The longest river

Chapter 64: The authorities are confused, but the bystanders are clear
The game that night was largely predictable. The Timberwolves were significantly weaker than the Pacers' previous opponents, and the Pacers easily won 96-83.

加内特替补打了20分钟，6投3中得到8分6板2盖帽。

杨帅替补出场18分钟，9投6中，三分球5投3中，得到15分3板。

He continued his excellent form against the Knicks, and even the cold weather in Minnesota couldn't affect him.

After leaving Minnesota, the Pacers went on to challenge the Spurs in San Antonio.

At this time, the Spurs did not have Duncan yet, but were led by "The Admiral" Robinson and "Superman" Sean Elliott.

They were also a strong defensive team under Bob Hill.

Yang Shuai maintained good efficiency in this game, but he only played for 10 minutes throughout the entire match.

Moreover, he didn't get a chance to play in the following game against the Jazz.

This huge fluctuation in playing time caused his shooting touch to waver in the subsequent game against the Nuggets.

He played for 20 minutes, but only scored 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting.

Billups was at the game against the Nuggets. He asked Yang Shuai for two tickets because he brought a female companion with him.

After the game, Yang Shuai and Billups went to eat Denver's famous local delicacy, "Rocky Mountain Oysters"①.

Unlike Pierce, who went to Kansas, Billups chose to stay in Colorado after graduating from high school and joined the University of Colorado.

During the meal, he shared a lot about his college life with Yang Shuai: easy studies, being adored by fans, and having a constant stream of female companions—it was all so enjoyable.

Moreover, that kind of nourishment comes not only from outside the field, but also from inside the field.

In his freshman season with the University of Colorado, Billups has averaged 18.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game so far.

He felt that if he played for another year, he had a good chance of making the top five in the draft.

"Hansen, I think you should have chosen to go to college." Billups felt a little sorry for Yang Shuai, knowing that Yang Shuai's performance at the Nike training camp was much better than his.

Recalling the numerous difficulties he faced after joining the Pacers, and listening to Billups share his wonderful campus life, Yang Shuai's heart couldn't help but soften a little.

But soon after, he laughed and said, "Then when I finish my second year, I'll be able to see you in the NBA when you're still a rookie."

After finishing their road trip in the West, the Pacers flew to Cleveland, the final stop of their six-game road trip.

This marks Yang Shuai's return to play here after the preseason.

There were many tickets to give away here, and Yang Shuai even bought some with his own money.

In front of his "hometown" fans, he regained his form and scored in double digits again.

However, he only got 15 minutes of playing time in the end.

After the match, Yang Shuai treated everyone to a big meal at a riverside restaurant.

Following the team around, he hadn't seen his old friends for quite some time.

Especially for players like Paul who didn't come to the last preseason game, it's been almost half a year since we last saw them.

The two leaned against the restaurant window and reminisced.

"Do you have any conflicts with the coach?" Paul asked curiously when the topic turned to the game.

Yang Shuai gave a wry smile. You see, not only him, but everyone else could sense that Brown was targeting him.

It's not good to keep it all bottled up inside, and Paul is a shrewd guy who might be able to give me some advice, so Yang Shuai took the opportunity to tell me all about his experiences with the team.

After listening, Paul pondered for a long time before speaking, "Actually, I don't think Brown is necessarily targeting you."

These words stunned Yang Shuai.

"I didn't see the other two Pacers rookies play tonight. Although they were drafted lower than you, that Best should be the Pacers' only point guard off the bench."

Paul observed very carefully.

Brown preferred to use Scott as a swingman at point guard rather than give Best any playing time.

"So he just doesn't like using rookies?" Yang Shuai recalled that stereotype from his father.

To Yang Shuai's surprise, Paul shook his head.

"When Larry first entered the NBA, he was coaching in San Antonio. David Robinson and Shawn Elliott, whom you played against before, were both rookies he mentored."

Paul knows much more about the NBA than Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai also shook his head. If it weren't for his aversion to using rookies, he couldn't think of any other reason.

"Hansen, is there anything that you rookies have in common, but that Brown cares about?" Paul asked after thinking for a while.

After all, he wasn't with the Pacers and hadn't actually met Brown; he was just offering Yang some ideas.

What do these rookies have in common, and what does Brown care about?
Even, is that a point that Milicic has?

Yang Shuai seemed to be deep in thought.

After a while, he suddenly thought of something.

"Defense?"

Looking back at his games with the Pacers, he was DNP'd against the SuperSonics, Hawks, and Jazz, and he also had limited playing time against the Spurs, as those games were all defensive battles.

In games like those against the Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Knicks, where the game was forced into an offensive back-and-forth battle, he got playing time, sometimes quite a lot.

Even when they beat the Knicks, which was clearly won through offense, Brown still emphasized defense after the game.

"That might be the answer, but to know if it really is... Hansen, why don't you talk to Brown?"

Paul's job is as a scout, and he understands the importance of communication in solving problems.

Yang Shuai was genuinely stumped by the question.

He had never considered this option before because he thought Brown looked like the kind of person who was difficult to deal with.

Adding to the stereotypes from his father, he felt that Brown probably wouldn't listen to him, a rookie.

However, these were all based on his own subjective judgment, and he had not actually tried them.

Talking to Brown would at least let him know why Brown arranged things that way for him. Whether it's because he thinks Brown is a rookie and lacks experience, or it's simply a bias against him, or as Paul said, it's because of his defensive issues.

But... why should he, as a player, have to communicate with the head coach about this kind of thing?

Shouldn't it be the head coach who comes to him?
In his eyes, a qualified head coach should at least be like Ray Johnson.

Brown assigned a high school rookie to guard Jordan in his debut game, and then after he finally made it into the rotation, his playing time fluctuated wildly without any explanation.

Which rookie can withstand this kind of torment?
To put it bluntly, Brown never intended to develop this rookie; he was simply using him as a role player.

If he hadn't performed well, he would have ended up like Milicic.

And you expect him to take the initiative to communicate with Brown? He can't do that.

However, the defensive issues Paul mentioned might actually change the current situation.

If he improves his defense but still can't get consistent playing time, then there's really no point in him staying here.

"By the way, how are you doing at Ohio University?" Yang Shuai then looked at Paul.

"good."

Paul's words were somewhat forced; after all, who isn't involved in this situation?
Paul was capable, but Ohio University simply didn't have the resources.

For a person to fully utilize their abilities, both the platform and their own capabilities are equally crucial.

"If you ever decide you don't want to be a scout anymore, you can come work for me," Yang Shuai then stated his thoughts.

He currently only has DiFrancisco by his side, and DiFrancisco is a trainer who can't offer him advice.

If Paul had been by his side earlier, he might not be in such a passive position now.

Paul nodded.

Yang Shuai is indeed a better platform for him, but that's not something that can be decided overnight.

Moreover, once he's with Yang Shuai, he'll have to consider what kind of work he wants to do; he also has his own aspirations.

After finishing his meal and returning to the hotel, Yang Shuai accessed the system panel.

Name: Yang Shuai

Height: 198cm
Weight: 91 kg
Arm span: 214cm
Control: 66 (66); Passing: 57 (57);
扣篮：78（78）；上篮：70（70）；近距离：65（65）；中距离：65（73）；罚球：74（74）；三分：81（84）

防守：63（63）；盖帽：70（70）；抢断：56（56）；篮板：70（70）；造犯规：55（55）

Second-level interface ②

Score: 15857
Yang Shuai's gaze finally settled on the 58 attribute cap for single defense.

He himself didn't realize that after going straight from high school to the NBA, his defense actually became a liability.

As shown in the system's secondary panel, defense is divided into single defense and help defense.

If either of these two approaches reaches the top level, then you are already a top-tier defender; if both reach the top level, then you are a historically great defender.

The physical qualities required for these two types of defense are also quite different. For one-on-one defense, the greatest factors are maximum strength and lateral speed, while for help defense, the greatest factor is agility.

For him, the best-case scenario would be to improve both types of defense.

However, given the number of points he has, this is clearly unrealistic; he can only focus on improving one aspect first.

It's been almost three months since he joined the Pacers, but he's earned far fewer points than he did in high school.

This is due to a variety of reasons.

Most importantly, NBA player contracts include risk clauses, prohibiting players from playing pickup games without approval due to potential injury risks.

In fact, not to mention playing ball, you can't participate in other sports that involve danger, such as skydiving and skiing.

Another equally important point is that the NBA did not have subordinate leagues in this era.

The NBA Development League did not exist at that time.

Before this, in the 80s, the NBA would send some players to play in the CBA, but that has now been canceled.

Therefore, if Yang Shuai wants to earn points, he still needs to rely on official matches.

But now, according to Brown's demands, he must improve his defense if he wants to get more playing time.

This is a nested doll design.

Having no good ideas for the time being, Yang Shuai could only spend 1 points to exchange for a C-level lateral movement speed and physical fitness enhancement pack.

Regardless, he needs to improve his individual defensive skills first.

After he made the exchange, his single defense and steals improved to varying degrees, with the single defense showing the biggest improvement, reaching 62.

So what he did next was figure out how to get more points.

-Dividing line-

①: Deep-fried bull testicles.

②: Defense: Single defense 58 (58); Help defense 68 (68)

Rebounds: Offensive rebounds 68 (68); Defensive rebounds 72 (72)

Drawing fouls: 50 offensive fouls (50); 60 defensive fouls (60)

Dunking: Standing dunk 78 (78); Sprint dunk 80 (80); Confrontation dunk 76 (76)

Layup: Standing layup 68 (68); Breakaway layup 72 (72)

Close range: Throw 66 (66); Hook shot 64 (64); Lap-up 64 (64)

Mid-range: 70 (76) open shots; 65 (73) catch-and-shoot shots; 60 (70) shots under pressure.

Three-pointers: Open shots 88 (88); Catch-and-shoot shots 86 (86); Uncontested shots 80 (84); Long-range three-pointers 66 (78)

③: Continental Basketball Association (CBBA), founded in 1946, was acquired by the consortium led by Isaiah Thomas in 1999 and declared bankruptcy in 2001.

(End of this chapter)