As a Kobe hater, he was actually teammates with Kobe!

He can deliver thrilling alley-oop slam dunks and hit amazing three-pointers. His playing style is sometimes soft and sometimes hard, and he is nicknamed "the king of softies" and "the hardest softie" by talented netizens.

This left Zhou Ze speechless.

These people really don't understand. If it's always hard, it means you're sick and you need to go to the hospital.

This week's schedule is relatively easy. Apart from yesterday's win over the Knicks, there are only two games left, against the Chicago Bulls and the SuperSonics.

All of them were played at the Lakers' home court.

...

...

In the training hall.

"What? I don't want it! I want to practice three-pointers!" Zhou Ze refused the rebounding training arranged by the team.

This made the team's head coach, Phil Jackson, very helpless. No matter how much he tried to persuade him, the other party just refused to listen.

Seeing this, Kobe, who had been fed up with it, walked over with a cold face, pointed at Zhou Ze's nose and cursed, "You bastard, you're a 206cm tall inside player after all, but you often have fewer rebounds than me. How can you be so ashamed?"

"What? You want me to rebound for you?"

Kobe Bryant fired at Zhou Ze right in the face.

Zhou Ze remained calm and said, "Kobe, you don't understand."

Zhou Ze was naturally aware of his rebounding problem, but time was limited.

Practicing three-point shooting, alley-oop dunks, and upgrading badges will be more cost-effective.

"Zhou, you are not afraid, are you? Afraid that our rebounding trainer will snatch the ball away from you." Looking at Zhou Ze who was unyielding, Kobe used the method of provoking him.

"Kobe, put away your cheap provocation." Zhou Ze said with a cold face, then looked at the rebounding trainer the team hired for him and said, "Coach Carver, let's get started now."

Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, looked at Zhou Ze's departing figure with a hint of joy in his eyes. He couldn't help but smile and said to Kobe beside him, "You still have a way."

Kobe smiled and nodded, thinking to himself, "I knew this guy couldn't stand this kind of stimulation. After all, he and I are the same type of players."

...

...

The Lakers hired a rebounding trainer, but the original intention was not to prepare for Zhou Ze, but for the Los Angeles Lakers' potential rookie and the youngest player in NBA history - Andrew Byram.

Zhou Ze's performance during this period has made Zen Master Phil Jackson's expectations of him higher and higher, and he also feels more and more sorry for Zhou Ze.

Despite his strong physique, excellent jumping height, speed and flexibility, he is terrible at rebounding. Throughout the entire game, his rebounding statistics are often not as good as Kobe, who is at the second position.

certainly...

The coaching staff did not have high expectations for Zhou Ze's rebounding.

After all, with his arm span and average jumping speed, it is really difficult for him to fight for rebounds.

When competing for rebounds, jumping speed is more important than jumping height, and positioning awareness is more important than strength.

The Lakers' disruption team arranged rebounding training for Andrew Byram, Kwame Brown and Zhou Ze.

The three of them first took turns facing the trainer - Carver.

...

...

NBA trainers are no pushovers. Even many NBA stars find it difficult to beat them in a one-on-one match.

Carver, the Lakers' newly hired rebounding trainer, smiled and shook hands and hugged Zhou Ze and others who joined his professional training class.

The trainer, Carver, is a black man in his early thirties, about two meters tall, with a broad back and strong build, and his estimated weight is over 120kg.

After greeting politely, Carver looked at Zhou Ze with some surprise.

This inevitably made Zhou Ze feel a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Coach Carver?" Zhou Ze asked curiously.

"Zhou, the outside news media all say that you are a Tyrannosaurus Rex..." Carver's eyes fell on Zhou Ze's arms.

Zhou Ze couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Indeed, his arm span has always been criticized by the outside media.

"Tyrannosaurus Rex" became his player label.

"But after seeing you in person today, I realized you're not a Tyrannosaurus Rex. While your arm span isn't long, it's definitely not bad either."

"Did the Chicago United Center misremember your physical test data?"

Carver said doubtfully.

Zhou Ze smiled.

My arm span has now increased to 215cm, which is 9cm shorter than my height.

It’s just that my shoulders are too broad, which makes my standing reach still poor.

He has grown 2cm taller than when he entered the league, reaching 269cm, which is exactly the same as the basketball god Michael Jordan.

This is obviously not up to standard for an inside player.

"Haha, Coach Carver, maybe it's because I just turned 19..." Looking at the puzzled Carver, Zhou Ze made up an excuse.

And this reason also convinced Carver.

There are indeed many people whose height can still increase before the age of 20.

...

...

After the greetings, the rebounding training class officially began.

"To protect the rebounds well, it is particularly important to box out and predict where the rebound will land."

"Zhou, take you as an example. You usually don't pay attention to the direction of the basketball's rotation after shooting. If the ball spins backward, it's usually a long backboard."

"Observe the arc and speed of the shot. Shots with fast speed and obvious wrist force are more likely to have long rebounds."

"If you use your arm and adjust your wrist to shoot, the rebound will land near the basket."

Zhou Ze was suddenly called out by Carver. He was stunned at first, and then he found that it was really the case.

"The timing of your jump is also very important. You need to judge it based on your individual situation. For example, Kwame Brown, don't wait until you're falling before jumping. Also, Zhou, your jumping speed is slow, but your jumping height is excellent. You can definitely jump earlier."

"You also need to adjust your jumping posture. You need to coordinate your waist and abdomen, fully stretch your body, and control your body balance. Otherwise, if you encounter resistance in the air, you won't be able to grab the rebound immediately or hold the basketball firmly."

...

...

And so on.

And so on.

Carver pointed out the problems that Zhou Ze, Kwame Brown and Byram had when grabbing rebounds.

The one with the biggest and most problems is Zhou Ze.

But Zhou Ze was not angry. On the contrary, he absorbed it rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhou Ze, who was stimulated by Kobe's provocation, initially just wanted to beat the trainer as quickly as possible and devote himself to his three-point shooting training and alley-oop dunks, but now he is infected by the charm of rebounding.

Trainer Carver made an in-depth analysis of Zhou Ze's rebounding problem.

Next comes the practical training of rebounding.

First, Zhou Ze and the other two took turns facing the trainer.

P.S.: Skills and awareness will be honed through appropriate training, accelerating the protagonist's growth. Also, regarding the book's trajectory, the early game is definitely with the Lakers, but does he or she stay there forever? It's up to you! Personally, I'd prefer the protagonist destroy someone else's dynasty and shatter their championship dreams.