My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 33: Questions Answered in Difficult Chapters

Lawrence continued scrolling down and saw a familiar name. He suddenly grinned, "This kid is ranked fifth in the mock draft? Unbelievable! What makes him so special?"

Du Ze took a closer look and saw a row of large buck teeth with wide gaps between them. It was Tyreke Evans, one of the most outstanding rookies of 09.

That is, their next opponent, the star player of the University of Memphis.

This person is quite remarkable.

In his rookie season, Evans put up a historic 20+5+5 average, becoming the fourth player to achieve this feat after Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James.

Who are Robertson, Jordan, and James?

The all-time triple-double king, Little Goat, and that invincible super executive vice president Goat, are all historical superstars.

Without a doubt, Evans, with his top-notch stats, beat Curry, Jennings, and Collison to win Rookie of the Year.

Of course, this also became Evans' peak.

From then on, his life was like an old lady celebrating the New Year; each year was worse than the last.

Some say that the Kings' management failed to develop Evans, constantly changing his position, which caused him to lose his physical advantage, suffer frequent injuries, and ultimately decline.

This is indeed one of the main reasons.

But is that really the case?

Evans' greatest strength is his penetration, especially his Euro step. His varied rhythm and strong finishing ability give him an overwhelming advantage when matched up against point guards in the same position.

The problem is, he only has this one trick up his sleeve.

What's more serious is that this one-trick pony, unlike Wall or Rose, doesn't rely on unparalleled speed or explosiveness to dominate the game.

In terms of speed, he is far inferior to Wall; his athleticism is not as explosive as Rose's. He only relies on his size and rhythm to survive in the league.

The following year, other teams began to take him seriously, study him, and treat him as a star player. The defensive constraints came crashing down, and Evans completely lost his way.

Besides that, he has another very obvious problem: his mindset.

After putting up 20+5+5 in his rookie season, the whole world was praising him, calling him a mini-version of LeBron James and a future superstar.

He probably thought so too, but he didn't hold himself to the standards of a superstar. He didn't increase the intensity of his training, and he didn't develop his mid-range and long-range shooting skills. His overall abilities remained stagnant.

This foreshadowed the subsequent downturn.

However, he is particularly prone to frustration when he doesn't perform well. Faced with a barrage of criticism and doubts, he doesn't show any determination to respond to those who don't believe in him and prove them wrong.

No, he doesn't have that strong competitive spirit.

In summary, Evans achieved his 20+5+5 stat line thanks to his physical mismatch, mature playing style, and the team's strong support, allowing him to reach his peak right from the start.

Ultimately, he failed to achieve his full potential for success, and there is only one reason for that: his skill level never truly reached that of a superstar.

He also doesn't have his own trump card to rely on, unlike Georginio who has a three-pointer, LeBron James who has a historic level of impact, and Durant who has endless mismatches. Every superstar has something they can rely on.

And what about Evans?

Unfortunately, he didn't.

At the same time, he was not prepared to become a top star.

Lawrence chuckled sinisterly, gritting his teeth as he said, "I'm going to take him down tomorrow."

Du Ze replied calmly, "Every time I hear you say that, I get very scared."

Lawrence looked puzzled: "What are you afraid of?"

Du Ze: "I'm afraid you'll lose face, I'm afraid you'll be beaten so badly you won't know which way is up."

Lawrence looked troubled and was speechless for a moment.

Du Ze smiled and continued his pursuit: "Of course, even if you don't say anything, it won't change the fact that you'll be beaten to a pulp. Evans is 198cm tall, strong and powerful. Crushing you is like crushing a giant cockroach."

Lawrence smacked his lips, and forced a smile, replying, "You underestimate me, don't you?"

Du Ze tilted his head and thought for a moment: "If I remember correctly, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game at Memphis this season—absolutely top-tier stats. He always charges head-on against his opponent at his position. Are you really confident you can go toe-to-toe with him?"

When faced with a question he couldn't answer, he would fall silent.

Lawrence remained silent for a long time before finally changing the subject: "Let's look at the top three predictions. Wow, Rubio, the golden boy. This kid has a great passing touch. I think he'll definitely be the answer at point guard in the future."

"Hmm? Hasim Thabeet? This big man is absolutely a god of rim protection in the NCAA in recent years. I even think he is the best candidate for the number one draft pick."

"Du, what do you think?"

Du Ze smiled slightly: "It's hard to say..."

It's even harder to hold on.

Thank goodness you're not the CEO or general manager of a team, what kind of taste do you have? Picking at trash.

Of course, Rubio isn't exactly trash, but that color is pretty close.

As a Spanish golden boy, he left only a few legacies to the NBA.

First, his good looks have indeed remained in the NBA, which is commendable.

Secondly, the names "Master Lu" and "Lu Yizhong" were truly renowned and resounded throughout the entire alliance.

Third, the image of him following behind and defending against the wrong guy will be an eternal classic, an unforgettable memory for fans.

This is Rubio, the golden boy.

However, Rubio at this time was quite promising, and many people even thought he had the potential to be the number one draft pick.

After all, he made a name for himself at the 08 Olympics. At less than eighteen years old, he competed in the Olympics with the national team. Although he didn't play much, he wasn't intimidated by the superstars and showed a maturity beyond his years, as well as a passing talent that was the envy of many.

His previous resume was also very impressive. At the age of sixteen, he participated in the U16 European Championship final, scoring 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists and 7 steals, with data that was ridiculously exaggerated.

This is a key reason why he is so highly regarded.

Look at how his draft report is written: One of the purest point guards in history, always focused on orchestrating the offense and passing the ball.

Damn it, how dare they steal my name, Du Chun! That's outrageous...

This assessment actually encapsulates all of Rubio's information.

Always prioritizing orchestrating the attack and passing the ball?

Is it possible that his offensive ability, especially his shooting ability, is probably zero?

In addition, there is this section: top-notch passing vision, overall game awareness, court control, steals, anticipation, basketball IQ, maturity, all of which are the best in their class, with the model being the famous Kidd and Nash.

Tsk tsk.

That's some serious boasting, it's practically flying to the heavens!

After the joint training trial, this sentiment quietly subsided.

Otherwise, my brother would never have had the chance to become the third-ranked scholar.