The longest river

Chapter 43 Trial Training
Yang Shuai's demonstration was not a solo event. In addition to Rondo, who was responsible for passing the ball to Yang Shuai, Fraser also brought in Pistons assistant coach John Hammond to assist him.

Hammond noticed Yang Shuai's tense nerves, so before the trial officially began, he had Yang Shuai go to the free throw line and shoot a few shots.

Just then, Yang Shuai heard voices coming from the audience.

Because he was so close, he could not only hear those words clearly, but he could even catch a glimpse of who was saying them out of the corner of his eye.

“Come on, what kind of arrangement is this? Am I supposed to watch a high school student? Why am I even here?” Riley complained.

"He's an Asian player, he's wasting his time," said Glenfield, his words carrying a hint of discrimination.

Yang Shuai changed his mind. Instead of taking the free throws as Hammond suggested, he accelerated from the three-point line, followed by a behind-the-back dribble and a crossover dribble, then rushed to the free-throw line, took another big step, and soared into the air.

"Oh!"

Yang Shuai completed a dunk that was almost from the free-throw line, something he had never attempted before.

Anger can unleash a person's physical potential.

The stands fell silent.

McHale then gestured for Hammond to come to his side.

After a while, Hammond returned.

“They want to see how high you can jump,” Hammond said, pointing to the basket.

"I'll throw the ball up there in a bit, you catch it, dunk it, and then pass it back to me."

Yang Shuai nodded and completed an alley-oop dunk as Hammond requested.

However, this was not the end. After Yang Shuai passed the ball back to Hammond, Hammond continued to throw the ball into the air above the basket, and this time the height was even higher than before.

Yang Shuai completed five such alley-oop dunks, each one higher and more powerful than the last.

After he completed his final, visually stunning alley-oop dunk, he couldn't help but roar.

He then turned to Riley and Glenfield, who had spoken earlier: "Now you know why you're here, right?"

The atmosphere at the scene instantly became tense, and no one expected that Yang Shuai would directly choose to confront the NBA executives.

Glenfield's face flushed red; he felt insulted.

Just as Fraser was about to say something, Riley suddenly clapped his hands.

"Not bad, lad," Riley said with a smile. "Very good tryout."

Riley's actions eased the tension, allowing the formal tryouts to begin.

Glenfield left early, but the remaining executives remained to observe quietly.

Under Hammond's guidance, Yang Shuai showcased his abilities in various aspects, including three-point and mid-range shooting, agility, defensive movement, and straight-line speed.

After the trial ended, the executives talked with Fraser, while Yang Shuai sat on the sidelines to rest.

After a while, the executives left one after another, and Fraser came to Yang Shuai's side.

"Did I mess up?" Yang Shuai's actions just now were indeed somewhat impulsive. Even if he had to do it again, he would still choose to do it that way.

“No, you did a great job.” Fraser smiled and shook his head. Yang Shuai’s actions had indeed surprised him, but they had left a deep impression on most of the executives.

Fraser then shared the good news with him: the Jazz, SuperSonics, and Magic had all extended tryout invitations to him.

"Do I have to go to all of them?" Yang Shuai didn't know much about NBA tryouts.

“No, they are all teams that finished late in the first round. We only need to choose one that is suitable. Don’t worry, they will spread the word today, and you will soon receive trial invitations from other teams.” Fraser seemed very confident.

His confidence was not unfounded. Many of the NBA executives were former NBA superstars, and they could tell at a glance whether a player had talent or not.

Of course, it's not that easy for Yang Shuai to be selected. After all, every NBA team already has its own preferred candidates. If he wants to be chosen by them, he must prove that he is more valuable than those other players during the tryouts.

Fraser's judgment was quickly proven correct.

The day after that open trial, several more teams extended trial invitations to Yang Shuai, and this time it wasn't just teams from the end of the first round.

这其中包括手握21和27顺位的太阳队、23顺位的步行者队、17顺位的骑士队，最高的是拥有第10顺位的热火队。

Yang Shuai's first trial was in Miami.

The Heat failed to make the playoffs this year and are currently experiencing a low point in their franchise history, desperately needing new talent.

However, unlike the previous individual showcases, other rookies also participated in the tryouts this time.

Damon Stoudemire, Ed Obanon, Kurt Thomas, and Gary Trent are all rookies projected to be selected in the lottery.

Riley was also present, and he even greeted Yang Shuai.

Just as Fraser said, Yang Shuai's previous trial left a deep impression on this "master strategist".

However, Yang Shuai's performance in this trial was not ideal.

The trial training started with some basic tests to assess various abilities, but then it turned into high-intensity three-on-three and five-on-five full-court sparring.

The three-on-three segment was a format where no throw-ins were taken; the ball was immediately served after a goal. That three-on-three segment alone lasted a full forty-five minutes.

Thanks to his talent, he performed well in the three-on-three match, but his stamina started to falter in the five-on-five match.

What's even more crucial is the difference in skills and tactics. Those top college players are far superior to Yang Shuai, a high school student, in both positioning and awareness.

After the trial ended, without much delay, Yang Shuai set off for his next destination, Indiana.

"Don't be discouraged, you're just having some trouble adjusting at first," Fraser comforted Yang Shuai on the way to the airport.

“I’m not frustrated.” Yang Shuai’s reaction surprised Fraser. “If I were better than them right now, they would have wasted their college education.”

Seeing how open-minded Yang Shuai was, Fraser smiled and nodded.

His tryouts were planned, and Yang Shuai's current draft stock is between the early second round and the late first round.

The main purpose of setting the first stop on a lottery team was to let Yang Shuai experience the gap between himself and top college students, and lower his expectations.

Yang Shuai then turned to look out of the car.

He had no idea what Fraser was really thinking; he was focused on how to present himself in the upcoming trials.

As he said, the top college players are better than him in terms of immediate impact, and he has to prove in other ways that he deserves to be drafted.

Unlike the Heat, the Pacers are currently competing in the playoffs, and Pacers head coach Larry Brown was not present.

Only one relatively minor assistant coach came from the coaching staff.

The team's general manager in charge of this tryout was Walsh, but Yang Shuai recognized someone standing next to him: Larry Bird.

Fraser was quite surprised by Bird's appearance, as Bird had disappeared from the public eye since retiring in 1992, and this was the first time he had seen him in two years.

He went over to catch up with Bird, and the tryouts on the court began.

The Pacers' tryout method was also different from the Heat's. After the same physical testing process, they first arranged for the rookies to have one-on-one direct interviews.

Yang Shuai was originally thinking about how to better showcase his strengths, and now, his forte has arrived.

One-on-one matches are all about talent and skill. Yang Shuai can even hold his own against Jim Jackson, so he'll have no problem against these college students.

Moreover, the players who came to try out for the Pacers were different from those who came for the Heat; they were mostly mid-to-late first-round picks or players with late-stage prospects.

Yang Shuai utterly crushed them all.

Bird and Walsh nodded in agreement.

Moreover, this one-on-one segment brought an additional effect: when it came to the subsequent five-on-five, Yang Shuai's teammates were significantly more inclined to pass the ball to him than to the others, which gave Yang Shuai more room to showcase his skills.

Although professional basketball is not decided by one-on-one matches, one-on-one ability is still the most recognized skill among players because it is the most direct way to judge a player's performance.

Seemingly still wanting more, after the tryouts ended, the Pacers kept Yang Shuai behind and called over Sam Mitchell, who was training with the team next door, for a one-on-one match.

Mitchell is a backup forward/guard for the Pacers. He is 1.98 meters tall, weighs 95 kilograms, and is a veteran who will soon be 32 years old.

Yang Shuai began to fall behind when facing him, because compared to Jackson, Mitchell not only matched his physique but was also very experienced.

However, as the one-on-one match progressed, Yang Shuai gradually figured out Mitchell's characteristics and began to launch a counterattack, frequently scoring points by utilizing his speed and explosiveness.

Yang Shuai ultimately defeated Mitchell 11-10.

After the one-on-one match, Mitchell gave Yang Shuai a thumbs up, giving him the most direct affirmation.

Compared to Jackson, this veteran is clearly better able to accept defeat.

After the one-on-one game, Yang Shuai also had an interview with the Pacers, which mainly assessed his basketball philosophy, career goals, and personality traits.

Some teams prefer maverick players, while others prefer players who follow the rules.

Yang Shuai's humble yet confident personality, coupled with his overflowing self-assurance, has made the Pacers very satisfied.

In conclusion, compared to Miami, this tryout in Indiana was perfect.

After completing his first two tryouts, Yang Shuai returned to Cleveland to rest. His next tryout will be with a team in the Western Conference, which will be a tough journey.

Upon returning to Cleveland, Fraser told Yang some news.

The Pacers hope they can keep this tryout a secret.

Keeping it a secret means not mentioning it to outsiders or to the teams that will be trying out with you later.

Of course, in theory, it's impossible to keep it completely secret, since Yang Shuai wasn't the only one participating in the trial.

But the messages conveyed here are different.

"They want to draft me with the 23rd pick?"

"Not necessarily, after all, they have other trials later, but you are already on their shortlist."

Aside from the first few draft picks, the remaining rookie drafts are highly unpredictable, but in any case, this is good news for Yang Shuai.

(End of this chapter)