My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 5 Sudden Onset of Serious Illness

We already had a targeted intra-squad scrimmage yesterday, so today's training focused on shooting and warm-ups, with the main goal of maintaining physical activity in preparation for tomorrow's tough first round of the tournament.

Du Ze didn't train with his teammates; instead, he took a ball and went to the side by himself.

I don't expect to become a master of ball handling, but at least I should be able to get back to the original owner's level. When setting screens on the perimeter, I should be able to help the guards get the ball and complete the connection task smoothly.

However, on the other hand, with the original owner's limited ball-handling skills, even in a league like the NCAA, it would be very difficult for him to drive to the basket with the ball facing up.

This shows just how crude the original owner's basic skills were.

However, considering that the original owner always played inside, and even long-term at center, we can't expect too much.

Most importantly, it's something you can't expect to achieve. Developing ball feel and ball control is a very long process; no one can achieve it overnight.

Unless you're a European god.

But even the immortal Ou Shenxian didn't ascend to heaven in one step; he took two.

As we all know, Kyrie Irving is the pinnacle of ball control; his talent for ball control is innate.

His standard height of 188cm allows him to easily lower his center of gravity, which lays a solid foundation for his varied dribbling rhythm and unpredictable changes of direction.

Moreover, 188cm is already a golden height. If you are shorter, you will be more likely to be pressured and forced to play against others, and you will also be at a disadvantage in strength contests with the same position. If you are taller, your center of gravity will be higher, and you will expose more gaps when dribbling, which will increase the probability of being intercepted or interfered with.

Therefore, Ou Shenxian's golden height is itself a kind of talent in terms of luck control.

Further on, there were his large, broad hands.

Kyrie Irving's hands are 22.2cm long and 22.1cm wide, which is definitely considered large for a guard. These large hands allow him to hold the ball firmly in his hands like a suction cup.

And then there's Irving's unparalleled ball control.

His fingertip's exquisite sensitivity to the ball is unmatched by anyone else. He can completely block out vision and amplify the effect of touch, meaning he can dribble the ball smoothly without looking at it, which is terrifying.

Another point is that once Irving starts dribbling on the court, it gives people a very intuitive feeling, as if the ball has become an extension of his body, and no matter where the ball rolls, it is still within his control.

This brings us to the fact that he has developed a strong muscle memory for the ball's landing point, bounce, and spin.

Another crucial innate talent is neural reflexes.

He can make a decision in 0.1 seconds under the interference of the defender. The essence of so-called ball feel is subconscious reaction, and that's what it means.

Talent is only the first step.

Kyrie Irving's status as the pinnacle of ball-handling is inseparable from his rigorous training.

He was the one who first created the most famous plastic bag training program.

To develop his ball sense, his father would put a plastic bag over the basketball and make him dribble it, reducing the bounce and increasing the difficulty, forcing him to feel the ball's trajectory with his fingers.

After removing the plastic bag, you'll clearly feel that the ball has become more obedient.

So even a pro like Ou needs this kind of high-intensity training to improve his ball handling skills, what excuse does Du Ze, an ordinary player in the NCAA, have?

Only two words.

Let's get started...

He adjusted his posture, squatted slightly, bent over, picked up the ball, and then slapped it hard with both hands, trying to maintain the same intensity and frequency throughout the process...

Hey hey hey...

How did the ball roll to my ankle?

Du Ze refused to give up, picked up the ball, and started again.

This time, he used his left hand to lift the ball, and then hit it with both hands again at a high frequency and with great force, while keeping the ball very low and trying to maximize the frequency.

As a result, fifteen seconds later, the ball completely slipped out of control and bounced away like it was dancing.

Is the skill level really that bad?

Du Ze was a little incredulous, but he didn't get discouraged and picked up the ball to continue.

This time he held on for a full seventeen seconds.

The progress is visible to the naked eye.

Next time, fourteen seconds...

The next time, thirteen seconds...

Next time, fifteen seconds...

And then again, sixteen seconds...

And then again and again, finally breaking the eighteen-second barrier...

Time passed slowly, and Du Ze was so focused on his dribbling training that he didn't even notice the passage of time.

Until Lawrence's voice came from behind: "Hey, you're starting to look pretty good."

The ball flew out of my fingertips with a whoosh.

Du Ze exhaled and slowly straightened up.

Seeing this, Lawrence quickly added, "But you still need to keep going, don't get distracted, okay?"

Du Ze glared at him angrily: "Don't you have anything better to do?"

Lawrence's face immediately filled with grievance and injustice: "Wardfa, I kindly came to invite you to dinner, and this is how you treat me?"

"I'm so heartbroken. You've hurt my young heart."

Du Ze then turned to look at the clock on the wall, which showed 11:55.

Is it that fast?

Before I knew it, it was midnight.

But he showed no remorse whatsoever, casually tossing out two words: "Eat."

Then he walked slowly toward the cafeteria.

Lawrence, forgetting his sadness, quickly caught up: "Why did you suddenly decide to practice ball control?"

In fact, most people learn these fundamental skills like ball control in their early basketball education or during junior high school.

Now that I'm practicing at university, it's almost like planting rice seedlings on the summer solstice.

—Eighteen springs late.

Du Ze replied expressionlessly, "I want to make it into the NBA and become a basketball superstar."

There's a saying that goes something like this: every player who makes it into the NBA is like Jordan in their respective league.

Have you ever seen a Jordan who couldn't attack with the ball?

Even someone like McGee, who's on the blacklist for butterfingers, can still dribble the entire length of the court and drive straight to the basket in lower-level leagues.

This gives you an idea of ​​just how prestigious the NBA is.

Therefore, it is essential to improve the pace of the game, as this can significantly increase one's draft stock.

of course.

This elevation currently exists only at the theoretical level.

After all, his stats this season are really not worth mentioning, let alone being considered.

Lawrence, as if he had heard something unbelievable, widened his eyes in shock, and after a moment of stunned silence, asked again, "What did you say?"

Du Ze stopped and glared at him.

Immediately afterwards, Lawrence, as if struck by a sudden illness, stomped his feet on the floor, clutched his stomach, and shook his head like a rattle drum.

"ha……"

"Ha ha……"

"Hahaha..."

Du Ze just tilted his head and looked at him like he was looking at an idiot.

Lawrence probably sensed Duze's sharp gaze, and slowly managed to calm down, but he still couldn't suppress his smile, only managing to say intermittently, "Ha...you? Made it to the NBA? You...a basketball superstar?"

Du Ze said coldly, "Have you laughed enough? If not, keep laughing. I'll watch you laugh, don't stop."

His face was expressionless, and his tone was very serious.

Seeing this, Lawrence, who had finally cured his ailment, became serious and earnest: "Sorry, I lost my composure a bit. Although your physical abilities aren't great, I'm very pleased that you have this confidence. Fortunately, you're only a sophomore this year, so you still have two years to work hard. Train hard, and I believe you can make it to the NBA."

The most honest thing in this passage is that your physical condition isn't very good.

The rest were mostly perfunctory.

How difficult is it to get into the NBA?

In terms of probability, the NCAA's Division 1 league has a total of 4800 players, but only sixty spots are available each year. This does not even include international talents. In other words, the chance of making it into the NBA is only 1.2%.

To put it another way, the odds of a player averaging less than 10 points per game being selected are only 0.1%.

The probability is equivalent to finding gold on the street.

Historically famous examples include DeAndre Jordan, Przybilla, and Steven Adams, but they all share a common characteristic: top-tier physical talent.

And what about Du Ze?

It seems like... I don't fit into either category.

In particular, his physical talent is really just average.