Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 133 Believe me, he's a champion-level trainer
The match ended after 30 minutes.

Although Parker didn't encounter the same situation as Billups, where a child walked right up to him and confronted him, asking if he was really an NBA player.

But the four little brats huddled together, chatting mysteriously, their eyes occasionally glancing at him.

Without a doubt, these four kids are talking about me.

They're probably discussing how terrible this guy's passing is; he's an NBA player, how come he can't even lead us to victory?

"What's the score?"

Parker turned to Mike Brown, the assistant coach who was keeping score on the sidelines, and asked him.

Brown glanced at Popovich and said, "11 to 30, only a 19-point loss."

Parker almost blurted out "Fuck!"

What do you mean by losing by only 19 points?
It's unbelievable that a top-tier NBA player can't even play against a 10-year-old kid.

"Coach, can Chauncey himself keep the score difference within 10 points?" Parker couldn't help but ask Popovich.

He felt that Billups was bluffing.

They must be like me, having lost so badly they're embarrassed to admit it, which is why they said a 10-point margin is what makes a good point guard.

Popovich didn't rush to answer, but instead asked Parker if he thought it would be difficult to keep the point difference to 10 points.

"Of course it's difficult, no, it's extremely difficult."

Parker answered without hesitation.

Leaving aside defense, a 10-year-old child has probably only just started receiving professional basketball training.

People in this age group generally don't do strength training, so their physical fitness is relatively poor.

The 12-year-olds have already entered junior high school, and have not only received higher-level basketball training, but have also practiced for two or three years. Their physical fitness is much better than that of 10-year-olds.

Not to mention that they invited a team from the second division.

Therefore, there's no need to consider the defensive aspect; you can only gamble on the opponent's shooting percentage.

"They lack the ability to execute tactics, their execution is a complete mess, and the opposing team has an extra player, making it easy for them to get surrounded, and their skills are simply insufficient to handle such situations."

Parker counted on his fingers, providing evidence point by point to illustrate how difficult it was.

Popovich nodded repeatedly; he had noticed these things too. But after Parker finished speaking, he suddenly asked, "So how did you get 11 points?"

Logically speaking, with such a huge gap, a score of 30 to 0 would be normal.

Parker still managed to score 11 points.

Parker was suddenly taken aback.

Yeah, with such a huge gap, it's impossible to get 11 points.

He took a deep breath and crossed his arms, recalling the few scoring opportunities he had managed.

He was in charge of directing things himself.

One of the goals was scored by a little black boy.

The situation was that Parker passed the ball to another kid, who caught it and was immediately rushed over by the opponent. He didn't dare to shoot and chose to pass it back to Parker.

Because of this double-team, the Black boy was now free, and inexplicably, he ran towards the basket instead.

He had just received the ball back when he caught a glimpse of the Black child's movements out of the corner of his eye, and immediately passed it to him.

The Black child scored a layup without waiting for the opposing defense to recover.

"Shit, I get it!"

Parker's eyes widened suddenly, and in an instant, his mind went blank as if electrified, realizing what Tangsen's training was supposed to teach.

It's about training the ability to instantly seize opportunities from enemy aircraft.

When you're playing point guard on the court, you're thinking about tactics, and the defenders are constantly trying to interfere with you. When you look up, your teammates and opponents are all running around in a chaotic mess.

In an instant, your brain receives a large amount of information.

At this point, many point guards can't think straight; they're lucky if they can avoid losing the ball and pass it to their teammates.

Only excellent point guards can focus their attention on their teammates' positioning and find opportunities.

Tang Sen's training method involves eliminating all distractions and using uncontrolled children to simulate dynamic and changing competitions as much as possible, specifically training you to discover and seize opportunities.

Parker became more and more excited as he thought about it.

"Coach, this training is really effective," Parker said eagerly.

In his view, organizational skills cannot be trained.

But Tang Sen found a way to train, which is incredible.

Popovich smiled too; it seemed Parker understood.

He himself certainly realized it.

He hadn't noticed the benefits of this training method during the previous simulations.

Because Parker handled it very easily.

Now Popovich realizes he really needs to find elementary school students.

Older students have already developed their skills and tactics, and their execution ability is stronger. They can't really simulate the ever-changing nature of a match.

"Tony, you play one more game."

After saying that, Popovich turned to Budenholzer and said, "Call Tim and Antonio and tell them to come over. Oh, and Jason too."

Popovich wanted to test this training method.

First, a test baseline.

For example, what score difference is considered the level of an average point guard?

So he brought in Antonio Daniels, last year's starting point guard.

Secondly, Popovich also wanted to test whether other positions could also improve their passing and ability to find open spaces through this kind of training.

If point guards can organize the offense, then other positions don't need them?

Duncan, for example, often facilitates and creates opportunities for his teammates; he averages more than three assists per game.

If this training is effective for him, then his leadership skills will only improve.

Finally, Popovich also wanted to test whether this training could assess a person's organizational skills.

When scouts evaluate players, they can usually only use assist data to simply assess whether a player has playmaking ability.

However, this data may not be accurate.

Some players have good teammates, making it easy for them to rack up assists.

Some players are ball-dominant, playing a style of play that involves driving and dishing out passes. They have explosive offensive abilities and their assist numbers are also quite good.

However, this ability is not true organizational ability.

If a player like this enters the NBA and fails to replicate his explosive offensive prowess from college, he will simply fade into obscurity.

On the contrary, players who pass the ball methodically and spot opportunities for their teammates may not have high assist numbers, but they possess strong playmaking abilities.

Such players are hard to find; you might have to watch a lot of their games to assess them.

But now we might be able to use this kind of training to test a person's organizational skills.

So Popovich called Jason Hart over.

He was a second-round pick last year, but his first season was cut short by injury, and he was waived by the Bucks. This season, he was signed by the Spurs to strengthen their perimeter defense.

When the three arrived at the arena, Parker's second game had already ended.

Still 30 minutes.

Because the child needed to rest, a substitute was brought in.

The score difference looks better, 11 to 28, only a 17-point loss.

better.

Parker's expression wasn't good; after all, he was one of the top players in Europe.

Duncan guessed the result as soon as he saw Parker's expression, and asked in an exaggerated manner, "We really lost? It's okay. The media said that losing by 10 points is still being an excellent point guard."

Parker said dejectedly, "But I lost by almost 20 points."

"real or fake?"

Now it was Duncan's turn to be surprised.

He knew that Parker was primarily an offensive player with average passing ability; his highest single-game assist total this season was only 8.

But it shouldn't be a loss of 20 points.

He looked at the chattering group of children who kept glancing at him, and wondered to himself, is it really that difficult?
Parker gave him a look, signaling him to come. "Fine, I'm coming."

Duncan took off his jacket and walked straight onto the court.

He instinctively walked towards the penalty area, and Popovich immediately shouted, "Tim, you can't cross the free throw line!"

With Duncan's size, once he stands in the paint, it's impossible to play.

Without prior communication, Duncan didn't know his teammates well, so all he could do was pass the ball when it seemed like there was an opportunity.

However, compared to Parker holding the ball, directing movement, and then making an assist, Duncan would also try to get his teammates to pass the ball.

Sometimes, he also acts as a relay, switching the ball between the strong and weak sides.

Popovich wasn't surprised by this playing style, which is different from that of a point guard.

Because that's how Duncan plays.

His average of several assists per game comes from this kind of playmaking, ball distribution, and mid-to-high post play.

But with no one setting screens for him and him restricted from entering the paint, it ultimately comes down to Duncan's ability to read the game.

Compared to Parker, Duncan did a better job.

He is taller, has a better view, and communicates better with his teammates. In fact, because of his fame, his teammates listen to him more.

The game ended after 30 minutes, with Duncan losing by only 14 points, 17-31.

Parker on the sidelines couldn't help but widen his eyes.

How can I, a proper point guard, be worse than an inside power forward?

Duncan high-fived his teammates to celebrate, then walked off the court and said, "Greg, this kind of training is quite interesting; it can improve our focus."

Without focus, it simply won't work.

After a pause, Duncan added, "But it will be very difficult to win. You need a few kids playing together regularly to fully understand their playing style. Of course, you also need a bit of luck."

"By the way, did Tang just reveal this training method directly?"

Duncan found it somewhat unbelievable.

This should be considered a trainer's secret technique, but it was just made public and spread to everyone.

"Who knows?" Popovich shrugged, thought for a moment, and then called Hart over.

After Duncan's test, Popovich felt that of the three things he wanted to know, the second one could be crossed off the table.

It's not that it's useless, but rather that it's unnecessary.

The playmaking of an inside player is not the same as the playmaking of a proper point guard.

There's really no need to waste time on this.

What, are you really going to let Duncan deal the cards from the top position?
Play more games, and having some playmaking and passing ability will be enough.

Therefore, this kind of training can be used as a supplement to daily training, but it cannot be used as the main training method like point guards.

To Popovich's surprise, Hart played surprisingly well.

They lost by only 16 points, 15 to 31.

Furthermore, Popovich noted that on at least two occasions, Hart capitalized on his opportunities, but his teammates' finishing ability was too poor, preventing him from scoring.

If you include those 4 points, then Hart is almost at the standard of an excellent point guard as described by Townsend.

Popovich immediately became interested in Hart.

Even if he's a second-round pick and signed by the Spurs, what playing time could he possibly get?

To put it simply, the Spurs signed him purely because they needed a guard to fill out their roster.

But this very player actually displayed even better offensive organization skills than Parker.

Popovich crossed his arms and began to recall Hart's information.

Hart comes from the prestigious Syracuse University.

Moreover, he was not an unknown player at Syracuse University; he was a true star player.

He holds the record for the most steals in the school's history.

At the same time, he also holds the record for the second-most assists, which is enough to prove his ability to organize the attack.

But after arriving in the NBA, he was injured and his season was over.

Then their defense was terrible, and they didn't have many ways to score.

This is naturally related to his mediocre athletic ability.

In this situation, who would care about his ability to organize an attack?

As Hart walked off the court, Popovich had some new ideas.

This training method is perfectly adequate for testing a player's ability to organize and attack.

Hart is proof of that.

Popovich felt that Parker's playmaking ability was only average, while Hart should be able to reach the level of excellent playmaking ability that Townsend described.

But does this mean Hart is a hidden gem, and that his future achievements will surpass Parker's?
Definitely not.

Popovich can make a judgment now.

Because Parker's physical gifts are better than Hart's.

This training eliminates other factors and tests only organizational skills.

But basketball is not just about playmaking.

If I pass the ball well, will I become a star player?
If you can't run, have no offensive ability, and your defense is terrible, then no matter how well you pass the ball, it won't matter.

Kidd became a top point guard not only because of his passing, but also because of his tall stature and top-notch perimeter defense.

Therefore, in Popovich's view, this kind of training is icing on the cake.

A qualified point guard must first have good physical talent and sufficient offensive ability to establish himself on the court before he can consider playmaking ability.

Someone like Hart, who is lacking in other aspects, no matter how good his passing is, his impact on the court is not as great as Parker's.

Therefore, even if this kind of training can be used to select players, it should still be placed last, and other talents should be considered first.

“Greg, Jason is doing well. Should we give him more time?” Hank Egan asked in a low voice.

Popovich snapped out of his daze and nodded.

Discovering Hart's talent for organizing offense was a pleasant surprise.

But right now Popovich is thinking about something else.

He told Daniels to continue the testing while he went to the office area and found Buford.

Buford hasn't left the arena yet.

I'm currently working overtime and having a meeting with the marketing department.

Upon seeing Popovich appear, Buford knew he must have something to say, so he ended the meeting and told the others to leave.

Then he asked Popovich to sit down and inquired about the testing process.

"Is it really only elementary school students who can be tested?" Buford found it somewhat amusing.

Then they asked about the test results.

“Very good, it’s a brilliant training method,” Popovich said.

Buford looked surprised.

It's no easy feat to get Popovich to say something like that.

"Since it's useful, why didn't Tang just make it public?" Buford and Duncan had the same thought.

Popovich thought to himself, "It's not like Tang Sen made it public on his own initiative; it was dug up by reporters."

Moreover, this training method is impossible to hide.

"Let's not talk about that." Popovich waved his hand; he hadn't come here to talk about that.

Popovich's expression turned serious, and then he said, "Robert, I'm serious. Let's find a way to poach Don. He's really capable."

"Let me put it this way, he can help us contend for the championship!"

Popovich never underestimates a trainer, and he understands how much a good trainer can help the team.

Tang Sen.

Looking at Brown, looking at McGrady, and now with this imaginative training method, Popovich sees Townsend as a championship-caliber trainer.

(End of this chapter)