Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1089 - 611 Its Not My Era Anymore_2

Chapter 1089: Chapter 611: It’s Not My Era Anymore_2 Chapter 1089: Chapter 611: It’s Not My Era Anymore_2 Jokić replied, “Because there’s something even more important.”

He needed to use the short training camp to test the results of his summer special training.

The results proved that his strength had improved significantly.

It was as if a player with only a 75 rating in “NBA 2K” had improved to 85 over one summer.

This truly gave him the qualifications to compete for a starting position.

“It all depends on how much you’re willing to sacrifice for this ‘important thing,'” Yu Fei said. “Our season will last until next June. If you can stick it out, then you’ve taken the first step.”

Jokić smiled, “That’s why I’ve decided to have my parents come stay in Los Angeles for a while, which is simpler and more effective than going home.”

...

Yu Fei believed that Jokić had been ready to do this for a long time. All the groundwork laid out was to make it clear to himself that he would compete with Yao Ming for the starting spot.

Because Yu Fei had a good relationship with Yao Ming, Jokić hoped that Yu Fei would be neutral about this.

But he had no idea that Yu Fei would wholeheartedly support him in doing so.

Two days later, the preseason training camp began.

The Clippers gathered in Los Angeles.

Doc Rivers was in high spirits experiencing the joy of happy occasions. After winning the championship last season, not only had he filled the void of a title-less career, but he had also secured his job.

When Rivers was traded by Ainge, he had two years left on his contract.

The Clippers executed it as is.

If he didn’t produce results within those two years, Rivers would be out.

As a result, he set the best record in franchise history in the first year, and won the championship in the second.

Although most of the praise belonged to Yu Fei, Rivers received the most tangible reward.

Steve Ballmer, with Yu Fei’s tacit approval, gave Rivers a 5-year, 50 million US dollar contract.

That made Rivers the highest-paid coach in the league.

The new season’s goal was to defend the title.

Whether they could achieve this goal could be seen in the training camp.

Apart from those veterans who only sought to maintain their current level, the young players in whom the team placed great hopes had transformed significantly.

Among them, Giannis Antetokounmpo had undergone the most noticeable change.

Using the summer special training for a hundred days was already Jokić’s limit.

But that had been Antetokounmpo’s life since 2013.

His last summer was spent this way, and so was this summer.

In just two summers, he had shed the refugee-like physique of his draft days, and in its place was a muscular build as if he had donned a suit of muscle armor.

Just looking at his physical condition, he already had the foundation to play as a power forward.

Then there was Jokić.

When Rivers first saw him, he thought he was looking at the wrong person.

Where had the big Serbian chubster gone? Who was this fit Serbian lad?

It took Rivers a while to accept the fact that Jokić had successfully slimmed down.

On the first day of the training camp, while Yu Fei was still warming up his muscles, the two ambitious young Europeans were already vying with each other.

Antetokounmpo took the initiative to move inside, matching up with Jokić.

This was the first time he demonstrated his unbelievable athleticism in the scrimmage – with such a massive frame combined with excellent ball-handling on offense, his destructive power was astonishing.

With one change of direction, ball collection, followed by a sharp turn, he almost left Jokić behind, then jumped up for a powerful dunk.

In today’s era of small-ball basketball, it was almost impossible to stop Antetokounmpo one-on-one in an open space.

He didn’t need to completely shake off his opponent; with just a step dribble and a turn, he could use his body’s momentum to bump the defender off, and what followed was his own dunking show.

Thus, teams in the main timeline of the Eastern Conference had all assembled “Anti-Alphabet Armor.” This defensive lineup usually consisted of an interior presence with excellent rim protection and a mobile wing, to counter Antetokounmpo’s onslaught.

“Is it time, Frye?” Rivers asked, referring to the “timing” of letting Antetokounmpo play as a power forward.

Yu Fei believed that indeed Antetokounmpo was ready.

But him being ready alone wasn’t enough.

Even with the help of Yu Fei, Antetokounmpo retained his rookie shooting posture and muscle memory, but essentially he was still not a qualified perimeter shooter.

If he played as a power forward, his position would be like in the main timeline, as an offensive player relying on the inside but capable of covering the outside on defense, a playing style that could maximize his disruptive power in the paint and his astonishing sweeping range.

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Therefore, the center pairing with him should ideally be someone like Brook Lopez after his successful transformation.

Theoretically, Yao Ming would be a perfect partner.

But Yu Fei knew that Yao Ming was already 36 years old and wouldn’t be with Antetokounmpo for long.

The one who will truly fight alongside the Greek for years to come, reaching the peak together, was the opponent he most wanted to defeat today—Jokić.

Jokić’s playing style was not as visually impactful as Antetokounmpo; he leaned more toward a style of using gentleness to overcome rigidity.

In the low post, he used his delicate footwork to keep turning until he swung Antetokounmpo around, scoring easily with a hook shot; he also made feints in the low post, catching his opponent off guard, delivering a no-look behind-the-back pass that could be included in the highlight reels of most centers’ careers.

What was most admirable was his shooting rhythm. When a regular player was forced into a situation with no space to shoot, they’d either pass the ball or force a shot. Jokić, although he also forced shots at times, his shooting method was highly unique.