"Hey, Jack, I feel like you've been avoiding me. Do you have any idea how many NCAA players like you are begging to get on my good side?"
The scout, Terry, grabbed Su Xi's hand as soon as he approached, rattling off a string of complaints. He had contacted Su Xi a few times over the past three months, often reminding him to take more shots and encouraging him to be more aggressive in attacking the rim.
He said these things would help raise Su Xi's profile.
Su Xi knew he meant well, but he mostly stuck to his own style of play. He sought out physical contact, took on the challenge of guarding the opponent's most explosive swingman, and switched to help defend against their strongest center.
He wanted to improve his explosiveness and strength through live-game situations.
For him, this was a higher priority than attracting the attention of NBA teams. His ultimate goal was to fuse his talents. 'Once the talents are fused, where can't I go?'
Right now, Su Xi's Super Explosiveness talent was 86% fused, which was already an ultra-elite level in the NCAA. Although Su Xi's absolute top speed wasn't fast, the instantaneous torque from his first step was enough to make defenders lose their footing.
At the same time, Su Xi's Super Strength talent was also 86% fused, another ultra-elite level in the NCAA. In the NBA, it would be enough to overpower the vast majority of guards. Currently, even Carmelo Anthony found it hard to push Su Xi around. Despite Anthony having the advantage in height, weight, and a higher strength stat, Su Xi had a lower center of gravity. Besides, Su Xi possessed a Super Strength talent, while Anthony only had a Top-Tier Strength talent. There was a fundamental difference in their nature and a disparity in their potential.
"Larry Bird. You know him? The greatest small forward in NBA history. He's about to head back to Indiana. Isaiah Thomas hasn't been able to take the Pacers to the next level these past three years, and Reggie Miller has had enough—he's issued an ultimatum. Bird is very interested in you because your defensive style is a perfect fit for the Pacers."
Terry said, pulling a report from his bag.
On it were Su Xi's stats.
Little Sheep Su Xi, height (barefoot) 191.5 cm, weight 90 kg, wingspan 206.5 cm, standing reach 259 cm. Big East Conference averages: 6.8 points, 3.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals. Syracuse University Orange Team's starting combo guard.
Strengths: Powerful, with NBA top-tier physical resistance. Excellent explosiveness, with extremely strong initial burst, reaching an above-elite NBA level. Skilled ball-handler, can dribble with both left and right hands. Above-average court vision and passing skills. Excellent tactical execution and extremely strong team player.
Weaknesses: Relatively slow, average coordination, low agility, mediocre jumping ability. Lacks a strong scoring desire; shooting ability is questionable. Prone to getting beat when defending speed-based guards, struggles to recover in time.
Overall Assessment: Mid-second round NBA draft pick.
Combined with the whirlwind of excitement Yao Ming has kicked up in Asia, his commercial value is promising.
Terry didn't hesitate at all to show this report to Su Xi.
He was very frank. "Right now, not many scouts are paying attention to you. If you break out and successfully get on the Pacers, I'll get more work, and my commission will go up."
"So, what do you need me to do?" Su Xi asked Terry.
Terry said, "I think if you want to get into the NBA right now, you need to showcase yourself. I know you Chinese people are low-key and don't like to show off. But this is the United States, and our way of life here is all about individual heroism. You need to do more to make yourself stand out, like how you knocked down Horror Rod in that first game."
"You know what? Most of your fans right now aren't from Syracuse University, but from Georgetown University."
Terry's words were earnest; he hoped to teach Su Xi a few things.
"Listen, your first-round opponent, Manhattan College, isn't strong at all. This is your chance to shine." Terry clapped Su Xi on the shoulder. "If you want to get into the NBA, this game is your best window of opportunity."
He looked at Su Xi with extreme seriousness.
The look in Su Xi's eyes gradually sharpened.
He thought he had convinced Su Xi and became very happy. He said with a smile, "Go on. Little Sheep Su Xi, you're definitely going to become a super role player in the NBA!"
Su Xi left Terry and had just walked into another tunnel in the arena, heading for the media room.
Carmelo Anthony's agent-to-be, Bill Duffy, walked over.
His face was all smiles, and he was very polite to Su Xi. On one hand, he was a gentleman; on the other, it was because he was Yao Ming's American agent and played an important role in the Yao Team.
"Hey, my dear Jack, how have you been?" He came right up and gave Su Xi a firm hug. Then he said, "I've already scouted out the situation with Manhattan College. Their two best players are Point Guard Louis Flores and small forward Jason Carter."
"I already know all that. Haywood sent it to us a while ago," Su Xi said.
Before every important game, Bill Duffy would come looking for Su Xi.
His motives weren't so pure. He hoped Su Xi would help Anthony by shouldering some of the defensive burden. That way, Anthony could focus completely on scoring and unleash his unparalleled talent.
In the Big East Conference, Anthony was averaging 24.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 0.8 steals. Jim Boeheim couldn't wait to hype Anthony up as the greatest college player in NCAA history.
In any other year, with stats like these, Anthony would have been the easy choice for the number one draft pick.
But that high school kid from Ohio was just too terrifying. He had practically all the media resources in his pocket. The entire basketball world was singing his praises, and his high school games were already getting the grand treatment of being broadcast nationally. The NCAA wouldn't get national broadcast coverage until after the Sweet Sixteen.
Basketball fans were also eagerly awaiting his entry into the NBA, and they had already crowned him with the title of 'King'.
Fans had lost patience with the search for Jordan's successor and were placing all their bets on this small forward with unprecedented physical gifts.
Carmelo Anthony's chances of being the number one pick were slim now. However, Bill Duffy still wanted Anthony to showcase his talents as much as possible. 'At least get the second pick, right? Don't let that European genius who's being hyped as the best in the world steal the number two spot.'
This was a super-stacked draft year. Anthony's reputation was currently second only to LeBron James, neck and neck with that genius Serbian center from Europe. But there were still many other powerhouses lined up behind them...
With the draft, you never knew what would happen until the very last moment.
Bill Duffy was always thinking about his prospective client, which was why he so often sought out Su Xi.
"I think you could give Carter a little 'Chinese shock.' He's not a very tough guy," Bill Duffy coaxed Su Xi. "It would be good for you, too. After Anthony leaves, you can become the team leader."
Su Xi shook his head. "No, I have no interest in Jason Carter. I'm going to focus my energy on Louis Flores. He's Manhattan College's best player."
With that, he clapped Bill Duffy on the shoulder and left him with a piece of advice: "The whole world knows how strong Cameron's scoring ability is. You should convince him to show off his defensive skills. That's the real key to him beating LeBron James."
Bill Duffy stood there, stunned.
He couldn't figure Su Xi out.
He always felt that Su Xi was detached, almost arrogant... but he clearly wasn't a superstar player. 'What's the source of his confidence?'
Su Xi walked into the media room, where Carmelo Anthony and a host from the American Cable Network were waiting for him.
This was Su Xi's first appearance on a national television network.
Anthony gave him a thumbs-up. He wanted Su Xi to get more exposure.
They were truly good friends.
…