One Year Left to Play-Chapter 221 - 74: It Actually Works

Zhang Hao is actively defending, has the conditions for defense, but doesn't know how to defend.

His footwork keeps up, but he's easily faked out.

It's not that he wants to be faked out, he's tried hard, and can get into position during help defense, but his lack of experience makes him easily fooled by the opponent's feints.

This is something everyone on the Brooklyn Nets knows.

Randy Whitman doesn't have high expectations for Zhang Hao's defense either. After all, he's a rookie; having some defensive flaws is okay, as defense takes time to refine.

But this time, PJ Brown noticed a characteristic of Zhang Hao when he occasionally succeeded on defense—he can withstand the opponent's impact.

It's not outstanding athletic ability, and his help defense is actually pretty bad. Getting into position but defending poorly doesn't serve much purpose.

None of the Brooklyn Nets themselves noticed how well Zhang Hao handles external impact, better than PJ Brown and Jason Williams!

Because Zhang Hao looks too skinny.

Hearing PJ Brown's words, Randy Whitman recalled and thought it might actually be true.

Let's give it a try; at worst, Zhang Hao will get overwhelmed again, after all, he's already been overwhelmed for half a quarter.

And so, Randy Whitman prepared to push Zhang Hao into the frying pan once more.

The thinking opened up, and Randy Whitman also identified their problem in the first half—indistinct offensive objectives.

It was initially clear, but the Pistons' defense was unexpectedly good, fortunately Kenny Anderson's adaptability was strong, decisively letting Almon Gilliam take more shots, otherwise they might have been countered multiple times by Grant Hill, unable to keep a tight score against the Pistons, and the deficit wouldn't be just 4 points now.

The coaching staff anticipated potential improvement from the opponent, but didn't expect such a significant improvement; they definitively can't compare with the Bulls or Pacers, but they're certainly not worse than the Hornets.

Luckily, the Brooklyn Nets themselves are much stronger compared to their training camp days, from player status to team cohesion.

The offense should be executed more clearly...

At this point, the choices became simpler.

Having calculated, Randy Whitman called Zhang Hao over, who was already seated, and said, "Aix, for the next offense, focus on your mid-range shots... On defense, cover the basket, yes, play as center on defense."

"Watt?"

...

The official timeout was almost over, and the lineup of Zhang Hao, Chales, Edwards, Jason Williams, and PJ Brown took the court.

On the Pistons' side, the lineup of Lynch Hunt, Alan Houston, Grant Hill, Don Reed, and Terry Mills took the court.

Zhang Hao thought he was going to be subbed out but was called by name, and he excitedly ran over. Hearing the focus was on him for mid-range shots made his eyes light up, but hearing he was to play center on defense...

Before entering the NBA, he was a small forward! In the NBA, his first regular season game, he's directly playing center.

Regarding his own team's defense, Zhang Hao felt powerless... But he can't make many contributions either.

So he can only try to make a breakthrough on the offensive end.

On the other side, Grant Hill felt ecstatic about his team's situation!

Since the coaching staff change, everything feels different!

Though he never complained, he genuinely felt the previous coaching staff wasn't good.

The preseason games went okay, but he wasn't sure how they'd perform in the regular season.

But after playing half a quarter, his confidence grew significantly; against a not too strong opponent like the Brooklyn Nets, Grant Hill was confident they could definitely defeat them.

The referee blew the whistle to resume the game, and it's Brooklyn Nets' frontcourt ball.

Zhang Hao passed the ball to Chales and then cut toward the lane.

PJ Brown opened up with a mid-range shot from the baseline. He has a decent mid-range shot; his athletic ability brings strong penetration threat, making him a great deterrent and a rim-running center.

Jason Williams goes to the top of the arc to set a screen for Chales; this pick-and-roll duo is the tactical core for Brooklyn Nets' bench lineup.

Grant Hill followed Zhang Hao, and Assistant Coach Scott Collins assigned him the defensive target of tightly marking Zhang Hao, not allowing Zhang Hao to catch and shoot.

But in the first half, Zhang Hao didn't have a single catch-and-shoot opportunity for a mid-range shot, and over time, Grant Hill felt the assistant coach was making a big fuss. Seeing Jason Williams use the screen to switch Lynch Hunt and rush toward the basket, Grant Hill, while following Zhang Hao along the baseline, took a step toward the wing, standing on the right side line of the three-second area, positioned to either chase Zhang Hao or help defend Jason Williams.

Chales passed to Zhang Hao; Zhang Hao turned to catch the ball, jumped up to shoot!

Grant Hill quickly got to the position, but he had already given Zhang Hao the opportunity to jump and shoot!

Zhang Hao scored with a baseline mid-range shot two steps outside the right side of the three-second area!

Finally, he scored again!

So accurate! Grant Hill felt Zhang Hao's mid-range shot was even better than his!

Coupled with the height and reach that would be particularly outstanding as a small forward, it feels no worse than Alan Houston!

Absurd! Grant Hill felt absurd about his judgment; Alan Houston hasn't made a name yet, but as a teammate, he knows Alan Houston's mid-range is a level stronger, undoubtedly top-ranked in the league.

But watching Zhang Hao's catch-and-shoot motion, as a skilled mid-range shooter himself, Grant Hill couldn't help but have this thought.

Also, they need to find a way to neutralize the opponent's team coordination, not letting them execute their plays effectively.

Transitioning now, the Pistons are on the offense.

Holding the tempo for half-court play has been the Pistons' game rhythm tonight, Lynch Hunt received the ball and slowly advanced.