Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 379 The Next Larry Bird

Tang Sen thought about it and realized it was true.

Other teams have two roster spots, but with these two signings, the Suns have essentially secured five.

No wonder they didn't send Marbury over before, but instead sent Joe Johnson instead.

I guess they were already planning to trade Marbury back then.

Thinking of Joe Johnson, Tang Sen found the player quite interesting over the past two weeks.

In terms of tangible things, namely his physical and mental talents, he is not strong enough, or even that he is bad.

But he has some hidden talents, and Tang Sen thinks he is top-notch.

For example, ball intelligence.

This kid is really good at playing ball.

Or to be more precise, he knows how to play ball.

In other words, playing smart.

These words may seem like nonsense, but they are not.

Some players, like Swift in extreme cases, just mindlessly dunk.

Some players are smart enough and quick-witted to choose the appropriate attacking method based on the opponent's situation.

Joe Johnson has that ability.

At the same time, he has a good technical foundation and is proficient in various techniques.

It feels like there's a bit of Jordan in it, but it's from the Wizards era, when Jordan couldn't run as fast or jump as high anymore.

With that thought in mind, Tang Sen arrived at the stadium.

"Let me talk to him."

Tang Sen waved his hand to stop Tederski.

Nowitzki is practicing his three-pointers.

Upon seeing Tang Sen appear, they immediately stopped and apologized to him.

Because Tang Sen said that the training plan must be strictly followed.

“But Tang, I feel I need to work harder, so I want to do extra training.” Nowitzki’s gaze was firm.

Tang Sen thought to himself that his pride had been seriously hurt.

However, the media always says he's not strong enough, that he's weak, and that he's far from being a superstar.

So it's not surprising that Nash's pride was hurt after he left.

Tang Sen reached out and picked up the basketball, dribbling it skillfully, and then said, "Dirk, I've actually been thinking about how to make you stronger these past few days."

The Mavericks are a team they created themselves, and Nowitzki is their absolute core player, so Townsend will definitely put a lot of effort into developing Nowitzki.

But it's not just that.

After two weeks of getting to know him, Tang Sen discovered Nowitzki's supermodel talent.

First, it has a soft feel.

His shooting touch is as strong as Yao Ming's, or even stronger.

This is the fundamental reason why his shooting is so accurate.

Actually, it's his ability to combine ball control with his movements.

By the standards of an average NBA player, Nowitzki is undoubtedly a monster.

He's seven feet tall and can still play like a guard.

He often pulls off plays in games where he drives from the high post, cuts the length of the court, and scores against defenders.

He can hold his own and score in the paint, and he's agile, fast, and jumpy.

The media always says he's not tough enough, but he averages nearly 10 rebounds per game, and you don't see him mindlessly floating around outside shooting three-pointers.

However, this is all based on the standards of an ordinary player.

If we're talking about superstar level, then Nowitzki has a lot of weaknesses.

He can't jump high, has a serious lack of explosiveness, slow lateral movement, poor physical strength, and unstable lower body power, often getting blown out by strong inside players.

In other words, among superstar-level players, Nowitzki's physical talent is only average.

But he has a very strong ability to combine ball control with his movements.

The ball-handling skills of interior players can also be discussed, such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Larry Bird.

This ability is not simply about coordination or balance; it's more like a comprehensive ability.

And Nowitzki has that kind of talent.

You might say he's weak in physical duels and lacks explosiveness, but if he doesn't lose possession, he can actually score by pushing the ball in.

Sometimes, when it looks like the ball is about to be lost, you can just toss it in and it still goes in.

So after confirming this, Tang Sen began to consider developing his abilities based on these two points.

He truly has the potential to become a superstar. Tang Sen didn't keep everyone in suspense and directly stated his direction.

"Dirk, you need to practice your three-pointers, that's a must."

Tall players have a natural advantage when shooting three-pointers.

"Secondly, you need to continue to hone your skills, and by skills I don't just mean basketball technique."

“Dirk, I will train your body to make you stronger, but I need you to have the ability to slow down. You have a talent for that.”

Nowitzki has the talent to stop anytime, anywhere.

"Simply going fast is not suitable for you because your talent is limited, so you should develop in another direction and slow down."

"Slow down like Larry Bird. By the way, I remember during the draft, a lot of media outlets thought you would be the next Larry."

Both of them are white and have the weaknesses of white players.

Bird's athleticism, even among ordinary players, is undoubtedly top-tier.

However, when it comes to superstar level, Bird's athleticism is definitely not up to par.

But he forged his own unique style of playing.

"When Larry plays, he doesn't look fast, but no one can stop him because he can slow down and create opportunities by changing his pace."

"Most importantly, he plays ball here."

Tang Sen pointed to his head and said, "If you study Larry's videos, you'll find that he has a lot of deceptive moves, which is what I've been telling you about acting."

"It's like playing rock-paper-scissors. You always have to keep your opponent guessing what you're going to play next. That's when your opportunity comes."

Acting skills may be innate.

Bird was an absolute master of acting, as were Jordan and Magic Johnson.

When training Kobe before, Tang Sen always felt that Kobe's acting skills were not good enough.

Because he was young and impetuous, he was always single-minded and played the game in a straightforward manner.

Things have improved somewhat in the last two years, but it's not enough.

Once he gets a little older and matures further, his back-to-the-basket game will definitely improve.

As for Nowitzki.

He certainly wasn't as flamboyant as Bird in terms of personality.

But his ball control is top-notch.

Playing with rhythm and acting skills requires top-notch ball control and coordination.

Not only Nowitzki, but also Joe Johnson, has an extremely strong ability to combine ball and man skills.

Since his athletic ability was also lacking, Tang Sen decided to train him to become a master of acting.

"Then it's about shooting."

Tang Sen continued to elaborate on his vision for Nowitzki, saying, "You have a great shooting talent, and I think you have the potential to develop a fadeaway jump shot like Yao Ming."

"But not like Yao, who directly turns and leans back to shoot. Instead, Larry does it like that, using a deceptive move to create an opportunity to shoot before leaning back to shoot."

Nowitzki could never replicate Yao Ming's turnaround fadeaway jumper.

Even if you learn it, you can't achieve the same results as Yao Ming.

Yao Ming's turnaround fadeaway jump shot is unique, and there is a very important reason why it is unbeatable.

That's Yao Ming's weight of 135 kilograms.

With that weight, plus Yao Ming's strength, he could block you with one step and then turn around; few inside players could withstand that.

In other words, Yao Ming had already suppressed his opponent through the confrontation when he turned around.

Nowitzki, however, did not possess that strength and weight.

He is not suited to gaining weight.

Tang Sen looked up and stared directly at Nowitzki.

He listened very carefully.

“Dirk, so if you trust me, I’ll make you the next Larry Bird.”

Nowitzki's expression and tone made him realize that Townsend wasn't joking.

Seriously.

And the next Larry Bird.

Nowitzki's heart began to race, and he nodded, saying, "Don, I believe you."

Having single-handedly created several superstars, if Tang Sen says it's possible, then I certainly can too.

"So, stop with the extra training and just go back and rest."

Tang Sen waved his hand.

All this is to clearly tell Nowitzki: stop overthinking, just listen to me and practice diligently.

(End of this chapter)