NBA's King of Talking

After defeating the Magic at home, the Thunder flew to Minneapolis on a chartered plane, where they will face their second opponent of the season, the Timberwolves, on the road.

Upon arrival, the Thunder did not schedule a practice because they had a back-to-back game that night. This season is a shortened season with many back-to-back games, and even some back-to-back-to-back games – a truly daunting schedule.

Jia Fei traveled with the team to Minneapolis, finally experiencing firsthand what back-to-back games felt like. They were playing at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City last night, then departed early the next morning on a chartered plane to their away game, only to play again that evening. The physical demands of such a schedule are truly high. Back-to-back games at home are much better; you can lie in your own bed and avoid all that travel fatigue.

In this game, neither Jia Fei nor Reggie got a chance to play. Both of them are eagerly awaiting their regular season debut.

The Thunder narrowly defeated the Timberwolves on the road, securing their second consecutive win.

After finishing their game against the Timberwolves, the Thunder players boarded a private jet that night and flew to Memphis, where they would face the Grizzlies the following day.

It was already past midnight when they arrived at the hotel. Jia Fei and Reggie shared a room and both went to bed early.

The next morning, after the two got up, Reggie asked Jia Fei, "Jia, when do you think we can play?"

Jia Fei understood his feelings—a mix of hope and disappointment. Sitting on the bench was certainly not a pleasant experience. Even though both were substitutes, there was a difference between a regular rotation substitute and a benchwarmer.

"We'll be able to play when garbage time comes, let's wait a few more days!" Jia Fei was comforting Reggie, and also comforting himself.

"Does this mean we can only wait for garbage time?" Reggie was clearly not interested in garbage time. And indeed, no matter how well you play during garbage time, it's all for naught.

Jia Fei nodded: "There's still one more chance, which is to wait until someone gets injured or has to stop playing for some other reason. Otherwise, it's hard to get a regular rotation opportunity for you, and me too."

Reggie sighed deeply. He had boundless energy, but no opportunity to use it. He really wished he could be like other first-round picks, getting playing time right away, some even starting and controlling a lot of the ball – something to be envied to the extreme.

After having lunch at the hotel, Jia Fei and Reggie went to the away team's training ground for their routine training session in the afternoon.

Coach Brooks, though a legend in motivational speeches, still keeps a close eye on his players' training. He doesn't allow them to slack off or miss training without a valid reason.

In this regard, the team's leader, Kevin Durant, has indeed set a very good example.

When Jia Fei and Reggie arrived at the training facility, Durant was already training alone. He was still wearing a hoodie, the hood pulled up over his head, looking rather comical. His long, slender legs, like an ostrich's, naturally lacked lower body strength, but their speed was considerable. He could play on the perimeter, perfectly avoiding physical contact in the paint.

Jia Fei knew about Durant. Durant chose to wear jersey number 35 to commemorate his basketball mentor, Charles Craig. Coach Craig tragically died in a shooting in 05 at the age of 35, an event that deeply affected Durant. Therefore, he continued to wear jersey number 35 in subsequent games as a tribute.

In an interview, Durant once said, "Basketball is my only connection with Coach Craig. If you choose to give up, he and I will never cross paths again, and I may even forget him in the future!"

In this respect, Durant is indeed a loyal and devoted person. Besides being loyal, he's also a basketball fanatic. He once famously said, "When a genius doesn't work hard, hard work can defeat a genius!"

In Jia Fei's opinion, this guy is not only a genius, but also incredibly hardworking.

Just think about it: Durant is 211cm tall with a wingspan exceeding 225cm, possessing speed and agility uncommon for players of that height. Most surprisingly, he also has an exceptional shooting touch!

Shooting skills can indeed be improved through practice, but some people are born with a natural talent for it!

Durant wasn't flamboyant, nor was he a particularly enthusiastic guy. When he saw Jia Fei and the others, they greeted him, and he simply nodded slightly in response. It wasn't that he was putting on airs because of his status as the team's leader, nor was he particularly aloof; rather, his personality was genuinely reserved.

Jia Fei certainly knew that introverted people could also be secretly passionate at times.

Some people are quiet and shy in real life, but in the online world they dare to say anything, they are practically gods of war.

Soon, Westbrook, Harden, and others arrived. Due to the ongoing away games, Thunder head coach Brooks didn't schedule many training sessions today.

Jia Fei diligently completed the training tasks alongside the team. After training, he specifically sought advice from the team's starting shooting guard, Thabo Sefolosha.

Thabo Sefolosha is not American; he was born in Switzerland and was selected 13th overall in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft by the Digital Man, before being traded to the Bulls.

In a three-way trade in 2009, he was sent to the Thunder, where he remains to this day.

Thabo Sefolosha, standing at 201cm and weighing 100kg, can defend multiple positions and is the Thunder's first choice for guarding opposing star perimeter players. In the 2009-10 season, he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team.

"Sabo, I have a question. When defending a ball handler, should you stay in front of him or force him to take a shot he's not used to?" Jia Fei asked.

Sefolosha smiled and said, "That's a good question. In my opinion, the two are not contradictory. As an perimeter defender, when you are guarding the opponent's perimeter player, your first priority is not to lose your position easily. Without losing your position, you disrupt his offense. If he likes to drive but pull-up jumpers are not his specialty, you force him to take those jumpers."

"Do you have any tricks for defending?" Jia Fei continued to ask.

“There’s no special trick, everyone has their own habits. I suggest you watch more game footage and study the individual offensive habits of those players. This will help you build a good defensive database,” Sefolosha said amicably.

"Thank you, Sabo. I will have a lot to learn from you in the future!" Jia Fei said sincerely.