NBA: This center is incredibly strong.

Early August, Orlando, temporary training facility.

Chen Yan arrived at the stadium early, waiting for the trainer and nutritionist arranged for him by his agent, Pelinka.

Pelinka assigned him a trainer and nutritionist who were not well-known, nor were they top figures in the industry who had been famous for a long time.

Chen Yan didn't care about that, as long as they were professionally competent enough to achieve his special training goals.

Not long after, trainer Chris Joseph and nutritionist Bridges arrived.

The three introduced themselves and got to know each other quickly, then got down to business.

After understanding Chen Yan's needs, Joseph reminded him: "The way modern interior players play requires weight to support their strength in the paint. Losing weight may affect your low-post threat."

Chen Yan shook his head and spoke his mind: "With my high-flying, ground-penetrating playing style, my knees and ankles can't withstand 82 regular season games, and I'm too slow. If I were lighter, I could be faster and reduce the risk of injury."

The cruelty of professional basketball lies in the fact that your body is your only tool and your only commodity.

You use it to gain money, fame, and glory, but every transaction depletes your principal.

Now is the best time to accumulate initial capital, and we must seize it.

Seeing that his employer was determined, Joseph got to work: "Okay. If you really want to do this, I need to develop a diet and training plan for you. You can't lose too much muscle while losing weight, nor can you affect your strength. It's a systematic process."

"I will cooperate with Chris's work." The nutritionist Bridges, who had been barely noticeable, finally chimed in.

"Then I'll leave it to you two." After giving instructions, Chen Yan told them to go back and prepare.

The following day, Joseph and Bridges completed their respective plans, and the rigorous special training officially began.

In terms of diet, eat small, frequent meals throughout the day.

Boiled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and brown rice are arranged in a combination, with the calories and nutrients of each meal precisely measured down to the gram.

There were no carbonated drinks, no fried food, and not even a small piece of dessert.

In terms of training, there are three training sessions every day.

The morning session consists of strength and explosive power training, the afternoon session consists of technical training and defensive footwork training, and the evening session consists of recovery training and stretching.

Time flew by, and Chen Yan's special training had been going on for over a month. Today was the day to test the results of his training.

Chen Yan looked at the physical test report in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.

The previously set goals have been largely achieved.

My weight dropped from 135 kg to 130 kg.

Although it's only a 10-pound weight loss, it will significantly reduce the pressure on the knees and ankles for taller people.

Despite losing weight, his strength did not decrease; in fact, his speed attribute increased by 2 points.

"Oh my god! Chen, you're a monster! I can't wait to see you conquer the NBA and dominate the basketball world!" Trainer Joseph exclaimed excitedly, almost incoherently.

"Chen, you're sure to be the brightest star this season. I can foresee countless endorsement deals coming my way," agent Pelinka said excitedly.

He knew all too well the value of Chen Yan's physical fitness test report.

"My journey has just begun, and I need to take it one step at a time." Chen Yan wasn't blinded by success; his current skills were terrible, and he needed to continue to hone them.

After the casual conversation, Chen Yan had his agent, Pelinka, settle the salaries for Joseph and Bridges, thus ending the collaboration. The group then went their separate ways.

Chen Yan returned to his rented apartment and rested for a few days before heading to the team to report for duty and participate in the upcoming training camp.

.....

In mid-September, the Orlando Magic's training camp for the new season officially began.

Inside the training facility, the Magic coaching staff had gathered early on the sidelines, waiting for the players to arrive.

As the fifth overall pick in this year's draft, Chen Yan is undoubtedly one of the focal points of the training camp.

As he changed into his training uniform and walked into the training field, several assistant coaches exchanged glances unconsciously.

With a height of 216 centimeters and a robust physique, his build is eye-catching even on the NBA level.

But what made chief strength and conditioning coach Marcus Wilson frown slightly was that Chen Yan looked a little "thinner" than he did during the Summer League.

"Chen, go through the physical testing process first." Assistant coach Van Gundy patted him on the shoulder, "Let's see what you've been up to this offseason."

The equipment in the physical testing room emitted a slight humming sound.

Chen Yan took off his training clothes, revealing his lean upper body. His muscle lines were more defined than a month ago, especially his waist, abdomen and lower limbs. The slightly bulky circumference of his waist and lower limbs had been thinned out, replaced by firmer muscle texture.

"Let's put it on the scale first." Wilson began recording.

Chen Yan stands on the body composition analyzer.

The results came back quickly: height 216 cm, weight 130 kg, body fat percentage 9.1%.

"Continue." Head coach Doc Rivers stood to the side, his expression unchanged, but his eyes had already lit up.

Next item: Jump measurement.

Chen Yan walked to the vertical jump tester, took a deep breath, lowered his shoulders, bent his knees, swung his arms back, and then rose into the air like a rocket that had been ignited.

The infrared sensor captured the highest point.

Numbers emerge.

Vertical jump from place: 99.6cm.

The training room fell silent for a moment, and everyone gasped.

Rivers glanced at the ceiling subconsciously, as if to confirm whether the height was truly generated from the feet of a 216-centimeter, 130-kilogram person.

A vertical jump of 99.6 centimeters is elite level in any position, but for a center-sized player, it goes beyond the category of "excellent" and enters the realm of "unconventional".

Then, a running jump vertical jump test was conducted.

Chen Yan started from the baseline with a long and powerful stride. His body was noticeably lighter after losing weight, and the explosive power of his push-off was not weakened by the weight loss. On the contrary, it became more aggressive due to the reduction in body fat percentage and the improvement in muscle efficiency.

He leaped into the air, arms outstretched—

3 meters 94!

What does this number mean?

The official height of the NBA basketball hoop is 3.05 meters. Chen Yan's standing reach is already around 2.90 meters, but with this 99.6 centimeters vertical jump, his release point is almost at the top of the backboard.

Throughout NBA history, only a handful of players have ever reached that height, and none of them weighed 130 kilograms.

"Test again." Rivers' voice was calm, but his tone carried an undeniable seriousness.

Chen Yan walked back to the baseline and restarted.

This time he jumped even higher than before.

3 meters 98!

This height is already above the top edge of the backboard.

The coaching staff were stunned.

Next up was the strength test.

This is the part that Van Gundy is most worried about.

Weight loss is often accompanied by a loss of strength, especially for a player like Chen Yan who is incredibly strong. Any decline in strength could affect his dominance in the low post.

Bench press test – 185 pounds (approximately 84 kilograms) barbell.

Chen Yan lay down on the press rack and easily attempted 30 reps, once again astonishing everyone.

Chen Yan easily broke the previous NBA rookie bench press record of 24 reps.

"Stan, take Chen to do the other tests, and then take him to the press conference." Rivers finished giving instructions and headed towards his office.

Van Gundy nodded and led Chen Yan to other testing sites.

Not long after, team staff handed Rivers the physical test reports of all Magic players.

Rivers first looked through Chen Yan's physical test report:

裸足身高216cm；臂展234cm;体重130kg；体脂率9.1％；站立摸高2.92cm；最大弹跳高度99.6cm；最大摸高398cm；3/4场冲刺3.4秒；禁区敏捷跑12.2秒；卧推(185磅) 30次.

"His speed is only passable, but he is excellent in other aspects. He is a rookie with great potential and needs to be nurtured. He can be given more playing time in the new season." After making the arrangements, Rivers continued to look through the physical test reports of other players.

Meanwhile, a press conference specially organized by the team for the newcomers is underway.

When Chen Yan arrived, three people were already seated behind the long table at the press conference: team general manager John Gabriel, Tracy McGrady, and Grant Hill.

During the offseason, John Gabriel's moves in the free market were nothing short of legendary. He acquired Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in quick succession. There was also the possibility of acquiring Tim Duncan, but the deal fell through because head coach Doc Rivers refused to let Duncan's wife travel with the team on the team's private jet. This prevented the formation of the original "Big Three" super team.

After Chen Yan sat down, the press conference began.

Gabriel started with standard rhetoric, including phrases like "We are delighted to have Chen Yan and others join the Magic family," "Tracy and Grant are both extremely talented players, and Chen's performance in the Summer League showed tremendous potential," and "We believe they will become an important part of the team's future."

Then came the Q&A session with reporters.

After asking questions to McGrady and Hill, it was Chen Yan's turn last.

The first few questions were fairly standard: "What are your expectations for the new season?", "Have you settled into life in Orlando?", and "How are you getting along with your teammates?"

Chen Yan answered each question flawlessly, managing to get through the situation perfectly.

Gabriel, standing to the side, looked at Chen Yan with new respect; he hadn't expected this young man to have such a commanding presence.

Seeing that Chen Yan didn't make any grand pronouncements like some of the more impetuous newcomers, and lacked any sensationalism, the reporters began asking some rather tricky questions.

"You chose jersey number 24. Does this number have any special meaning?"

"It doesn't really mean anything, I just think the number is auspicious." Chen Yan didn't want to tell the reporter that he wanted to be better than Jordan.

"One last question, Chen. What are your expectations for your rookie season? Points per game? Rebounds? Rookie of the Year?"

This is a classic "hole-digging" question.

Whether Chen Yan gives a specific number or directly shouts the slogan "Best Rookie," it will become headline material tomorrow, and then be analyzed and ridiculed by various commentators.

Chen Yan thought for two seconds before replying, "I haven't set specific data goals for myself. Data is a result, not an end. My goal is that after every game, win or lose, I can say to myself: I didn't let my teammates down today because of my own mistakes."

This answer has no sensational elements, no gimmicks, and no material that could be used for clickbait headlines.

But it made all the reporters present realize one thing:

This 18-year-old is much more mature than they imagined.