Who will be the role players now that everyone's been reborn?

In the weekend's regular season game at Joel Memorial Stadium, Wake Forest University defeated the University of Maryland's Water Tortoises 87-75 in their second game.

Chris Paul, returning from a one-game suspension, easily dominated his matchup against DJ Strawberry, scoring 21 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds, showcasing his role as an absolute core point guard.

Chen Dong's off-ball skills were also outstanding against this team-oriented defensive basketball team, contributing 15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He continued to showcase his all-around game. With Wake Forest University's outside shooting duo shining brightly, this elite team, which was the ACC regular season champion last season, was completely outmatched!

In a short time, Wake Forest University had achieved a four-game winning streak in the regular season.

Well, they've brought their invincible talent to the ACC region!

In a midweek preseason game, Wake Forest University faced their penultimate opponent, Marquette University's Golden Eagles, and were immediately put to the test by the latter's fierce offense!

In the first minute of the first half, Travis Dina and Steve Novak, who had moved to the high post, ran a pick-and-roll. Dina drove down the court, and Novak received the pass from Dina. He was mismatched against Chris Paul's 183cm height and the 2.08m Novak calmly took a shot, using a standard three-point shooting form, firing at the basket over Paul's head, and accurately sinking the first three-pointer.

That said, Rick Williams is following Duncan's style, never switching to defend the perimeter, especially the three-point line. Paul, on the other hand, will have to endure Novak's 46.7% three-point shooting percentage!

Head coach Prossel couldn't let Rick Williams leave the paint, otherwise there would be no player protecting the rim, so he tried to have Chris Ellis, the defensive anchor in the paint, guard Vannock.

In the 3rd minute of the first half, it was still a pick-and-roll tactic, with Novak popping out and Diner driving and passing.

Chris Ellis bypassed the defense and lunged towards the three-point line with aggressive movements.

Novak faked a shot, then drove to the basket, drawing the defense before passing to Diner, who quickly drove to the rim and scored a layup.

The duo of Novak and Diner, one tall and one fast, gave off a vibe reminiscent of the Nash and Stoudemire pairing—or rather, the Nash and Nowitzki pairing!!!

During his college years, Steve Novak was not entirely positioned as a spot-up three-point shooter, but rather as a versatile big man offensive player.

In the sixth minute of the first half, Novak made a back-cut and, using a teammate's screen, ran to the left three-point corner, received an assist from Diner, and launched a three-pointer that swished cleanly into the net!

An all-around shooter who plays on the shoulders of the team's tactical system has unimaginable fighting power.

Vannock can not only outmaneuver Wake Forest's defense with his superb off-ball shooting skills, but he can also switch into a ball-handling offensive specialist. There's no way around it; his shooting is too accurate, he has a commanding position, and his passing vision is excellent. With these "two threats," he naturally has a "third threat" to break through. Facing a point forward with a natural triple threat, defense itself is a difficult problem.

At this moment, Novak transformed into Nowitzki, scoring with every offensive move and inspiring his teammates, bringing Marquette University's run-and-gun offense to its fullest potential.

It was thought that Marquette University would fall into obscurity after Wade brought his "9-point play" talent to the NBA in 2003. Who would have thought that after only one season of silence, both Diner and Novak had developed their skills.

As a high school prodigy, Diner's development is to be expected. However, the key to Marquette University's resurgence lies in Novak's development, who was originally a sixth man.

After being stunned by a 16-7 run, Proser abandoned his underestimation of his opponent and now wanted Chen Dong, this hidden gem of a player.

So he called a short timeout to plan his tactics. "Chen Dong, it's your turn!"

"Keep a close eye on Steve Novak, I don't want to see his offense come to a standstill!!!"

"Leave it to me!"

"I'll crush him!" Chen Dong said, but inwardly he was very dissatisfied with his hexagonal positioning.

With Paul out, he needs to step up to the point guard position and play as a playmaking forward.

Power forward Chris Ellis can't defeat his opponents by going one-on-one; he needs to transform into a scoring expert in the paint and use offense to kill them.

If small forward Kyriewes doesn't perform well on both offense and defense, Chen Dong needs to take on the role of a 3D small forward.

Shooting guard Justin Gray couldn't win the game with his long-range shots, so Chen Dong had to clean up his mess...

So, you can do anything, just not be an all-around player. Sundays—or rather, during the game—don't even offer a moment's rest or time to slack off. It's like doing four or even five jobs!

wrong!

The NCAA is a very pure sport, and there's no pay, so you're basically treated like cattle.

Indeed, with great power comes great responsibility!

"Isn't this bullying an honest person?!" Chen Dong screamed inwardly, but remembering that the head coach's authority was paramount in the NCAA, and even Chris Paul had to bow down, Chen Dong decided to endure it. "Anyway, this is the last dance of the NCAA!"

In the 9th minute, Chen Dong was intercepted by Novak, who used his off-the-ball movement to create two and a half body lengths. Dina jumped up to pass the ball, but Chen Dong cut off the passing route and made a tackle.

Wake Forest University launched a counterattack, with Chen Dong making a long pass to Chris Paul, who had just made a fast break in the frontcourt. Paul easily scored two points with a layup.

In the 11th minute, Diva and Novak set a pick-and-roll, trying to take on Paul's 183cm height advantage one-on-one.

Ignoring Diner's offensive threat, Chen Dong and Paul rushed towards the three-point line.

Novak jumped up and passed the ball to Dina in the paint. Chris Ellis decisively swept the ball out and passed it to Jimmy Howard under the basket. With a thud, Howard slammed the ball in.

If Novak is Nowitzki, then Diner is the NCAA's Nash; his passes can tear apart any defense!!!

Regardless of the circumstances, Travis Dina is a point guard with the potential to be a second-round pick in the 05 NBA draft.

Wake Forest University wouldn't care at all; it's impossible to have a perfect defense.

If they can simply neutralize the influence of Marquette University's "one tall, one fast" combination on the game, they can control the match.

That's indeed the case!

Diner has the potential to be a second-round pick, while Paul has the potential to be a top-three pick. In terms of talent, Diner is simply overwhelming. When Wake Forest University stabilized the situation on the court, the tide of the game began to turn in Wake Forest University's favor.

In the 15th minute, Paul played a one-two pass with Chen Dong on the wing, and Paul, cutting inside to receive the ball, easily outmaneuvered Novak's defense and converted a 2+1 play!

Nowitzki's offense was indeed amazing, but his defense was a complete softie. Novak is just a college version of Nowitzki, and his defense will only be worse.

When outnumbered, Marquette University's defense simply couldn't handle it.

In the 18th minute, Dina and Novak chose to double-team Paul. Their 183cm dribbling talent was too much for them to handle alone. At this point, they could only copy the strategy: defend Wake Forest University's star player and force them to decide the game with their role players' offense.

Using their own methods against them—that's called mutual harm!

Paul decisively passed the ball behind him as he moved forward.

Catch!

Jump!

Shot!

Chen Dongqian made a clean three-pointer.

Swish-!

GOAT!!!

A three-pointer from Chen Dong went in.

"Chris Paul is never fighting alone."

He was not only surrounded by his teammate, number one scorer Justin Gray.

There's also Chen Dong, who has grown into the number three scorer.

This University of Tokyo player can't be considered a role player. Sure, he's very role-oriented in one position, but considering multiple positions, he's a star player.

"This is called quantitative change leading to qualitative change!!"

"..."

Paul's breakthrough and Chen Dong's three-pointer are like "two bottles of poison" placed on Marquette University. No matter which one you choose, it's a sure thing.

Just as your family has a "high-achieving and fast-paced" combination, Wake Forest University also has a "high-achieving and fast-paced" combination.

Although Chen Dong is not as tall as Novak, Chris Paul is shorter and faster than Dina, and his power is also extremely strong.

Moreover, Wake Forest University's outside shooting duo is not only fierce on offense, but also incredibly strong on defense.

Marquette University's white version of the "tall and fast" combination was much weaker defensively.

Wake Forest's defense can limit Marquette's star players' offensive performance, but Marquette's defense can't do anything about it.

Such a gap, when displayed on the field, means that their abilities are on completely different levels!

The first half ended with a score of 45-44, with Marquette University surprisingly in the lead.

However, compared to their largest 9-point lead, they have now been eroded by Wake Forest University's comeback to a mere 1-point advantage that's barely enough to feed a cat.

Marquette University's lead was like a summer thunderstorm—it came and went quickly.

If they want to pull off an upset against Wake Forest University, they can only do so by launching a spectacular offensive surge at the start of the game, before the players' information is fully known, thus stunning their opponents, disrupting the rhythm of the game, and seizing the opportunity to win.

Now, with Chen Dong using equally superb off-ball skills to defend Novak, the X-factor, Marquette University's chance to win has been cut short.

When the second half ended, the team dominated the game. Marquette University head coach Tom Crean shook his head, "If Dwyane Wade were still on the team!"

Perhaps the situation is different for the Golden Eagles.

Both Novak and Dina are support players.

What we need in our current squad is a superstar who can single-handedly break down defenses in crucial moments!!!

Om-!

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.

Wake Forest University emerged victorious with a score of 88-81, defeating Marquette University by 7 points and extending their preseason winning streak to 13 games. They are now just one game away from a perfect record.

In this game, Wake Forest University's outside shooting duo shone throughout the game, combining for 39 points.

Chen Dong scored 24 points, while Paul only had 15. Paul had 11 assists, 6 of which were easy baskets for Chen Dong!

Therefore, Paul deserves half the credit for Chen Dong's points!