of Durant’s crossover in that instant had shocked him.
His stride was frighteningly long.
Tall players have a high center of gravity and unwieldy bodies, making wide-ranging crossovers difficult.
But Durant, with the size of a power forward, executed a crossover with the range of a guard.
Ford had almost failed to keep up.
In fact, the moment he jumped, Ford thought the shot was going in.
If Durant had made it, making him the first defender to let an opponent score, he would’ve lost some face.
On the sideline, Chen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Chen Yu had also noticed the range of Durant’s crossover.
There wasn’t much to say about the move itself—just a simple feint and a crossover with a bit of a drag step. The only incredible part was the massive stride.
It was only then that Chen Yu noticed the guy had a pair of enormous feet.
’A size 53 or 54, I’d guess.’
’That’s astounding.’
Even someone as tall as Yao Ming only wore a size 53 shoe.
With such large feet, his base would be stable, and his explosive power when pushing off the ground would be stronger.
It was a simple principle: bigger feet meant a larger surface area for grip, which naturally led to greater explosive power.
Then there was his core strength, a quality Chen Yu had already noticed. Durant’s core strength was exceptional, allowing him to execute a move with such a wide crossover.
"A little interesting."
Chen Yu shifted his position, perking up a little.
For this initial screening, how many shots they made or how many stops they got was completely unimportant.
It was normal for a high school student to not make a single shot or get a single stop against an active NBA player. Otherwise, the title of "active NBA player" would be far too cheap.
Chen Yu and the others weren’t looking at that. They weren’t even looking at technique.
At this age, with high school and college still ahead of them, they had plenty of time to polish their skills.
So the main thing was to look at their physical attributes, to see if they had any advantages that set them apart from their peers.
Clearly, Durant already did.
For the fifth possession, Durant opted for a mid-range shot after two dribbles.
Still a brick.
After entering the NBA, Ford had worked hard on his strength. His ability to handle contact was genuinely good.
Durant’s face was pale as he landed. He had watched person after person fail to score, and before stepping onto the court, he couldn’t help but think, ’Others couldn’t do it, but maybe I can.’
But after actually playing, Durant realized just how naive he had been.
A short guy, 20 centimeters shorter than him, could completely shut him down!
He turned his head to glance at the seven expressionless judges, and a feeling of doom washed over him. ’I’m finished. I’m definitely getting eliminated.’
And the defensive portion that followed sent a chill straight to Durant’s heart.
On his school team, he was a starter, a core player. With his height, he was a true two-way threat, often able to lock down the opposing team’s star player.
But at this moment, facing an NBA-level player, he finally understood what it meant to be a frog in a well.
Drives, crossovers, all sorts of rhythm changes... Durant felt like a tractor trying to race a supercar. He was slower by several dimensions.
The key was, Ford was also a great shooter.
Knowing Durant had long arms, Ford put a high arc on his shots, but they still went in, SWISH after SWISH.
Five possessions, five scores allowed. He failed to get a single stop.
Durant’s hands and feet were ice-cold. He stood there with a wooden expression, awaiting the final judgment.
’I’m definitely getting cut,’ he thought.
Johnson gave his evaluation: "Kevin, you’re good, but you’re too skinny. And you haven’t learned how to properly use your physical advantages yet."
Just that one sentence. Durant felt like Johnson couldn’t even be bothered to evaluate him properly.
"Let’s vote, then."
Johnson turned to look at the others.
"Wait a minute."
Just then, Chen Yu suddenly spoke up, interrupting them.
"Kevin." Chen Yu looked at Durant, sensing the young man’s anxiety. He smiled. "Don’t be nervous. You’re very good. So I’m willing to give you another chance. LeBron, come on out."
Chen Yu called out to James, who was on the other side.
Suddenly called out, James walked onto the court, looking baffled.
"Kevin, you’ll play another round against LeBron," Chen Yu said.
At his words, everyone present was stunned.
"Chen, is that really necessary?" Wes Unseld turned and asked.
On the court, James also looked puzzled.
’Durant couldn’t even handle Ford, and now he’s supposed to play me?’
’I could easily demolish a small guy like Ford.’
"What, you don’t want to? If you don’t, we’ll just vote now," Chen Yu asked with a smile when he saw Durant spacing out.
Durant snapped back to his senses. He quickly glanced at James, who looked like a human monster. His mind was filled with Top 10 highlights of James flying through the air and ravaging the rim.
"I... I’ll do it."
Durant stammered and nodded.
He couldn’t accept being eliminated just like that.
"Then let’s begin."
Chen Yu gestured for the two to start.
’It’s my show. I decide how things are run.’
’Besides, from a production standpoint, it’s better to have more twists and turns.’
’For example, this would be the perfect moment for a commercial break.’
On the court, the two of them took their positions.
Durant took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Dribble, crossover, pull-up, shoot.
’Of the five possessions against Ford, it seems only that one crossover created a sliver of space to shoot.’
SLAP!
Durant’s face was ashen as he landed. He’d been blocked!
"Chen, aren’t you afraid he’ll lose all his confidence?"
On the judges’ panel, Jabbar turned and asked in a low voice.
In Jabbar’s opinion, of the five players Chen Yu had brought in to match up against the auditioning players, James was the true trump card.
Against a bunch of high schoolers, James could play every position from one to five.
All the physical advantages these high schoolers had were no advantage at all in front of James.
He was a veritable dream-crushing machine.
As expected: he couldn’t back him down, couldn’t shake him off, lost his spot with a nudge, and got his shot blocked the moment he released it.
In that moment, James was more Jordan than Jordan!
After five possessions, Durant was in utter despair.
’This is supposed to be another chance?’
’This is just making me feel even more hopeless!’
Seeing the devastated Durant, even James felt a little bad. He patted Durant’s arm and said quietly, "It’s alright, you’re already amazing. When I was your age, I wasn’t as good as you are now."
Durant felt like crying. ’If I remember correctly, you were already the best high school player in the nation as a sophomore.’
Just as they were about to start the defensive portion, Chen Yu waved his hand again, stopping James.
"Alright, that’s enough."
’Durant couldn’t even guard Ford. How could he possibly guard James?’
"Let’s vote." Chen Yu didn’t explain why he had made Durant and James face off again, and directly announced the start of the vote.
Durant had given up completely.
If he might have gotten two or three votes after playing Ford, now, after playing James, he probably wouldn’t get a single one.
Durant bit his lip, staring intently at the screens in front of the seven judges.
Amidst a row of red X’s, two green checkmarks stood out starkly.
Durant was stunned. He hadn’t expected to get two votes.
One vote came from George Gervin, and one from Chen Yu.
Durant stared blankly at Chen Yu. ’Is this some kind of pity vote?’
But it was useless. With two votes, he was still eliminated.
Just as Durant was preparing to bow in thanks and leave dejectedly, a burst of flashing lights erupted.
Accompanied by stirring background music, an electronic screen lit up behind the judges’ panel, displaying the show’s golden logo.
Someone had pressed the Golden Buzzer.
Ryan Seacrest began explaining what was happening at a rapid-fire pace, and everyone’s gaze focused on Chen Yu at the judges’ panel.
It was Chen Yu who had pressed the golden button in front of him.
"Chen, are you serious?"
Jordan, seated in the center, leaned forward and asked in astonishment. With 30 finalists to choose and seven judges, each of them only had three chances to use the Golden Buzzer.
And Chen Yu had just used one of his precious Golden Buzzers on Durant.
"Of course." Chen Yu nodded, then looked at Durant with a grin. "I think he’s pretty good."
Previously, Chen Yu had often thought that if there were a guy who was seven feet tall but could play like a guard, he would be incredibly formidable.
And at this moment, Chen Yu felt he had found him.

Comments

Loading...