NBA's King of Talking

The one-on-one match with Reggie made Jia Fei more clearly aware of his current strength. Before, whether it was playing three-on-three with Kemba Walker and others, or later playing five-on-five scrimmages in Chicago, his offense seemed to be fine, and his efficiency was quite high. However, in one-on-one situations, his weaknesses were exposed.

Before he could integrate Iverson's peak skills, he was a mediocre wing player with average ball-handling and offensive abilities. He didn't have a single signature move, and his offense mainly relied on spot-up shooting, weak-side second-chance points, and fast breaks. He lacked the ability to create scoring opportunities with the ball. Reggie Jackson was a guard, and his defensive abilities weren't outstanding. If he was already struggling to score when guarded by Reggie, it would be even more difficult for him to score against a defensive stalwart on the perimeter.

Jia Fei hasn't given up on becoming a star player. He understands that to become a true perimeter star, ball-handling and offense are essential. Many people think Ray Allen is just a three-point shooter, but in his prime, he was a true perimeter star who could handle the ball, drive to the basket, and shoot from long range.

For now, I'll focus on improving my defense, seizing open shots, and striving to become a competent 3-and-D player. That way, I might have a chance to earn playing time in the future.

Jia Fei is very clear about the current situation of the Thunder team. The three young stars have basically divided up the ball possession, and there is really no extra ball possession for others. If others want to get playing time and stay on the court, they need to be able to coexist with the three young stars. And the standard is an inside player who can do the dirty work and a 3D-type outside player.

Last season, the Thunder's starting shooting guard was Thabo Sefolosha, a 3-and-D player. Besides Durant and Westbrook, the starting frontcourt duo consisted of Perkins and Ibaka, both defensive stalwarts who didn't dominate the ball.

Jia Fei believes that if he wants to compete for playing time next season, he should learn from Sefolosha: play good defense, shoot well from spot-up positions, and do the dirty work. There's no way around it; it's not easy for a low-draft pick like him to break through.

Having grasped the current environment and situation, Jia Fei had a clearer goal. In the NBA, too many players fail to recognize their own limitations, ultimately ending up without a team to play for. Everyone wants to be a star, but the problem is there's only one ball. To become the one who has the ball in crucial moments, you first need to ensure you have the opportunity to stay on the court.

Jia Fei is well aware that no matter the era or the team, as a wing player, if you have 3D attributes, you can adapt to any era and any team.

That evening, Jia Fei and Reggie had dinner together, and afterwards they went for a walk in the park.

As they walked, Reggie suddenly asked, "Jay, there are rumors online that the NBA is going to be suspended. Is it really going to be suspended?"

Jia Fei, being a time traveler, naturally knew that the season would eventually be suspended, which made the 2011-12 season a shortened season with only 66 games.

"I don't know, it might be shut down. If it really is shut down, with no games to play and no salary, would you choose to play overseas?" Jia Fei asked.

Reggie hesitated. He hadn't thought about it seriously yet. He still didn't believe the NBA would really be shut down. After all, the last time it was shut down was in 1998, when he was only 8 years old.

"Jia, if it really happened, what would you do?" Reggie looked at Jia Fei.

Jia Fei smiled and said, "I'll just stay here, rent a place, and save on food, clothing, and other necessities until the NBA lockout ends!"

"Aren't you planning to play overseas?" Reggie asked, puzzled.

Jia Fei shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to, it's that there's nowhere to go! Take the CBA in China as an example. Once the NBA is suspended, many NBA players will choose to play there. Do you think that when that time comes, they will choose an NBA near-All-Star or starting player, or a second-round rookie like me as a foreign player?"

Reggie was speechless... He hadn't expected that Jia Fei, who was younger than him, could see things so clearly.

July 1st arrived quickly, the day that was supposed to be the start of the annual free agent market. However, news that shocked everyone in the NBA industry came: on the last day that the old collective bargaining agreement was still in effect, the two sides held a final negotiation. This time, the two sides still had huge differences and failed to reach any agreement.

This is somewhat better for many players with existing contracts, but it's not so friendly for free agents and rookies who haven't signed contracts yet. To make matters worse, the league announced a lockdown, during which management is prohibited from making trades or signing players.

As a result, Jia Fei and Reggie can no longer stay in Oklahoma City and use the Thunder's training facility, because they are not allowed to.

Jia Fei, who had originally planned to rent a house in Oklahoma City and train there, was now undecided about whether to stay or return to his home in Los Angeles.

Reggie has decided to go home and see if there are any other matches he can play to maintain his form.

Reggie flew back on July 2nd, leaving Jia Fei alone.

The matter was also hotly debated in Jia Fei's Kangda basketball group. Everyone was cursing the NBA for doing something disgusting and discussing what to do next.

Kemba Walker, who was still in Charlotte at the time, was also very annoyed. The contract was still pending. He wanted to buy a house, and he had already paid the deposit, but then this happened.

Jia Fei didn't buy a house, which is probably one of the advantages of being poor – he doesn't have these worries because he simply can't afford one.

This shutdown will last a long time; Jia Fei remembers it might not end until the end of November. It's only early July now, so he has over four months to prepare. He needs to do something, otherwise he might starve to death before the shutdown ends.

The group chat was still buzzing with discussion. Some suggested forming a team to grind in international leagues, while others proposed opening a basketball training camp to teach young people and then exploit them. Still others suggested working on construction sites, since the weather was hot and there was a labor shortage, plus they'd get paid upfront...

There were all sorts of opinions, and Jia Fei didn't know what to choose. If things really didn't work out, he could at least work as a laborer and at least have enough to eat. He really didn't have much money left, let alone the money to pick up girls; he was even having trouble finding food and shelter.

Finally, Kemba Walker, the captain of the UK team, suggested, "Why don't we all go to New York? I'll help you find a place to stay, and you don't need to worry about training. We can also help the local teams play games and make money!" His suggestion was quickly accepted by many people. Indeed, it's not easy to find a place where you can play basketball and make money at the same time. Compared to other small cities, New York, as the largest metropolis in the United States, offers more opportunities to work and earn money.