Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 392 How come they're sitting at the same table as the Nets?
"What a gift, shit! Is this still Jason Kidd?"

This shot made Kenny Smith shout out in excitement.

Kidd's strengths and weaknesses are too obvious.

Top-notch organization, top-notch defense, and also good at driving to the basket and making layups.

But his shooting just won't work.

With a shooting percentage of less than 40%, they really can't make the shots.

Because they can't make the shot, they don't dare to shoot.

Before 2000, a core player of a team typically only took about 10 shots per year.

He can't handle the production volume.

Having been criticized by fans and media for a long time, Kidd has been practicing since joining the Nets.

He practically had my desire to practice shooting written all over his face.

But you really can't train it.

Now that I'm older and have leg injuries, it's even more of a problem.

Last season, he had a 32% three-point shooting percentage and a 38% field goal percentage.

If it weren't for his organized play and strong defense, a player like that wouldn't even get a chance to play on other teams.

This summer, before even going to the Townsend Million Training Camp, Kidd was already clamoring that he wanted to practice three-pointers.

At the end of training camp, Kidd proudly told all the media that he had mastered the three-pointer.

He didn't play a single game in the preseason.

No one knows whether these words were his delusions before he died.

The shot in front of him was clearly not Jason Kidd's style.

How many Kidds make such decisive and accurate shots?

Barkley immediately signaled to Smith to calm down: "Kenny, don't get excited, it's just a 3-pointer."

Kidd may be a novice, but he's not incapable of making shots.

Smith shook his head and said, "Charles, it's different. Didn't you notice that Jason changed his shooting form?"

Even when he was open, Kidd used to be so slow to release his shot that it felt like he was waiting for the defender to close in.

Now, the jump and the shot are executed in one smooth motion.

He put a supercar engine in his classic car and became a quick shooter.

Barkley was about to retort when he suddenly exclaimed, "Fuck, how dare he!"

The Nets' offense still revolves around Kidd.

Martin suggested a pick-and-roll.

Moreover, he was placed in a very high position, which meant Kidd was essentially running towards the backfield.

By the time he received the pass from Jefferson, he was already almost two meters away from the three-point line.

Billups rushed over from behind after the screen, but Kidd pulled up and threw the ball.

Push off with your right foot to stop abruptly, twist your body to face the basket the instant you receive the ball, bend your knees and jump. As you jump, the ball is already out of your hand.

His catch-and-shoot jump shot with off-ball movement even resembled Ray Allen's style a bit.

With a swish, the basketball went into the net again.

Billups stared wide-eyed in disbelief and couldn't help but swear.

He also shoots three-pointers, the kind that's really intense.

But he really didn't expect Kidd to make such a shot.

That's Jason Kidd!

Being so close, both from the East, and directly matched up against each other, Billups knows Kidd all too well.

I've never seen Kidd play like this before.

How could I dare to go from so far away?

It feels like Stevenson Jordan's spirit has possessed him.

He wasn't the only one shocked.

Kenny Smith screamed, "I told you, this isn't Jason at all!"

They scored 6 points in the first two minutes.

In previous years, this score would have been achieved only after half the game was over.

Smith couldn't help but think that with Kidd's momentum, he might be able to challenge for the scoring title.

Barkley on the other side shook his head in disbelief: "Tang is terrifying. He actually managed to get Jason to develop a three-point shot."

It felt like Shaquille O'Neal had finally mastered free throws, like an iron tree blossoming.

Rick stood up.

Barkley exclaimed again.

Carlisle, considered the mascot of the Knicks' bench, actually got up and went to the sidelines at the very beginning of the game.

This is enough to prove how much of a shock Kidd's two three-pointers had on Carlisle.

A player like Kidd who can orchestrate the team's offense and also act as a defensive anchor on the perimeter is terrifying enough.

If he also possesses exceptional scoring ability, the Nets will take off.

Carlisle called out to Billups twice, signaling him to stay close so he could defend against an attack. After giving him this instruction, Carlisle couldn't help but turn and glance at Tang Sen in the front row.

Previously at the training camp, he helped Tang Sen conduct an experiment to test the merits and demerits of the long-range three-point shooting style.

So he knows that in this situation, you have to defend yourself.

If he doesn't go out, Kidd can keep making shots.

However, if the defense can't break through, there will inevitably be gaps in the defense.

Carlisle couldn't do anything about it and could only hope that the rest of the Knicks would keep up.

Billups changed his defensive strategy, and Kidd immediately adjusted as well.

He dribbled the ball, pulled Billups out of position, and suddenly bounced the ball off the ground, passing it precisely under Billups' armpit to Jefferson, who had rounded out.

Jefferson made the jump shot.

Although Richard Jefferson did not attend Townsend's training camp, over three seasons, he had been developed into a top scorer on the wing by Kidd.

Kidd wasn't the only one who performed well today; Kenyon Martin did too.

Kidd broke through and passed the ball to Martin, who was positioned in the penalty area midfield and was about to throw it.

Bender instinctively lunged forward, only to realize it was a feint.

Martin sprang into action instantly, and the moment his powerful body made contact, Bender was pushed away.

As Martin drove to the basket, facing Yao Ming's help defense, he remained calm, stopped abruptly, and executed a short floater.

Carlisle's expression on the sidelines became even more serious.

In his memory, Martin relied entirely on Kidd to fly; he had exceptional athletic ability but poor manual dexterity.

A standard Kemp-style beastly power forward playing style.

But now, Carlisle sees in Martin a technique that makes effortless mastery.

He can still start with a powerful shot, but he can also stop suddenly and then has enough skill to put the ball in the net.

That's not all. After the pick-and-roll, Martin received the pass back and even hit a mid-range jump shot.

His release wasn't particularly fast, but his form was standard and his throws were quite accurate.

Such a performance is bound to attract attention.

Barkley gasped and said, "Kenyon has evolved too. Look at him, he's even attacking the basket in the low post now, and he can even change his footwork. It's unbelievable. What has he learned in just three months?"

Martin has obvious strengths, but also obvious weaknesses.

As summer passed, the strengths became even stronger, while the weaknesses were largely mitigated.

In Barkley's view, Martin has already reached All-Star level.

At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks led by only 2 points, 30-28.

Those extra points were entirely due to Kidd.

In the first quarter, Kidd made 3 of 4 three-pointers and added a layup, scoring a total of 13 points.

In previous years, he probably only scored this many points throughout the entire game.

"Is Jason going to break his personal scoring record today?" Smith exclaimed in astonishment.

With Kidd's current form, it feels like he has a real chance of breaking his personal scoring record.

His personal scoring record is not high, only 43 points.

In that game, he had an explosive shooting night, sinking five three-pointers, while now, Kidd sinks three in just one quarter.

Barkley said, "It's entirely possible, and when Jason has the ability to attack from the outside, he brings a qualitative improvement to the Nets."

In the past, when other teams played against the Nets, they knew that Kidd was not a good shooter, so they would sometimes deliberately leave him open.

And now, who would dare to let Kidd go?

Billups was on tight defense, and he still made 3 of 4 shots.

If he relaxes his defense even slightly, who knows how many shots he'll make.

Barkley believes that this improvement is what gives the Nets the ability to compete with the Knicks.

Sure enough, during the bench phase, when the Nets' starters were still on the court, they even managed to tie the score at one point.

The Knicks suffered a huge loss in the summer, losing several players in succession.

They added rookies, but they didn't have the opportunity to train with Tangsen, so the strength of the bench lineup declined.

Especially the power forward position.

Carlisle opted to have Gazuric play power forward.

Gazuric is very athletic, but given his height, it's impossible for him to reach the level of athleticism that Martin possesses.

During his time off the bench, Martin almost dominated Gazuric, scoring 7 points before the starters came on.

Martin scored 13 points in the quarter.

At halftime, the Knicks led by only 3 points, 62-59.

This result clearly exceeded everyone's expectations.

Spike Lee on the sidelines couldn't help but ask Tang Sen what was going on.

The Knicks, who were invincible last season, are now sitting at the same table as the Nets.

During halftime, Barkley and his two teammates, who were discussing amongst themselves, received another piece of news.

In another opening game that started at the same time, the Mavericks hosted the Kings, and Nowitzki had a godlike performance in the first quarter, scoring a whopping 19 points.

(End of this chapter)