CHAPTER 93: CHAPTER 91: THE OPENING GAME ARRIVES, A SHOWDOWN WITH THE ROCKETS!

In the new season, Zeng Xingyang will wear jersey number 8, and Jokic will wear jersey number 15.

After showcasing their respective jersey numbers for the season to the reporters, the two sat down for an interview.

"Nikola, the number 15 was previously Carmelo Anthony’s number. Did you choose this number to declare that you will become the Nuggets’ star player?" The first question from the reporter directly targeted Nikola Jokic and was quite sharp.

Jokic showed a pure and puzzled expression, scratched his head, and said, "When I played on the national youth team, I was particularly overweight, and the only jersey size that fit me was number 15, so I carried it over to the club. It doesn’t have any special meaning."

Zeng Xingyang wasn’t surprised by Jokic’s answer. During the championship celebration, he gave the spotlight to teammates, quietly walking to the corner himself; Jokic is someone who is humble and low-key, not one to fight for attention.

After a while interviewing Jokic, the reporters gave up on asking further questions. Jokic’s demeanor is always straightforward, and the media quickly realized this big guy is very simple and honest.

Then, the reporters turned their attention to Zeng Xingyang.

"Zeng, what is the team’s goal for the new season?"

"We’re aiming to make it to the playoffs."

"Will the Nuggets, like Kentucky, design a lot of strategies for you?"

"You’ll need to ask the coach that question, but as long as I’m on the court, I’ll give it my all."

"What do you see your role in the team as?"

"Learning. I will learn quickly to become a qualified professional player and establish myself on the team."

"You previously mentioned your goal is to become the rookie of the year this season?"

"Yes, I will strive toward that direction."

..

The public relations manager watching the interview on the side was very pleased.

It’s clear that Zeng Xingyang and Jokic are very low-key, down-to-earth players, completely different from people like Anthony, Iverson, and Lawson before.

Thinking of those guys, compared to these two youngsters, really makes you love them more.

Zeng Xingyang didn’t make any unrealistic statements even before the games started.

After the interview ended, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic returned for training.

Mike Malone’s coaching style is quite evident, primarily focusing on teamwork and defense.

These two points are what he has been emphasizing continuously since the first day of training.

The first day was more about recovery training, and starting from the second day, they began tactical drills.

Following the tactical drills, Mike Malone specifically assigned assistant coach Jordi Fernandez to guide Zeng Xingyang for personal training.

Jordi Fernandez, from Barcelona, Spain, was initially an assistant coach for Spain’s U19 team. After graduating, he pursued a Ph.D. in sports psychology in the United States, later dropped out, and became an unpaid intern with the Cavaliers, where he gained recognition from Cavaliers’ head coach Mike Brown, serving as a player development coach and a coach for the development league team. This season, he joined Mike Malone’s team.

Zeng Xingyang is aware of Jordi’s capabilities; he will become the future head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, a solid coach with a strong foundation.

"Jordi, I want to improve my dribbling and offensive skills."

"Then I’ll create a training plan for you."

Jordi quickly understood Zeng Xingyang’s intentions; Zeng Xingyang didn’t want to just be a shooter.

"Hm, thank you." Zeng Xingyang politely replied.

The communication between Zeng Xingyang and Jordi was very smooth; Jordi is great at building good relationships with players.

With Jordi’s assistance, Zeng Xingyang’s training focus gradually shifted to his ball-handling offense.

In addition to the training plan, the team’s nutritionist also tailored a detailed dietary plan for Zeng Xingyang.

Ensuring Zeng Xingyang’s nutrient and protein intake is sufficient.

This dietary plan is tough, but Zeng Xingyang can barely follow it.

Jokic finds it particularly tough, as his dietary plan was personally adjusted by the head coach who instructed the nutritionist.

Jokic often complains to Zeng Xingyang.

The two occasionally sneak out to enjoy some special meals.

Zeng Xingyang, although disciplined, isn’t rigid.

He’s not like James or C Luo, harshly demanding on their diets to an extreme degree.

His trump card is his rigorous training; everything else is secondary.

So whenever Jokic invites him for a feast, Zeng Xingyang doesn’t turn him down.

After the training camp started for a week, the Nuggets also welcomed their first preseason game.

The Nuggets’ first preseason game was held at home.

Although it wasn’t officially a regular season game, the Denver Pepsi Center was packed.

It’s not that the Nuggets’ game was particularly noteworthy, but rather that entertainment options for fans in a small city were too few.

The Nuggets didn’t make it to the playoffs last season, and fans here hadn’t watched a game since mid-April.

It’s been a long time, so the desire to come and see is natural.

Some fans, who are more concerned about the Nuggets’ development, are eagerly anticipating Zeng Xingyang’s performance, hoping he can lead the Nuggets like he did at the University of Kentucky, turning them into a super team.

However, after watching all the preseason games, Nuggets fans were still somewhat disappointed.

The Nuggets’ preseason record was 1 win and 6 losses.

Zeng Xingyang’s performance in the preseason was quite average. In the first game, he played 18 minutes, scoring 9 points with 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers.

In the second game, he played 28 minutes, scoring 16 points with 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 turnovers.

In the third game, he played 19 minutes, scoring 11 points with 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers.

In the fourth game, he played 33 minutes, scoring 23 points with 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 turnovers.

....

In the seventh game, he played 23 minutes, scoring 14 points with 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers.

Throughout the seven preseason games, Zeng Xingyang averaged 26 minutes of play, scoring 18 points with 4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers per game.

Zeng Xingyang’s stats appear ordinary, seemingly unable to lead the Nuggets out of their predicament.

Zeng Xingyang’s mistakes are striking, which is one of the consequences of him increasing possession for offensive play on the court.

Many fans online questioned Zeng Xingyang’s ability to handle the ball, believing he should reduce the time he has the ball and focus on catching and shooting honestly.

With a noticeable increase in mistakes, the external pressure is immense, but Zeng Xingyang withstands the pressure.

The preseason is just practical training; without such practice, Zeng wouldn’t really know the level of his ball-handling skills in actual games.

What a great opportunity for training, not to be missed.

During the regular season, you can’t play like this; every game requires full effort to help the team, or else Mike Malone will bench you.

After these few games, Zeng Xingyang gained some understanding of his ball-handling abilities, which have started to take shape.

Moreover, during the last preseason game, Zeng Xingyang’s dribbling attribute improved to Level 7, and his breakthrough attribute reached Level 3.

....

Despite knowing the Nuggets’ record this season won’t be great, losing so badly in the preseason is hard for many fans to accept.

Mike Malone explained to the media: "I tried many lineup combinations during the preseason and assessed many training camp players, finally deciding on our roster for the new season."

"You can’t expect a rebuilding team like us to play like mature teams; preseason performance isn’t our primary concern. When the regular season starts, we’ll be better than last season."

Mike Malone showed the outside world that the Nuggets aim to gradually improve, rather than meeting high expectations immediately.

His attitude eased the fans’ concerns slightly.

In reality, Mike Malone himself lacks certainty.

He wants to play team basketball in the preseason and to keep the ball moving.

But the players are very unaccustomed to it, feeling lost on the court, not knowing whom to play around, as everyone takes the ball to attack on their own for some time.

Zeng Xingyang often runs to positioning but doesn’t receive the ball, so he simply takes the ball and does it himself.

With everyone playing solo, the team’s offensive efficiency is very low.

Of course, the Nuggets aren’t completely without highlights; when Zeng Xingyang and Jokic are on the court together, the team’s offense becomes somewhat smoother.

Jokic averaged 12 minutes per game during the preseason, with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Though the stats seem ordinary, a closer look at the advanced stats reveals his efficiency is not low.

Mike Malone thinks the next step is to try pairing Zeng Xingyang and Jokic together more on the court.

.....

October 28, 2015.

Houston.

The Nuggets challenge the Houston Rockets on the road.

As last season’s second in the West, the Rockets are undoubtedly a top team in the league now.

At just 26 years old, core James Harden has grown into a league superstar, averaging an impressive 27.4 points, 7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds last season.

Under his leadership, the Rockets aim for the championship this new season.

The Rockets are truly a three-point squad; if the game runs on their rhythm, winning at their home court becomes very difficult.

Besides having strong personal offensive capabilities, Harden possesses top-notch coordination skills, distributing the ball to open teammates after attracting double-teams, making the Rockets’ offense highly efficient. Limiting Harden’s effectiveness is key to whether the Nuggets can win.

Ever since Zeng Xingyang settled into the Houston hotel last night, every move of his was closely watched by the media and fans.

After all, this used to be Yao Ming’s team, with many Chinese fans.

There are also many Rockets fans in his homeland.

They all hope to see how Zeng Xingyang performs in his NBA debut.

Although the debut match is coming, Zeng Xingyang has a good mindset, all stemming from his confidence in his abilities.

Zeng Xingyang believes he has no problem staying in the NBA with his current skills; he just needs more opportunities to showcase them. He has far-reaching goals beyond that.

.....

In the Nuggets’ locker room.

"Zeng, are you nervous?" Jokic asked beside him.

"Not really, what about you?" Zeng Xingyang replied.

"No big deal." Jokic said.

Zeng Xingyang could tell from Jokic’s tone that he truly didn’t care much.

Jokic’s psychological resilience is strong; for him, the times when they snuck out for food might be more nerve-wracking than now.

"Hey!"

"Guys, the opponent is a strong team, but it doesn’t mean they can defeat us."

"Let them feel our energy for the new season!"

"GO!"

"GO!"

"GO!"

Mike Malone is a coach who knows how to motivate players.

Under his stirring words, the locker room atmosphere quickly ignited.

Zeng Xingyang, Jokic, along with the group, charged out of the locker room.

Zeng Xingyang ran behind, with the light growing brighter as he emerged from the tunnel. He felt the frenzy of the fans at the Toyota Center in Houston.

"Boo!!"

"Boo!!"

Deafening boos filled the air!