Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1031 - 591 Top 13

Chapter 1031: Chapter 591 Top 1/3 Chapter 1031: Chapter 591 Top 1/3 “Is that serious enough for you?” Fei teased.

Yao Ming’s originally stern expression instantly relaxed, and he seemed somewhat helpless. However, Antetokounmpo’s expression became even more serious.

As Jokić spent more time in the training camp, everyone could increasingly feel that this Serbian chubby kid definitely had real talent.

Antetokounmpo believed that the GOAT wouldn’t have good reasons for favoring someone for no reason. Why did he like the phrase “Ubuntu”? Besides its catchy sound, it was mostly because of its meaning—”We are great because of others.”

Antetokounmpo was well aware that this phrase referred to Yu Fei. He knew Yu Fei’s strength, understood his status in the league, and was more aware that Yu Fei had accumulated such enviable wealth through these—this was the life he dreamed of. He liked the concept of “Ubuntu” because he hoped to take over when “others” could no longer play that role.

But now, on his team, the GOAT had personally acknowledged a future top player.

What did it mean to be a future top player? They were of similar age, and this meant that the other person would surpass him in the future.

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Antetokounmpo had no reason not to regard Jokić as a competitor, even though their playing styles seemed entirely non-conflicting.

Next, Jokić showed his tenacity. He put all his effort into sticking close to Yao Ming, firmly resisting the opponent’s lower body. It seemed like a futile attempt, after all, this Chinese giant had world-famous thick calves, as solid as tree roots.

However, the Greek’s pass was somewhat thoughtless. Although Yao Ming successfully secured the position, it wasn’t ideal due to the front defense, necessitating a trickier pass.

At that moment, Jokić decisively swung his hand, knocking the ball down. Fei picked up the ball and passed it long to Thompson, who steadied himself and hit a trailing three-pointer.

Yao Ming did not continue to tangle with Jokić in the paint. In the next play, he actively came out to set a screen for Antetokounmpo, solidly blocking Fei.

“Isn’t that a moving screen?” Fei joked.

“Stop kvetching, my screens have never been criticized! Whoever uses them, likes them!” Yao Ming responded proudly.

While the two were bantering, Antetokounmpo finally seized the opportunity and with a ferocious stride, broke Jokić’s defensive understanding of ball handling. Normally, players would need two to three passes to penetrate from the perimeter to the basket on defense, but Antetokounmpo needed just one pass, then he caught the ball, strode, and like a soaring eagle, ferociously slammed the ball into the hoop.

“Ubuntu!!!” Antetokounmpo roared, “Do you know what Ubuntu is now?!”

Jokić said despondently, “Not really.”

“Didn’t you listen to any of Doug’s words just now?” Fei said, “You are on the list again tomorrow!”

The game had only been going for a few minutes, but the visible talents of Antetokounmpo and Jokić had already shocked the team insiders on the sidelines.

Considering their draft positions, this was simply a heist of the century.

Antetokounmpo stepped back.

Jokić prepared to inbound.

The moment he was about to inbound, he seriously asked, “Do you really think I’ll become the Top 1?”

While dribbling, Fei countered, “Haven’t you ever considered that possibility?”

“I hope ‘Dream Catcher’ will become the Top 1.”

Fei didn’t understand the meaning of the name Jokić mentioned, but he didn’t ask further. Instead, he followed up with a beautifully lobbed pass as Jokić cut in.

However, Jokić didn’t go for the ball but instead instantly batted it towards Thompson in the corner.

Thompson’s mind went blank. After catching the ball, he shot directly, with only one thought in mind: I’ve joined a team of monsters!

“Swish!”

Last season, spacing issues had plagued the Clippers. But after Thompson hit the three, Yao Ming immediately popped out to the arc following a screen and responded with a three-pointer of his own.

This was his main play style when he was with the Miami Heat.

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Previously stuck to post-up plays, Yao Ming started feeling as if he had returned to the national team. Now, he had become a beneficiary of the space-and-pace era—without the soul of a traditional center, he preferred shooting threes for its time efficiency and effectiveness.

Rivers showed a satisfied smile.

Not only had they discovered Jokić, the raw gem, but they had also secured two key figures to rescue Fei from spatial dilemmas.

With Yao Ming, a space-stretching five positions with a 40% shooting rate who could also post up, and the lethal off-ball shooter Thompson, their threat to opponents through Antetokounmpo and Fei would exponentially increase, and Rivers dared not imagine how much trouble this would cause for other teams.

The scrimmage was divided into four quarters, each six minutes long.

At the end of the first quarter, both sides had fought to a 16-16 tie, evenly matched.

Fei returned to the sideline, grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and took the opportunity to ask Jokić about the question that had been troubling him for a few minutes: “What is ‘Dream Catcher’?”

“It’s a horse I bought back home.” Jokić’s eyes gleamed, showing the expression of someone talking about a beloved, “It’s still young, but one day, it will become the champion of Sombor racehorses.”

“Will that day come sooner than the one when you become Top 1?”

“Yes,” he replied.

At that moment, he seemed to no longer care about the topic of becoming Top 1.