The longest river

Chapter 52 The Potential of a League Superstar

After Yang Shuai finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

Then a burst of laughter rang out from beside Yang Shuai.

Then laughter quickly spread throughout the venue.

Even the usually serious Larry Brown couldn't help but laugh.

This isn't a story that will make you laugh out loud, but it's hard not to smile at Americans who call themselves "beacons of freedom."

Especially when they first heard it.

"This is a story you made up!"

But at that moment, Johnson suddenly spoke up, clearly not wanting Yang Shuai to get away with it so easily.

Everyone else also turned their attention to Yang Shuai. Although the story was interesting, it did seem like it was made up. After all, if the Canadian in the story had stated from the very beginning that he was a fixed and immovable lighthouse, then none of the subsequent events would have happened.

"This is a call log that the U.S. Navy headquarters just released a while ago," Yang Shuai replied directly and clearly.

"Negative energy from Eddie Johnson +58".

Yang Shuai shut Johnson up with just one sentence.

He couldn't possibly lie about something like that.

Yang Shuai easily dealt with this prank by the rookies.

Next up was Hoiberg, who was naturally not spared from being pranked, and this time he was even asked to dance in public.

"How did you find out about the U.S. Navy headquarters?" Scott couldn't help but turn his head curiously.

"Go online."

"Go online?"

"The Internet is just a computer."

Although Yang Shuai bought a computer before, he didn't find much information about his teammates, but he did see a lot of current affairs news.

The reason he remembered this story so quickly, and even couldn't help but laugh out loud while reading it, was because he had heard it in his past life. At the time, he thought it was a joke, but he never expected it to be true.

Scott looked surprised upon hearing this, then nodded in agreement.

The Internet is a very fashionable term these days.

Especially since the United States launched its "Information Superhighway" strategy some time ago, the Internet has shifted from the military and political spheres to the commercial sphere.

Yang Shuai knows how to use the internet, which made him realize that he was almost out of touch with the times, but at the same time, he also felt the youthful energy emanating from Yang Shuai.

It's a very different feeling when an 18-year-old high school student suddenly joins a group of people in their late twenties or even thirties.

The team's training camp officially began the following day.

Yang Shuai felt like a child who had been thrown into the adult world.

Explicit trash talk, pungent body odor, and all sorts of incomprehensible tactical jargon.

This was an extremely difficult day for him.

Especially when someone makes a mistake because they didn't understand the tactical terminology, they face a severe scolding from Larry Brown.

The head coach, who seemed unapproachable at last night's dinner, was equally stern when he started scolding people.

Perhaps the only good news is that he wasn't the only one who got scolded.

Other players, whether rookies or veteran teammates, would also be reprimanded if they didn't meet his requirements during training.

Compared to the differential treatment he felt from his teammates yesterday, this still offered Yang Shuai some solace.

However, after returning to the locker room after training that day, Yang Shuai encountered trouble again.

There's a specific arrangement for locker room seating in the NBA. The team's most senior players are positioned in the four corners, with the seat closest to the door reserved for the highest-ranking members, as this is convenient for reporters to conduct interviews.

Miller's wardrobe was located on the right side closest to the door, while Yang Shuai's wardrobe was right next to Miller's.

Just as Yang Shuai was about to grab his clothes and head to the shower, Eddie Johnson called out to him, "Go buy us some donuts."

Yang Shuai ignored him and continued to take his own clothes.

"Are you deaf?" Johnson's raised voice instantly drew the attention of everyone else in the locker room.

Most people were watching with amusement, but Scott, seeing this, stood up and asked, "What happened?"

“I asked this newbie to buy some donuts, and he dared to ignore me.” Johnson frowned.

"Don't you have legs? Or don't you even have enough money to buy a donut?" Yang Shuai grabbed his clothes and immediately retorted.

Johnson only called on him, not all the rookies, which clearly shows that he didn't embarrass him at the opening banquet last night and wanted to continue targeting him.

Last night, the rookie pranked him, and he had to go through the motions, but now he's not going to tolerate it.

"You! What did you say?!" Johnson exclaimed in shock.

"Your hearing isn't good either?" Yang Shuai asked with a pitiful expression.

Now, not only Johnson, but everyone else in the locker room looked at Yang Shuai with incredulous eyes.

"You rookie!" Johnson was so angry that he was about to hit him.

"Negative energy from Eddie Johnson +256".

Scott reacted quickly and stopped Johnson.

Yang Shuai ignored him and left the locker room.

A commotion arose from the locker room behind him, but Yang Shuai only found it noisy. He didn't go to the shower room, but instead returned to the training hall.

I've been targeted ever since I joined the team, and today's training only helped me sweat it out to relieve some of my frustration.

He practiced a few sets of three-pointers and was resting on the sidelines when someone came to the training facility—it was Scott.

Upon seeing Yang Shuai, he walked straight over and sat down next to Yang Shuai.

“Eddie went a bit too far,” Scott said, criticizing Johnson as soon as he sat down.

“However, if you directly confront him in the locker room, others will think you are difficult to get along with, and you will be isolated.” He then advised Yang Shuai.

"Byron, do you think I'm not isolated right now?" Yang Shuai turned his head and looked directly at Scott.

Scott looked at Yang Shuai for a long time, then sighed, his expression seemingly somewhat helpless.

"But I'm used to it, what can I do, I'm an Asian player."

Since it wasn't simply a case of veteran players targeting rookies, the only reason he could think of was his yellow skin.

He has experienced many similar things since he traveled from time to the present.

"Hansen, you might be mistaken." But Scott's answer surprised Yang Shuai.

"Their attitude towards you wasn't because you're an Asian player, but because the team lost Mark."

“Mark Jackson.” Scott added, worried that Yang Shuai might not understand.

In order to have the draft pick to select Yang Shuai, the Pacers traded away Mark Jackson.

Although Jackson only played one season with the Pacers, his contribution to the team was undeniable. Moreover, Jackson was resilient and had strong leadership skills, which earned him the respect of his teammates.

"What does that have to do with me?" Yang Shuai was speechless.

The team management, not Jackson, was the one who traded him. Why are the players taking out their frustrations on him instead of communicating with the management?

Just because he's a newbie? A pushover?

Seeing Yang Shuai's reaction, Scott was momentarily speechless.

Because Yang Shuai is just a high school student. If he were a college student, he would have understood the current situation after Yang explained the whole story and would have been more careful in his words and actions in the future.

"Byron, are you free tonight?" Just then, Yang Shuai asked after thinking for a moment.

"Let's have a meal together, to acknowledge what you just said to me, and also for the help you've given me these past two days."

Yang Shuai's move has left Scott somewhat bewildered.

One second Yang Shuai looked like an innocent high school student, but the next second he acted as if he knew a lot about human relationships.

However, he had no reason to refuse a newcomer's thanks.

To his surprise, Yang Shuai took him directly to a luxurious restaurant.

"It's my treat, I have money." Seeing Scott standing there in a daze at the door, Yang Shuai pulled him inside.

Scott then remembered that the high school student in front of him had signed a huge endorsement contract with Reebok, which was quite big news in the league at the time.

After sitting down and ordering, Yang Shuai began to ask Scott for advice.

Of course, it wasn't about interpersonal relationships, but rather the tactical terminology he encountered today that he didn't quite understand.

Because he never went to university, this is a serious deficiency in his education.

As Scott explained, a look of surprise crossed his face, followed by a wry smile.

The surprise stemmed from his realization of Yang Shuai's strategy.

Yang Shuai has no intention of compromising or trying to change his current isolated situation.

Yang Shuai chose to confront them head-on.

An NBA team is a small company, and also a small society, where interpersonal relationships are very important.

But NBA teams are ultimately basketball teams, and in the end, it's basketball that matters.

No matter how good your relationship is with all your teammates, or even the coaching staff, you still won't get opportunities if you don't perform well on the court.

Conversely, if you make your tactical run into position on the field, and your teammates don't pass the ball to you because they don't get along with you, then the one who gets scolded isn't you who didn't get a chance to shoot, but the person who didn't pass the ball.

In particular, the Pacers' head coach is Larry Brown, a stubborn coach known for his rigorous training methods but who treats all players equally when coaching.

After understanding this, he also knew why Yang Shuai had seemed somewhat contradictory before.

Yang Shuai is indeed a high school student with little social experience, but he is very smart.

As for the wry smile, Scott meant it for his teammates.

If Yang Shuai chooses to do that, then he will inevitably have constant conflicts with other members of the Pacers team, especially those like Johnson who are very targeted.

This is not a good thing for the Pacers as a team.

However, Scott continued to explain those terms to Yang Shuai without holding anything back.

It wasn't that he was just enjoying the spectacle; rather, he saw something rare and valuable in Yang Shuai.

Retreating when faced with difficulties can avoid a lot of trouble, which is the choice most players would make.

He himself is the same way, which is why he has been able to do well whether he was on the "Showtime" Lakers or on this Pacers team, and is even a locker room leader now.

However, he admires people like Yang Shuai because not everyone has the courage to do that.

Those who dare to do that have the potential to become league superstars in this era.

(End of this chapter)