My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 8 His name is Du Ze

Missouri Tigers starting lineup: Point guard Matt Lawrence, shooting guard Taylor, small forward Lyons, power forward Demarai Carroll, center Duzer.

The tallest player in the entire starting lineup is Du Ze.

This is why tall people over 210cm with explosive athleticism can dominate in college.

Because most college teams' centers are actually significantly shorter, and even if they aren't, they are mostly mediocre in athleticism or slow-moving white players.

Cornell's starting lineup: point guard Dale, shooting guard Reeves, small forward Whitman, power forward Alex, and center Ford.

That's right.

Ford is a seven-foot-tall white center, which is 213cm tall, a full 10cm taller than Duze.

If it were the original owner of this body, facing such a tall person would definitely be incredibly stressful, but he is different; he only feels pressure, not overwhelming pressure.

Being short isn't an advantage, but that's okay.

He can make up for it in other areas, such as wingspan, jumping ability, athleticism, explosiveness, core strength, and so on. There are many areas where he can make up for it.

But it's worth noting that although this tall person looks slow, he is tall.

He averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, demonstrating impressive rim protection skills and proving to be a tough opponent.

Their star player is small forward Whitman, who averages 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game this season. He is Cornell's leading scorer, and what's most terrifying is his astonishing 41.6% three-point shooting percentage. This shooting ability is terrifying.

Their number two, Dell, is no pushover either. This season, he averages 13 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. He excels at driving to the basket and tearing apart defenses, and is a member of the All-Ivy League First Team.

There's another player on their roster who deserves mention: Reeves. This season, he's averaging 9 points and 2 rebounds per game. The stats may seem unremarkable, but he's another reliable outside threat for the team, providing consistent output. His three-point shooting percentage is a staggering 42.1%, even more impressive than Whitman's.

Therefore, what Lawrence said was not entirely without merit.

Their overall scoring explosiveness is truly terrifying. Once their three-pointers are on fire and they get going, they can really do whatever they want.

However, they also have weaknesses, namely, their overall aggression is not strong, or even very poor, and they do not like hand-to-hand combat.

Unfortunately, creating physical contact is Missouri's forte.

So, strictly speaking, the Missouri Tigers actually have a style of play that is somewhat countered by Cornell University.

But when it comes to competitions, performance on the day is the most important factor, and no amount of data or tactical comparisons can be taken as accurate.

As the starting players entered the field, all the lights finally came on.

Du Ze glanced at the stands and it was as if he saw a vast ocean.

Wow.

There are so many people.

This was the first time in his life he had seen so many people.

But he wasn't intimidated. Instead, he felt a surge of heat in his body, as if it were boiling over.

……

……

In the stands.

Area B, Section 13.

A thin white man, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was staring at a laptop.

On the screen was DeMarre Carroll's profile.

Next to the white man sat a mixed-race girl with a youthful and innocent appearance. After glancing at the court, she turned her head and smiled, saying, "Sir, I actually think Whitman is not bad either. His three-point shot is very accurate. With proper training, he could become a key outside scorer for the team."

The white man didn't even turn his head, and said calmly, "How can you develop a player who's slow, weak in physical confrontations, and has no defense?"

The girl was stunned for a moment, and found that she couldn't refute it for the time being.

The white man continued, "The NBA is different from college leagues. You have to remember that in the NBA, physicality is a player's foundation, then comes skill, and finally those visible statistics."

"What we need to do is to uncover their weaknesses and strengths, then amplify them, integrate the data, and analyze them. That's our job."

That's right.

The two were scouts for the NBA's Miami Heat. The man was named John Miller, and the woman was named Lisa, who was an intern assistant assigned to John Miller by the team.

Their sole purpose in coming here is to scout out Demaré-Carroll.

It's important to know that players who make it onto the NBA scouting list have already shown their talent.

However, the players they scouted were actually quite diverse and varied.

Their primary criterion is that the player must align with the team's culture and development direction.

The Heat took notice of Carroll mainly because he displayed a fighting spirit on the court that set him apart from other players, and he was particularly active on defense.

The Heat really like this kind of player; you could even say they have a special fondness for him.

John then added, "Ford, on the other hand, is someone we could keep an eye on."

As he spoke, he looked up and gazed toward the stadium.

Lisa paused for a moment, "I saw in the records that he's very slow. Can a player like that really play in the NBA?"

John smiled slightly: "Then your understanding is wrong."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Outside players, or smaller players, are not rare. Every year, tens of thousands of them come out of the NCAA. If they want to stand out and enter the NBA, they need to have something exceptionally outstanding."

"Someone like Whitman, who only has three-pointers and no strong physicality, cannot survive in the NBA."

"On the contrary, big men are a rare commodity, especially those who are tall, can protect the rim, and are willing to protect the rim."

"Ford has excellent positioning awareness, his screens are of high quality, and he covers a wide area around the basket. Most importantly, he has good basketball IQ and can quickly understand tactical arrangements and complete the tasks assigned by the coach."

"Don't underestimate this point. In the NBA, sometimes basketball IQ is more important than physical strength."

After a lecture...

Lisa nodded, seemingly understanding.

……

……

On the field, the players from both sides had gathered in the center circle.

Duze and Ford stood on either side.

With a whistle.

Beep.

The competition has officially begun.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Du Ze leaped high into the air, like an ascending elevator, directly over Ford and deflected the ball away.

Missouri got the first attack.

Lawrence was dribbling the ball forward when he suddenly seemed a little dazed. Goodness, this guy can jump that high?

He actually won the jump ball against a center who was 10cm taller than him?

What does this mean?

It's like a ten-year-old child punching an adult.

That's how exaggerated it is.

The reason is simple: when someone is shorter, their arm span will also be shorter. In other words, when two people stand together, the height they can reach is completely different.

A 213cm tall person has a natural advantage in jumping compared to someone who is 203cm tall. This advantage is not just a little bit, but a lot, and it cannot be made up for by other techniques.

It's absolutely amazing that Duze was able to win the jump ball against seven-foot-tall Ford.

John, watching from the stands, murmured in surprise, "Who...who is the Asian center from Missouri? What's his name?"

Lisa paused for a moment, then quickly swiped through her notebook: "Hmm, his name is Du Ze."