novellk Chapter 45: Lillard-style physical test shocks everyone!
Chapter 45: Lillard-style physical test shocks everyone!
"You have a really great player," O'Brien said to Schwartz. O'Brien's eyes never left Zeng Zhen. He noticed that Zeng Zhen's open three-point shooting was very accurate, even more accurate than the team leader Danny Granger in training. It should be noted that Danny Granger's three-point shooting percentage last season was 40%.
"Haha, Zeng is definitely a fantastic player. We both felt your sincerity, which is why we chose this as our first stop. Your 11th pick for him was absolutely the right choice," Schwartz said.
Schwartz knew very well that if Zeng Zhen joined the Pacers, it would greatly help the start of his career. The Pacers' core player, Danny Granger, was not a superstar player suitable for building a team. If Zeng Zhen proved himself, he would quickly rise to the top. Even if he couldn't become the team's core player immediately, it wouldn't be a problem for him to be a starter.
"Jeff, we'll have a series of procedures to verify whether we should make this choice. Let's go, let's start with the physical exam," Larry Bird said businesslike.
Zeng Zhen is no stranger to physical fitness tests, having undergone them multiple times during his time at UCLA.
"Height 2.02 meters." The assistant coach loudly reported the measurement data. Compared to a little over a month ago, Zeng Zhen had grown a little taller. If Zeng Zhen were to play combo guard, this height would give him an advantage.
"92 kilograms, body fat percentage 4.6%." Zeng Zhen's weight has increased by 4 kilograms since he first transmigrated. Although his weight has increased, his body fat percentage is decreasing.
"2.17-meter wingspan!" Larry Bird wasn't surprised when he first heard Zeng Zhen's height and weight, as those were obvious. But when he heard his wingspan, Larry Bird was astonished. He seemed to understand why Zeng Zhen's defense against guards was so exaggerated. No guard wanted to face such a long wingspan.
"A vertical jump of 1.01 meters!"
"3.15 seconds for a 3/4 sprint!"
Larry Bird remained somewhat surprised upon seeing these physical test results.
Through special channels, he learned that Rose's vertical jump was 1.02 meters and his 3/4 court sprint time was 3.05 seconds. This meant that Zeng Zhen's vertical jump and speed were not much different from Rose's. Furthermore, Zeng Zhen was taller and had a longer wingspan than Rose!
In a series of subsequent physical tests, Zeng Zhen showed slightly better data than during the UCLA physical tests. After the rigorous training of March Madness, Zeng Zhen has made progress.
Bird, O'Brien, and the sideline staff were completely stunned by Zeng Zhen's talent. In terms of static talent, Zeng Zhen is no less than Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, and others.
Next up is the dynamic talent test, which includes tests such as dribbling jump shot, ball-handling acceleration, ball-handling around cones, and two-minute self-rebound and shot-shooting tests.
These projects all showcased Zeng Zhen's personal endurance under high-intensity conditions.
His passing accuracy while moving is extremely high, his self-rebound shooting accuracy is almost flawless, and his three-point shooting percentage is over 90%.
Zeng Zhen felt that he was in excellent condition.
In his past life, he had watched videos of Lillard's tryouts and was amazed by his talent. Now, he felt he could do the same.
Larry Bird, O'Brien, and the staff standing nearby were all dumbfounded.
Zeng Zhen's consistency is something that even Pacers star Danny Granger might not be able to match.
This kind of uncontested talent display is Zeng Zhen's dessert area.
Curry, Irving, and Nash playing together is too easy...
The Pacers also arranged a one-on-one match, with veteran Mike Dunleavy facing off against Zeng Zhen!
Mike Dunleavy is 2.06 meters tall and weighs 104 kilograms. Last season, he averaged 19.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and he is in the best form of his career.
He happened to be practicing shooting with the team when Larry Bodela came over and challenged Zeng Zhen to a one-on-one match.
Facing Zeng Zhen, the future general manager of the Warriors appeared very confident, feeling that he would easily deal with a college student.
"Rookie, I'll show you what NBA-level defense is like," Dunleavy said to Zeng Zhen with a smile.
Zeng Zhen didn't bother with any more words: "Continuous serve, 21 points."
Dunleavy said arrogantly, "Whatever you say."
The fight between Dunleavy and Zeng Zhen has begun.
Mike Dunleavy is a three-point shooter and not good at defense. Although he is tall and heavy enough to match up against Zeng Zhen, he is too slow for Zeng Zhen.
A one-on-one fight between the two is a mismatch!
Therefore, facing Zeng Zhen, who was extremely skilled at one-on-one combat, Mike Dunleavy, who was at his peak, was completely overwhelmed.
Zeng Zhen made a brilliant crossover and broke through one-on-one to dunk!
Zeng Zhenyun took a step back and hit a three-pointer!
A step-back mid-range shot after a dribble and change of direction.
Zeng Zhenke is not one of those truly inexperienced rookies who have just entered the league; his true strength is already at the NBA level.
...
Zeng Zhen demonstrated extremely comprehensive one-on-one skills.
In a 21-point game, Zeng Zhen defeated Mike Dunleavy 21-3, completely dominating him!
"Is this all there is to NBA level?" Zeng Zhen's simple final response angered Mike Dunleavy so much that he left the venue.
"That's it?" The voice kept echoing in Mike Dunleavy's mind.
"Haha, this guy is really good." O'Brien said in surprise, somewhat shocked that Zeng Zhen had so easily defeated one of the team's best players.
"I think so too," Larry Bird said wryly.
Do the rookie players have real talent?
Many players require a gamble, but Zeng Zhen doesn't seem to need to gamble at all; he's an immediate asset.
While Mike Dunleavy isn't particularly adept at one-on-one situations, he has, after all, undergone years of training and experience in the NBA, whereas Zeng Zhen has never even trained in the NBA.
Larry Bird initially felt that their 11th pick, Zeng Zhen, was a sure thing, but now he feels a bit less certain.
"Do we still need to organize 5v5 practice matches?" O'Brien asked.
"No need," Larry Bird quickly replied, Zeng Zhen's ability to dominate the entire court had already been proven in the NCAA.
Danny Granger and a bunch of key players aren't here now, Dunleavy has left, and only a few fringe players are still training. That kind of situation could very well happen.
If Zeng Zhen continues to dominate Pacers players, and the news gets out, his draft position will rise again.
"Jeff, where else do you guys need to try out next?" Larry Bird asked Schwartz, who was standing next to him.
"There are many more, Chicago, Miami, Minnesota..." Schwartz replied cheerfully, having already gleaned the results of the tryouts from Larry Bird and O'Brien's facial expressions.
"Okay, I'll get straight to the point. We're willing to make a promise to Zeng: if he gets the 11th pick, we'll take him. I wonder if Zeng is interested in joining us?" Larry Bird said.
"Of course he would be happy to, otherwise we wouldn't be here for a tryout," Jeff Schwartz readily agreed.
"Can you cancel the other workouts? I can promise Zeng a starting position in his rookie season right now." Larry Bird made an unreasonable request, but then offered a new promise.
The Pacers don't have a suitable starting point guard, and Larry Bird thinks Zeng Zhen is perfectly capable of adapting.
"Sorry, I've already agreed." Jeff Schwartz shrugged and declined. The Pacers would definitely draft Zeng Zhen anyway, but he wanted a higher draft pick!
"Jeff, I hope you can talk to Zeng and tell him to keep a low profile in the next tryouts, and that he can perform a little worse," Larry Bird instructed. He was worried that if Zeng Zhen's tryout performance was like this, John Patterson might not even draft Rose in Chicago!