Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 313 Trying to be a good leader

After defeating the Warriors, the league's focus shifted to the Warriors' internal strife, while the Clippers remained relatively low-key in comparison.

But within the Clippers organization, they are trying to quickly absorb the benefits of this game.

“Let’s assume that Brunson and Jaren can control the ball. Even if the opponent double-teams you, it won’t matter much to the outcome!” Mazura called out to Chen Fang on the training field. Her first words made Chen Fang squint and fall into thought.

"If we try our best to unlock your potential and give you a normal percentage of possession, it will actually harm the team."

"Joe, you can just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush."

"Okay, what I mean is, instead of facing endless double teams in every game, we should use more tactical initiation points to break through."

“Brunson has the potential, but Jaren still has some shortcomings.” Chen Fang is very clear about the situation of each player on the team, because the team was built according to his own ideas.

"Why not consider Lu Wei?" Chen Fang asked curiously.

Mazura shook her head: "In the lineup I've built, I need every player to have defensive capabilities; offense is secondary!"

Chen Fang then asked, "So, how many people are selected from this current lineup?"

Mazura isn't the worldly type, so he answered directly: "Lou Williams, Rose, Harrell, and Evans aren't on this list. I'm still observing the rookies, so there's no answer yet."

As Chen Fang had predicted, he didn't ask any further questions and returned to his original topic: "Are you planning to give Brunson more possession of the ball?"

"Yes, and an inside anchor is needed to take over and form a complete offensive line."

"Match the wing penetrators and the corner three-point shooters to suppress the opponent's double-team strategy."

"Then what do I need to do?" Chen Fang was a little confused.

"It's very simple. When you're double-teamed, what you need to do is go to the weak side, try to attract both defenders, and become the finisher on the wing and in the corner."

"In other words, I need to start waiting for the ball from my teammates and become that playmaker."

“Yes!” Mazura’s expression remained unchanged as she said seriously, “This is the best solution I could come up with.”

Chen Fang touched his nose, thought for a moment, and asked, "Does the head coach know?"

“I just finished talking to him, and he told me to come find you.”

Chen Fang understood; this was a choice he was being asked to make.

Because Mazura's approach isn't as simple as just talking about it and having players copy it; it requires a lot of matches to test, correct, and adapt it.

This means that the team's performance will fluctuate, and the chances of losing are increasing.

Therefore, Rivers sent Mazura to seek Chen Fang's opinion, because reaching the top of the league is Chen Fang's goal.

"I think it's outdated and wrong to wait until we have no choice but to change."

"That's wonderful that you think that way!" Mazura was actually quite nervous, but she was overjoyed to hear this.

“Our goals are aligned, so how could I refuse!” Chen Fang continued, “But I can’t give you too much confidence either. Brunson can start as the ball handler, but I’m not sure how long it will take for him to meet your standards.”

"His fighting spirit and playing style are undeniable!" Mazura said confidently.

"The situation with Xiao Jialun will be much more difficult."

After Chen Fang finished speaking, Mazura finally hesitated.

"He has a lot of ideas, his skills are not yet fully developed, and he really wants to shoot and go to the perimeter."

"Yes, I know." Chen Fang nodded. The reason why Jaren started strong but declined was because he was poisoned by this shady stuff. He wanted to be the second Towns, but he didn't have Towns' soft touch.

In Chen Fang's opinion, as long as Jaren can handle the defense well, protect the rim and rebound, and practice his offensive skills for a few years, he can be promoted to an All-Star reserve. His role model should be a combination of Chris Bosh and Rudy Gobert.

It has shooting ability, offensive rebounding ability, and rim protection ability throughout the entire paint area.

But he is definitely not an outstanding power forward playmaker like Anthony Davis, who has a strong presence on both ends of the court.

The Lakers only began to have championship potential after acquiring Davis.

The reason Giannis Antetokounmpo is so strong is that he possesses the combined abilities of Bosh, Davis, and Gobert, making him an exceptional player on both offense and defense. The Bucks only need to pair Giannis with a power forward who can draw defenders and score, as well as a strong guard, and they will be a championship contender every year.

"He can't reach that level yet," Chen Fang shook his head.

"On the contrary, Zubac can do it!"

Mazura thought about it; this was Chen Fang's request, and he had to make a response.

"Let me take a look at the components."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Mazura walked out, and after a few steps he turned back: "I can't guarantee how long it will take, but there may not be any results for a month or two."

"I know, I'm aware of it," Chen Fang replied with a smile.

※※※

On November 15th, the Clippers will face the Spurs at home.

This match also marked the first encounter between Chen Fang and DeRozan this season. The two embraced and chatted warmly, but DeRozan told Chen Fang very seriously at the end: "I won't let you win the game comfortably."

Chen Fang calmly responded, "Regardless of the result, we'll have a good drink after the game."

With the loss of Leonard, the Spurs have moved from championship contention to the early stages of rebuilding.

But at this moment, the Spurs are still among the best in the league.

Aldridge, DeRozan, Mills, Derrick White, Rudy Gay, Dejounte Murray.

These are still among the best players in the league.

Gay, in particular, became the biggest beneficiary of Leonard's departure after gaining a significant amount of ball possession.

His three-point shooting percentage was once the best in the league, with an average of 7.5 three-point attempts per game and 4.3 three-pointers made.

It was precisely because of his performance that the Spurs suppressed the Clippers from the start. Aldridge and DeRozan cooperated seamlessly inside and outside, giving the Clippers' rookies a good lesson.

The smug Jalen and Dillon were both punished.

In this match, Chen Fang followed the established training plan, sharing possession with Brunson, Zubac, and Jaren, encouraging them to take the initiative in attack, while he himself acted as the one drawing firepower, trying his best to provide support on the flanks.

Even though Chen Fang reduced his shot attempts to a minimum, he still scored 12 points, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds by the end of the first half.

65: 58.

The Clippers were down by 7 points as they returned to the locker room.

Mazura appeared very patient, pointing out each mistake made by the players on the court one by one, and then reminding Brunson not to try to outpace Mills and Fox, but to play transition offense. "Your advantage lies in your squeezing style of play in half-court sets, compressing the defender at the top of the key to the free-throw line, giving your teammates more space to move the ball around."

Brunson wiped his sweat and nodded. He had been excited since yesterday. He was very surprised that the coaching staff would let him play the starting point guard position. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.

Mazura then looked at Jaren and Zubac. These two were completely outmaneuvered by Aldridge today, constantly losing their positions and rebounds. If it weren't for Richaun, the Clippers' interior defense would have been finished today.

"Be patient and calm. You will learn a lot from this game. Aldridge is currently the best power forward in the league. Every move he makes is purposeful. But you must remember that protecting the paint is the key."

"Sometimes, you have to make a choice, a gamble between two options."

Chen Fang remained silent. Through patient communication with the coaching staff, he realized that if he really wanted to win the championship, it wasn't about how good he was, but about giving his teammates room to improve.

"Some superstars win in terms of statistics but not in games because they don't give their teammates enough room for advancement."

"Even if a team is strong on paper, it doesn't matter. Only by creating space on the field and sharing possession can a team unleash its full potential. Otherwise, even if you reach the final, you'll still be swept aside."

"Every time you get a runner-up finish, you become more likely to be ridiculed. Journalists, columnists, famous internet celebrities, and well-known commentators will all bring it up. Even a third-rate sports writer will comment on it and make a fool of themselves."

Chen Fang's silence did not mean that others would ignore him. On the contrary, every player in the locker room dared not turn their heads in Chen Fang's direction. They all lowered their heads and stared at the floor.

"We need to think more proactively about how to score. Everyone needs to be proactive and unleash their potential on both offense and defense," Rivers concluded.

At the start of the second half, Chen Fang took the initiative. With the help of his teammates' screens, he hit two consecutive three-pointers from the top of the arc, bringing the score to within one point.

The Spurs reacted quickly, with Derrick White and Rudy Gay employing a double-team strategy against Chen Fang.

This is already a consensus within the league: to contain Chen Fang, you must use double teams and have one or two other players ready to cover for him.

As David said: You need five men to lock up King Chen!

Then, Chen Fang took the opportunity to take Derrick White away and crouched down in the area near the bottom corner of the wing.

Brunson dribbled past Mills, took a step forward, saw Aldridge covering, and immediately passed the ball to Jaren, who was making a quick inside run.

Jaren gave up on showing off his skills and simply caught the ball and drove to the basket for a layup, drawing a foul from DeRozan who was trying to help.

Standing at the free-throw line, he heard Chen Fang shout at him from outside the arc: "Stay calm, stay confident."

This is also the advice Rivers gave to Chen Fang: "When you are good enough, what you should do is to make your teammates believe that they can be good enough too."

"You need to start learning how to be an excellent leader."

"Start with encouragement and reminders."

Chen Fang is trying something different. He doesn't care about winning or losing, but rather he's thinking about how to use the difficult situation to unleash his teammates' potential.

"No one who makes it to the NBA is mediocre. How to inspire them and guide them correctly is not only the job of the coach, but also the job of the team leader."

The game continued, and the Spurs maintained a five-point lead thanks to the combined efforts of DeRozan, Aldridge, and Gay. The Clippers players kept making mistakes, and the experienced Popovich seized on these offensive and defensive flaws to extract value from them.

Chen Fang was inevitably a little anxious, but Derrick White really worked hard today, never giving up on any matchup, even committing fouls to prevent Chen Fang from scoring.

Throughout the entire third quarter, Chen Fang only managed two three-pointers and five free throws.

23 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds looks good, but Chen Fang knows he hasn't really helped his teammates.

During a brief timeout, Chen Fang asked head coach Rivers, "I don't think I've yet figured out how to help the team as much as possible when giving them possession of the ball."

"This requires you to pay closer attention to your teammates' psychology and anticipate their next move. Once you understand this, you will find better ways to help them."

It's a bit of a tongue twister; Chen Fang needs to spend some time thinking about it and putting it into practice.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Spurs once again fielded their starting lineup and went all out to score.

This scene made Duan Ran, who was in charge of commentating on the game, laugh: "Now every head coach is afraid of being dragged into the final round by the Clippers, because Chen Wang will definitely step up!"

"The only viable solution is to not give the Clippers a chance."

As the commentator for the home team, David offered a candid analysis: "Today's Clippers were very different. Chen and Wang took very few shots and rarely handled the ball, focusing more on off-ball play. Brunson started for the first time, and his stats looked good, but his five turnovers were the main culprit for the Clippers' deficit in this game."

David continued his scathing critique: "Jayson finally showed that he's just a rookie. Aldridge had it too easy against him. If he were on the court every day, Aldridge would definitely consider him his best friend."

With four minutes remaining, Chen Fang began to take more possession of the ball, but Popovich taught him a lesson.

DeMarre Carroll, a 09 draft pick, bounced around to countless teams. The Spurs were the last stop in his career, and nobody paid any attention to him. The Clippers coaching staff didn't even include him on their roster.

But this 32-year-old veteran, born on July 27, 1986, in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, and standing at 203 cm tall, completely thwarted Chen Fang's attempt to score with suicidal defense.

They tenaciously defend, and foul immediately once they gain possession of the ball.

DeMarre sent Chen to the free-throw line four times in two minutes. Although he scored eight points, it was difficult for the Clippers, who were trying to catch up, to gain momentum during the interrupted game.

DeRozan truly deserves his reputation as the league's best mid-range shooter, constantly using mid-range shots to offset Chen Fang's free throws in the final stages.

When Demarai fouled him again, Chen Fang finally flew into a rage. Instead of doing anything to the veteran, he glared angrily at the composed Popovich.

Seeing Chen Fang looking at him, the old man smiled slightly.

The originator of shark-slaying, slaying a king like Chen is a piece of cake.

When Gay hit his sixth three-pointer of the day, Clippers fans collectively broke down in despair, knowing full well that a win was impossible.

Even Chen Wang couldn't close the gap by 11 points; only McGrady had a chance.

As the final buzzer sounded, Chen Fang reluctantly accepted his second defeat of the season. At the same time, he vaguely knew that the team was in the process of adjustment, and such defeats would happen again.

After hugging DeRozan, Chen Fang walked towards the Spurs' bench. Everyone tensed up, even Popovich's heart raced. Just when everyone was at a loss, Chen Fang walked past Popovich and went to the very back of the bench.

“Brother, you absolutely can’t leave today, you have to stay in Los Angeles!” Chen Fang hugged Chimezier Metu tightly.

In this year's draft, Chimezie Metu was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round with the 19th overall pick. As the most important center for USC, Chen Fang and Metu have an extremely deep friendship.

"Boss, it's so great to see you. It's a pity I didn't get a chance to play." Mei Tu was also very happy. It was a huge honor for Chen Fang to come and catch up with him.

Now that Chen Fang is hailed as King Chen, how many people in the entire league are worthy of the title "KING"?
"See you later!" Chen Fang couldn't stay any longer. He walked back without even glancing at Popovich, but the old man smiled.

He admires this type of player, just like coaches would like Kobe, although he has no affinity for China. (Regarding the Morey incident, Popovich was the first to publicly support him.)
Chen Fang knew this very well, so he didn't go over there.

Next time, just wait and see how I deal with you!
Chen secretly set another goal in his mind.

During the locker room interview, Chen Fang only said two sentences when faced with questions from reporters.

"We are adjusting. Every failure will make us stronger. We will cherish every loss and hope that other teams in the league will cherish the competition with us."

"After all, the chances of them beating us in the future are getting smaller and smaller."

(End of this chapter)