Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 466 Tang Sen Wasn't Bragging

Eddie Jones gave Durant a deep look before walking off the court, looking dejected.

Then he gave Caron Butler a sympathetic look.

He tested Durant's offense, while Butler tested Durant's defense.

Theoretically speaking, a player who is good at offense may not necessarily be good at defense.

Energy is limited after all; it's already not easy to do one thing well while on the field.

But this is Durant.

Tang Sen had said long ago that he wanted to develop a Jordan-like player.

Jordan's defining characteristic was his all-around game on both offense and defense.

How could Durant's defense be bad?
In other words, a guy who is tall, has a long reach, is fast, has good coordination, and can run and jump well is bound to have a bad defense.

Therefore, Jones predicts that Butler will not have an easy time either.

Sure enough, Butler's first attempt was to back down Durant.

Durant looks very thin, but Butler tried to push him up but couldn't budge him.

He then realized that this thing weighed 104 kilograms, a full 6 kilograms heavier than himself.

Durant's defense displays a steady and reliable quality.

Don't harass relentlessly, don't try to steal the ball rashly, maintain a defensive posture, and then move flexibly to avoid losing your position.

At the same time, his reaction was very quick.

Butler failed to post up, turned to face the basket, faked a drive, and then pulled back to shoot.

Durant wasn't easily fooled by the fakes; his control over his body's instinctive reactions was exceptional, and he then lunged forward.

That lunge made Butler truly realize how tall Durant was and how long his arms were.

And how strong is the explosive power in that instant?

Suddenly, I got caught on camera!
Butler landed and tried to turn and leave. This guy can jump more than three meters with a single leap, how can he possibly fight him?

Durant didn't trash talk, but his expression remained calm. After blocking the shot, he didn't react at all, giving the impression that blocking the opponent wasn't something to celebrate.

It was precisely this feeling that made Butler very unhappy.

Because he felt that Durant didn't respect him.

I've been to a million-dollar training camp myself!

Cursing under his breath, Butler called for the ball again, changing direction repeatedly to try and establish a rhythm, then using his explosive power to gain position and force his way in.

It worked!
Butler strode forward, only to be shocked to find Durant following him.

And the final shot was a precise prediction; after the ball left his hands, he accurately pressed it onto the backboard.

Butler immediately understood Durant's defensive strategy.

He should know that his center of gravity is high, making it easier for shorter people to squeeze in during a surprise attack.

Therefore, the main strategy is to focus on defense, specifically guarding against the final shot.

All attacks must eventually be launched; a good defense is one that prevents the final blow.

Finally, on the fourth offensive possession, Butler turned and made a jump shot.

But Butler wasn't happy.

These are all NBA-level players. Even if Jordan came along, he couldn't completely shut down a player and make them go 0 for 10.

Being able to limit your opponent to their normal performance is already a top-level defense.

And it's clear that Durant is a top-tier defender.

Riley was incredibly excited on the sidelines.

Durant's performance amazed him, but what delighted him even more was that, according to Connors, Durant's greatest strength was not one-on-one defense, but help defense.

He said that Townsend's goal for Durant's defense is to focus on help defense, and he is trying to develop him into a help defense master like Garnett and Bender.

So at this moment, Riley was filled with nothing but surprise.

In the end, Butler played 10 shots and scored 2.

Butler walked off the court dejectedly.

Jones asked him how he felt with a half-smile.

Butler thought for a moment and said, "What an arrogant kid, he didn't even say hello."

Let's not even talk about their skills, there's no point in commenting, they were completely outmatched.

But what about his character?
He's your senior, after all. Show him some respect.

Jones nodded in deep agreement, then thought for a moment and said quietly, "But compared to Michael, I feel it's alright."

Durant was a bit quiet, but compared to the tyrant Jordan, he was much better.

Butler chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, "Is this really a fair comparison?"

"That's true, it's alright."

Turning to look at Durant, Butler couldn't help but think how arrogant he would have been if he had those skills when he was 18.

Connors approached Durant first and asked how he felt.

Durant glanced at Butler in the distance, thought for a moment, and said, "Not bad."

One is good at defense, and the other is quite sharp on offense.

Connors couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with that flippant tone.

He thought to himself, "Of course, that's Caron Butler, a near All-Star player."

As for Eddie Jones, he's already an All-Star. But in any case, this tryout was absolutely perfect.

Look at Riley's expression, his mouth is practically stretched to his ears.

The interview process was streamlined.

No media interviews were arranged.

Riley smiled and personally saw Durant into the car before heading off to give a media interview.

Media from not only Miami, but from all over the United States came.

This is the next Jordan that Townsend has designated.

Jordan!
How could the media not go crazy?

So when Riley appeared, everyone's eyes were on him intently.

A barrage of questions has been thrown at us, making it as lively as a supermarket.

Riley raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, to vent his excitement, and to tell the world what a genius Durant is.

Then they can show off to their hearts' content, making the Celtics, the Wolves, and all the teams that didn't have the guts to tank to the end extremely jealous.

But in the end, Riley swallowed those words.

His arrogance is a disgrace, and the Heat will likely make trades around Durant next.

Becoming the enemy of the alliance at this time is not worthwhile.

Riley was too excited and eager to show off, so he feigned weakness and started saying Durant wasn't good, which didn't seem right either.

If you say Durant is bad, wouldn't that be putting Tang Sen in a bad light?

After a moment's thought, Riley said, "I can only say that Tang wasn't exaggerating."

Riley felt that was enough with just that one sentence.

Tang Sen said Durant is the next Jordan, and he wasn't exaggerating.

That's unnecessary, no need to say more.

As for how strong it is, you'll have to wait and see.

Ignoring reporters' persistent questions, Riley quickly left.

As soon as he returned to the office area, he bumped into Van Gundy, who was just as excited and couldn't help but start thinking about how to strengthen the team in the summer.

He talked on and on, but Riley didn't really listen.

After Van Gundy finished speaking, Riley suddenly asked, "Stan, would you like to be a teaching assistant?"

Van Gundy was stunned and asked what he meant.

In front of the media, Riley is charming and elegant, but with employees and players, he is businesslike and ruthless.

"I mean, would you like to be an assistant coach? Because next season, I'm going to be the head coach. If you're willing to stay, you can be my chief assistant coach. If not, you can start looking for another team."

Riley finished speaking without any expression.

He hasn't been a head coach for many years, but things are different now.

That's Durant, a player of Jordan's caliber.

Which coach wouldn't want to coach a player like Jordan? That's why Riley was itching to try.

He really wanted to experience what it was like to coach Jordan.

Van Gundy never imagined that the day Durant tried out would also be the day he was fired.

But Riley didn't care about him; all he could think about now was how to strengthen the roster.

But to his surprise, a huge windfall soon fell from the sky, leaving him completely bewildered.

The Finals have ended, with the Knicks defeating the Lakers 4-2 to defend their title and achieve a three-peat.

This result is not surprising.

The Knicks are constantly breaking up, losing players every year.

But the core remained unchanged.

The partnership of Yao Ming and Wade is still comparable to the OK combination.

Not to mention there's Billups and Bender.

With Chandler gone, Gazurich can step up.

Calderic Brown isn't as well-rounded as Wallace, but he's still good enough to anchor the Knicks' wing.

This is still a championship-caliber roster.

After the Finals ended, a rumor suddenly emerged that O'Neal had requested a trade and wanted to leave the team.

Riley initially thought this was just another media hype.

After all, there were rumors last year that the Lakers wanted to trade for O'Neal.

Now that O'Neal has successfully lost weight and is in such good shape this year, how could the Lakers bear to trade him again?

But when the Lakers contacted him and said they were willing to trade O'Neal, Riley realized it wasn't a lie.

Moreover, O'Neal specifically requested to come to the Heat.

This situation was completely beyond Riley's expectations.

The idea of ​​O'Neal and Durant being a combination Riley found insane.

Even Jordan back then never had this much room to spare in his battles.

(End of this chapter)